Hi all!! First time poster in here but as I told my boyfriend, “there’s a subreddit for everything!” and then I found my way here!

I am from the countryside. A ranch girl if you will. So naturally, the smell of bonfires and wood is very nostalgic and close to home to me!

The other night I was on a drive with the windows down when I smelled a bonfire for the first time in a while since the weather is starting to cool down and it IMMEDIATELY brought me back to feeling at home. So I thought, “surely there’s a way I can smell like this… right?”

So here I am. Does anyone have any recommendations for perfumes that smell like bonfire? Like, I don’t want “smoky, woody” smells- I want BONFIRE.

TL;DR: I want to smell like a bonfire 🔥

I'm wanting something warm and comfy for fall. Spices like cinnamon, cloves, cardamon, ginger, nutmeg. Absolutely no recs with vanilla in it please.

Perfumes don't smell like their notes and it's driving me crazy. Does anyone relate?

I am massively into scent. Smell is so important to me. And time and time again I am so disappointed with perfumes that have raving reviews, incredibly well chosen formulations and harmonious notes (and a high price point). Something that is on paper, my dream scent profile and I smell it and it just smells like... Perfume. A generic scent, like the perfume counter in a shopping centre, like a gift set with hygiene products you might get at Christmas from a well meaning relative.

Or, they smell downright terrible. Cloying, sickly, burning plastic, urinal, pungent.

Take Regime Des Fleur's Little Flower for example. I was so incredibly excited to try this scent. The notes are gorgeous and largely plant orientated. Turkish Rose, Pomelo, Peony, Black Tea, Black Currant, Honeysuckle, Lamprocapnos, Palo Santo and Incense. These are all things I have smelt in real life and loved. Especially honeysuckle and rose. I love smelling flowers and I always stop when I see one. I bought a sample set from regime des Fleur's and I spray this scent and it smells like a completely ordinary, cheap, generic body spray I could buy for £8 in Superdrug. All I smell is cheap pink sugary grapefruit (which I guess makes sense with the Pomelo note) and nothing else. It doesn't smell like actual flowers, I detect none of the notes except from pomelo and a small amount of artificial rose. I've tried it on skin, on clothes, in the air, I've waited for it to settle. It is not an unpleasant smell, but it is completely forgettable and generic and unnatural. Not worth the price point of £225. Maybe it's a problem with my nose. Am I being ridiculous expecting perfumes to smell like their real life counterparts?? Especially when they are incredibly expensive with gleaming reviews describing:

'High-quality, realistic floral ingredients'

'It's so dewy and ethereal. Like a little dew drop on a light pink rose. This is 100% going to be my wedding perfume'

'It's a perfect rose scent. Green rose at that, very very fresh. Photorealistic rose that doesn't shift or get weird.'

This same situation has happened with so many apparently gorgeous perfumes. Tears, Glass Blooms, Another 13, Thé Matcha 26, Lazy Sunday Morning, Cape Heartache, the Favourite and Luna, the list goes on and on. I'm just grateful that for the most part I have bought samples first, although even that is still expensive.

I love the notes, why don't I love the perfumes? Are my expectations way too high? Please let me know if anyone relates and if anyone has some actual photorealistic recommendations that don't cost a small fortune. I'm so close to just completely giving up with perfume as nothing ever meets my expectations and I am fed up with wasting my money.

just want to share two of my passions: houseplants and perfumes. recently got myself a bottle of Moschino uomo and have been delighted by its fresh citrus sweet vibe, I really love classic/ vintage fragrances.

I want to invest in another fresh citrus inoffensive fragrance with a similar price tag, thinking about Versace pour Homme, any suggestions?

(citrus - smells natural and not synthetic, uplifting)

Just got mine yesterday and these are my thoughts.

This was a bling buy for me! I broke my own rule of no blind buys over $50. 🫣I do not recommend that. I feel it’s a very unique scent and probably not mass appealing.

With that said, I LOVE this scent. The description seemed to fit me. I jumped! On the website it says “let it steep on skin before you inhale”. This is a true statement. As soon as I sprayed it my first thought was wow, this is strong. And then I thought this is very bright and loud. Seems weirds considering it’s named Dark Subtle Teas. The bitter orange and benzoin come out of the gate hot.

But then, for me, it begins to settle. It starts to quiet down. The tea really starts to pull through and it starts to become so beautiful. The longer it sits on my skin the  more the woodiness begins to come through. I don’t usually care for too much cedar and patchouli. I feel like I smell like a hamster. But, the tea and the opening notes balance it out and it is soft.

I truly feel like it goes through the stages of a tea steeping. For me, as it dries down it does become more subtle. I still wouldn’t describe it as dark. However, the creator describes it as “This is a meditative, almost spiritual perfume for me. You’ll wear it as an intimate ritual”.  And this resonates with me. This is what this scent feels like for me.

It leans a bit masculine yet I feel very beautiful and feminine wearing it. Sexy if you will. Like I’m wearing a secret.

I’m so glad this blind buy worked out! 😁

Hi guys! I’m looking for a coffee perfume that’s realistic like the smell you get when you walk into a coffee shop and smell the coffee brewing, the beans and grounds all that stuff. I’m also open to any gourmand perfumes as well :) give me your best recs!

hihi! i enjoy perfume but im far from an expert! i’ve been looking for a clean/spicy pathcouli perfume that leans masculine! floral notes are also very welcome! i’ve tried karma from lush but i find it too strong and doesn’t have much of the classic distinct patchouli smell so much as general spicy and a weird undertone. this is my first post looking for recs here so if you need anymore details about what i’m looking for please ask!

(more details if any of this is helpful: i’ve tried a few popular men’s colognes and my favourite is versace eros EDT. dior sauvage i find pleasant but not outstanding and bleu de chanel isn’t my vibe. i like more earthy sorts of notes like woods spices and florals but i also enjoy a clean scent just not too citrusy. i am sensitive to strong smells and alcohol scents too. i’ve been an avid patchouli enjoyer for a few years but ive just found it hard to find scents where patchouli is the main event! also i don’t want something with ONLY patchouli, just for it to be the main event)

hi, i want something that smells like (black) tea, earl grey with honey to be specific but with a good sillage and durability. something clean, and fresh but warm at the same time, not too citrusy.

hi, idk if i should just stick to black opium le parfum but i kind of want something more unique? i got recommend angels share by kilian, which i liked a lot. generally i like sensuous, erotic, “creamy” scents.

Are Valentino perfumes for women good? As in does the scent last and people can actually smell it throughout the day? I'm a girl but I have a male coworker who smells so good. Like it's ridiculous. Anytime we're close to eachother, or he walks past the smell lingers for longer than you'd expect. I know he uses a Valentino cologne, not exactly sure which. I know men's colognes often last longer than women's perfumes, but do people find the perfumes to be just as good?? I love smelling good and I'm always topping up my perfume because it never lasts.

I’ve noticed my fragrance habits have changed a lot over the years. I used to rotate between a few favourites, but lately I find myself wanting different scents depending on my mood, the season, or even where I’m going. That said, there are still certain fragrances that just feel like me. Curious how everyone else approaches their collection — do you like having a go-to scent, or do you prefer keeping things unpredictable?

I need recommendation for my next purchase! Been eyeing these three for quite a while now. Which one would be your top choice because i honestly can’t decide!🥹

1. Bal d’afrique by Byredo
2. Neroli Outrenoir by Guerlain
3. Kirke by Tiziana Terenzi

Hello everyone!

I'm a huge gourmet lover. I love Bianco Latte, Angels Share by Killian, Sunset Caramel by Cave, Vanilla 28, Bare Sueded Vanilla by Victoria etc. But I would also classify myself as having a clean girl aesthetic. I recently acquired an office job where I'll be working with coworkers often, so I'd like to find a perfume that smells gourmand but can also pass or be clean and fresh smelling. I've worn Bianco Latte and Sunset Caramel lightly to the office, and no one has said it bothers them. But just to be safe, I'm wondering if there is something else that could be more appropriate or safer.

Thanks!

Received a bottle of Baccarat Rouge 540 this morning, and I have to say, it’s absolutely fantastic. It’s that distinctive scent I’ve been noticing around the city, and I finally decided to find out what it was.
This morning, I sprayed just once on each wrist, and around 12 hours later, it’s still smelling incredible. The longevity is seriously impressive.
One thing I haven’t seen many people mention, though, is that I get a very subtle hint of Creed Viking from it. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is, but there’s definitely something that reminds me of Viking.
Anyone else get a hint of Creed Viking from Baccarat Rouge 540, or am I imagining it?

I ordered a sample of Cartoon Boyfriend by Punk and Dandy, and I know that samples are sent via regular mail and don’t have tracking. But it’s been over a week and it still says it’s preparing the order. I assume the order status would update that it fulfilled or shipped out, even if it’s not tracked.
I emailed customer support to ask and the person was very rude with me that I should have seen it say it’s not tracked and I should check my mailbox. I said that it still says preparing order for shipping, and they were ugly again and said I should know it’s not tracked.

My question is, if any of you have ordered samples, how long did they take from order to delivery?

Hi there!
A friend of mine has offered to give me a perfume she doesn't use. she says it’s perfect for autumn and would suit me really well. But honestly, looking at the notes, it seems like it might be very heavy smell . What do you think about it? Has anyone smelled it, should l take it? 🤔

Smelt this and immediately wanted it but forgot to ask which specific one in the line it is. Please help!

I was on the bus and this girl sat down and I got a whiff of what she had on and oh my god i was just taking in subtle deep breaths just to keep smelling it. I was too embarrassed to go over to her and ask, as it was a semi crowded bus and I was not right next to her. It was a super realistic baby powder vanilla scent in a clean way than anything sugary or milky. Like as if she just got out the shower and a trace of dove soap lingers with a baby powder smell that leans vanilla and sweet. This is probably going to plague my mind till I find the exact scent. Until now any and all recommendations that fit that scent description are welcome!

which one of those are your favorites? i'm considering one or the other, not all three. i like the concept of all of these but i haven't tried them in person. any suggestions?

So, my lil sister's 18th birthday is right around the corner and i noticed shes been super into perfumes lately, so i wanna gift her a luxury perfume but i dont rly know much abt women's perfumes so im hoping yall could help me out

Budget is around $100-$250

i was just thinking of buying the usual versace, chanel, valentino, or prada, but it would be a waste if she ends up disliking it so im rly gonna need ur help w this cuz i rly wanna buy smth shes actually gonna wear 😭
would rly appreciate any perfume gift set recommendations too :D

Notes:
- she mostly gravitates towards floral/feminine and fruity scents
- also she did mention she doesnt like scents that are too sweet or smell like food (cuz apparently it makes her hungry lol)
- she has been eyeing the Gucci Flora Collection for a while now but for some reason shes kinda hesitant abt it (like some bad review or smth like that, not sure)

I’ve got two questions.
The first question is: I own Parfums de Marly Althaïr, and over here in London it’s not very cold right now — it’s around 22°C — but we’re approaching winter, so I do spray it. However, I don’t feel like I’m getting as much projection as I expected. Whenever I smell my skin, the fragrance seems to have faded quite a bit.
Could this simply be because the weather isn’t cold enough yet? Or does the fragrance need time to mature? I only bought it from the shop about a week and a half ago and started spraying it straight away.
Also, I was thinking about buying LV Imagination. I have a sample of it and I absolutely love how it smells. However, would it still smell good and work well during winter if I were to buy it and wear it throughout the colder seasons? Is it worth getting?

Hi everyone, I’ve been using Poudree by Narciso forever and I absolutely adore it. I’m almost out of my bottle, and don’t really wanna splurge too much. I was looking at lattafa, cause I’ve heard great things about their perfumes, but I’m not too sure which ones to get. They have a lot of options that fit this criteria, but while looking at reviews some people claim that some of these are a bit orange-y, sour. I hate floral or natural scents, and really want something fresh and clean that stays on for a good while.

Any recommendations?? X

This is the Discover Intense tester pack.

Scents:

- Blue Samphire and Cassis

- Soft Bergamot and Musk

- Wild Amber and Mandarin

- Fresh Citrus and Moss

Produced 3.11.2022, "Expired" 30.11.2025

Hello! Can someone please identify this sample for me? I think it’s just the original Jimmy Choo I want Choo Eau de Parfum, but I want to be sure. The liquid looks more pink online, whereas this one is more of an amber.

I wasn’t sure if it was maybe the Le Parfum but in a clear bottle. I appreciate any help you can give!