Favorite Fragrances

I've hinted here and there about some of my top fragrance choices. In general, I tend to prefer warmer scents. I gravitate towards scents with main notes of vanilla but I'm not a fan of smelling like a cupcake. I thought I would share some of my top fragrance choices and since the weather has gotten a bit cooler, I'll bet I'll forget to mention some of my summer picks.

The scent that I've been reaching for lately with the pretty significant weather change here has been the Victoria's Secret Body By Victoria Comfort Body Mist: Warm Vanilla. Even though this is technically a body mist and not an eau de toilette or eau de parfum, this has amazing lasting power. I apply right before dressing around 6am and it's still around when I get ready for bed around 9pm. Unfortunately, this particular scent is discontinued and Victoria's Secret has a habit of discontinuing all of their vanilla scents but Vanilla Lace and Amber Romance are also quite nice.

One of my mainstays is Philosophy's Falling in Love which smells of vanilla & blackberry. This is quite a sweet scent but something that I wore everyday for years. I discovered this in college. Actually, a bit of a story. I think it was my sophomore year that Philosophy offered an amazing promotion of a bottle of this and the shower gel free with any purchase. As I was a poor college student, I didn't usually spring for fragrance but the deal was too good so I got it. I fell in love with the fragrance and have gone through countless bottles of this ever since. I also wore this when I met my husband so he considers this "my" fragrance.

Lolita Lempicka's L eau de parfum is a fragrance I started wearing when I worked at ULTA. Before each shift, I'd walk over to the perfume area, spritz my pulse points with this and then spray Kenzo Amour generously all over. The slightly smoky smell of this mixed with the Amour smelled absolutely delicious. I don't currently own a bottle of Kenzo Amour but it is also one of my favorites. L reminds of me cigar smoke, in a pleasant non-cough-inducing way and also like the first whiff of a Diet Vanilla Coke (which I think they stopped making). Either way, it smells really good and is definitely a more grown up vanilla.

I think that's enough vanillas for now, don't you (though there are plenty of honorable mentions I've not mentioned)? I thought I'd mention two scents that I adore that are no longer available and are slightly different from my normal picks.

I've been shopping at The Body Shop for years as I've mentioned and now you probably believe me as I have a long discontinued but much loved bottle of The Spirit of Moonflower. This I keep stowed away, safe from light and it still smells good and I wear it occasionally. This is one of the few floral scents that I can tolerate and is a great day time scent. Not too powdery, not too sweet, I am still mad at The Body Shop for discontinuing this. I wore this during high school, early college and have gone through multiple bottles.

Fresh Memoirs of a Geisha came out in 2005 with the Memoirs of a Geisha movie (clearly) and was a great light summer fragrance that I still love. It's not quite as sour as their Sake fragrance and is nice and light, great for spring and summer days. I've gone through quite a few bottles of this too, even though it's not my usual fragrance.

Ever since I worked at ULTA in the mid 2000s, I have definitely branched out from my usual mainstays; not to mention the going from a bottle or two of fragrance into a collection. These days, I tend to repurchase my favorites that can still be bought fresh and buy new scents that I enjoy in rollerball format or at the most, the 1 ounce sizes.

What are some of your favorite perfumes?

Review: Inis Energy Of The Sea Cologne Spray

I was recently contacted by Fragrances of Ireland and asked if I wanted to try their Inis - the energy of the sea perfume. They generously scent me the full 50ml bottle to try. Per their name, Fragrances of Ireland is a small fragrance house based in County Wicklow, Ireland and Inis was launched in 1998 coinciding with the Lisbon World Expo and the UN year of the oceans. It reminds us that "we are all connected, by seas, by oceans, by dreams, through keeping the channels clear" - it definitely is a nice and slightly unusual message for a perfume in a "sea*" of perfumes that are at-times provocative.

I'm going to be honest and say that I really didn't care for Inis when I first sniffed it. Although, I do delve a little into "fumes", I mostly prefer scents that have more warmth to them or are brighter citruses. The marine scents aren't usually something I would buy for myself. Back when I worked at ULTA, I could give you a list of notes from the perfumes the store carried and I would typically ask customers, "what perfume do you like" or "what notes do you like" and walk over to a perfume and know that they would absolutely love it. I've since lost my touch a bit. I will say that although this is marketed as a unisex scent, I think it's a lot sweeter than a lot of the marine scents on the market that are either unisex or catered to men, and a lot stronger. When I first received my bottle, I sprayed my wrist and went to bed a few hours later. In the morning I could still smell it!

However, I will say it grew on me and I started reaching for Inis everyday. It's a great summer scent. It has major longevity and there is a sweetness to it that I quite enjoy. On first spritz I get the marine note, the citrus notes, a bit of sparkle and also a spiciness. A few seconds later, the marine note overwhelms and it smell much more masculine. However, after it melds into the skin, it develops a sweeter base and the musk and sandalwood really start to come out (with hints of citrus, light floral and the marine note). I was shocked to discover that this did not give me a migraine but also that if I'm feeling poorly, this isn't something to wear.
As I mentioned, this has major longevity and also is a whole lot stronger than the cologne name would lead you to think. This is not a perfume to liberally douse yourself in unless you want the entire office to smell like you! Nonetheless, I'm glad I was given the opportunity to try this. Too bad summer is almost over, my muskier vanilla scents don't really work well during hot weather.

Slightly unrelated. I liken this scent (though not in exact smell) to something like Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea which is fabulous in the spring and summer months.

I really enjoy the simple bottle with the etched letters. The perfume isn't tested on animals. It comes in 30ml, 50ml and 100ml sizes, the smallest being $35. Given the amount you need, I feel that's quite reasonable. I've been wearing it nonstop for a few weeks and I haven't made a dent.

After looking through their website a bit, I also found that 2ml samples of the brand's perfumes can be ordered through the website for a small fee that will be put towards a future purchase if you chose to order. This is quite smart given the brand is not carried most places although I believe you can buy it in some select boutiques (also I saw a listing on Amazon).


You can find all information on Inis and their full range of products on their website www.perfume.ie or www.fragrancesofireland.com.


Disclosure: This was sent for review.
* I clearly think I am very funny. Pun intended.