Help me smell!

November 22, 2007 4:29 PM

Please help me dramatically update my chosen perfumes. The problem is: my favourite scent is the smell of... soap.

I desperately need to update the perfumes I wear, and the holiday season and the promise of gifts seems like a good time.

I have been wearing the same two perfumes basically forever. They are Banana Republic W and (oh God the unbearable shame) Anais Anias - although not often, and not much. Still, I think both of these are pretty outdated and probably I need a change anyway.

I would like to have a list of likely candidates before venturing into the mall to try them. I dread department stores primarily because the aggressive ladies at the cosmetics counters are so, well, aggressive - and the shorter my smelling trip, the happier I will be.

Anyway, as mentioned, I really like clean scents. I like the smell of cut grass, Dove soap, laundry detergents, lemons and white wine. I do not like musk, vanilla, or flowers.

Possibly pertinent: I live in Ireland, so NYC boutique brands are pretty much out. Any brand available at Boots in the UK, though, I can get from a retail store here. Also, I would prefer to keep costs down; I'm not really a perfume whore, I just fancy a change.

Suggestions gladly accepted!

posted by DarlingBri to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (22 answers total)

If you like clean scents, then how about use some Dove soap, and skip the perfume? On behalf of aspies everywhere, please skip the perfume.

But if you absolutely have to have something, most of Demeter's line is something that I can stomach. They even have Grass (Dirt and Cinnamon Bun are my favourites of the ones ms. nobeagle has). They ship whever UPS ships, and seem cheap in the world of perfumes. The only downside to them is that you need to reapply about every two hours.
posted by nobeagle at 4:40 PM on November 22, 2007

Lemon Sugar by FResh.
posted by DenOfSizer at 4:49 PM on November 22, 2007

I think you'd like perfumes by Clean... the classic scent is exactly what you described, essentially.
posted by NikitaNikita at 4:55 PM on November 22, 2007

FWIW there's nothing at all wrong with Anais Anais! That is the kind of simple scent that is suitable for wearing everyday.
posted by fire&wings at 4:58 PM on November 22, 2007

Eau Dynamisante by Clarins. Red glass bottle. Very fresh, citrus-scented, clean. A nice daytime fragrance.

For evenings, Allure (not Allure Sensuelle) by Chanel is lovely, it has that 'clean laundry' smell (I think).
posted by essexjan at 4:58 PM on November 22, 2007

I was going to suggest Demeter as well. Nobeagle is right - the scent doesn't linger very long. But the good thing about Demeter is that you can be pretty sure that the fragrance is going to smell exactly like the label claims it will. I have one called "fig leaf" that I love. They even have one that smells like soap!

You also might try going to store where you can mix your own. You can do it on-line here, but obviously the danger is not being able to smell it before buying.
posted by Evangeline at 4:59 PM on November 22, 2007

Also, pretty much any Japanese perfume I've ever tried is pretty clean-smelling.
posted by DenOfSizer at 5:05 PM on November 22, 2007

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab has hundreds of (mostly) vegan, organic perfumes. They're all hand-blended and tested on Elizabeth, the creator. You might like Dirty or Sea of Glass.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 5:25 PM on November 22, 2007

Please don't hate me for suggesting it, but JLo Glow smells very soapy/clean/fresh scented.
posted by SassHat at 6:07 PM on November 22, 2007

BPAL is definitely a way to go. I made a spreadsheet for testing purposes and one of my categories is 'soapy'. There are hundreds of LJ communities and some forums and blogs that post experiences with the perfumes, so you can probably narrow it down by other people's ideas to a few you like.

The samples are 3.50 USD, and international shipping to Europe is 14 USD for up to 12 items, paypal only. Ebay often has some as well, where you might be able to get them cheaper and from other EU residents.

They are pure oils and do apply differently than spray perfumes (more concentrated - a few dabs'll do you), so don't be scared by the tiny quantities.
posted by cobaltnine at 6:08 PM on November 22, 2007

You would have to find it online I think, because it's Italian, but a small company called Acca Kappa makes a lovely unisex (but mostly girly) scent called White Moss, and it smells fresh and green and maybe a little soapy, and unlike anything else I've ever smelled. Might be worth buying an Ebay sample to see if you like it.
posted by slow graffiti at 6:27 PM on November 22, 2007

4711 by Muelhens. Very refreshing and light citrus scent. Not "perfumy" at all. The only scent I use.
posted by tzuzie at 6:33 PM on November 22, 2007

Your perfume tastes sound very similar to mine.

My "holy grail" soapy fresh scent is Philosophy's Pure Grace. They don't list international (non-USA) retail locations on their website, but there is an email address for international inquiries.
posted by sanitycheck at 6:52 PM on November 22, 2007

You might like Armani Code. It's not overpowering in the least.

Chanel Allure is great, and one of my favorites, but not very soapy. It's a beautiful scent -- great for winter and evening.
posted by LoriFLA at 7:16 PM on November 22, 2007

Creed Fleurissimo always smells like soap to me. Also, it was created for Princess Grace's wedding.
posted by methylsalicylate at 2:23 AM on November 23, 2007

I was jumping in here to say Philosophy's Pure Grace, and I see that sanitycheck has it covered. Big department stores carry it here, as does Sephora and QVC. Here's QVC UK. Just notice that they call it "Philosopy Grace" - I had to zoom in on the bottle to see "Pure Grace" - there are two others (Amazing Grace and...the other one...Baby Grace?) that are different.
posted by ersatzkat at 4:49 AM on November 23, 2007

Wow, you are some very smelly people! Thanks a lot, it has been really fun reading up on all these new perfumes I've never heard of.

I've added Philosophy Pure Grace to my list, sight unsmelled, since it sounds exactly right. But, occasions and finances permitting, I'm sure I'll be checking out a lot of these. Thanks, very much!
posted by DarlingBri at 8:12 AM on November 23, 2007

If you're feeling flush, some of the Trish McEvoy fragrances are clean-smelling and contemporary.
posted by mozhet at 8:37 AM on November 23, 2007

Thirding Demeter. I love their Ginger Ale.
posted by unknowncommand at 9:04 AM on November 23, 2007

Late to the party, but I wanted to suggest Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue as a possibility as well. The first time I smelled it, it reminded me exactly of the moment I walked into a huge open-air fruit market in Europe for the very first time -- very clean and fresh, reminds me of apples, lemons, and fresh-cut greens. (BTW, I know it's listed as a floral fragrance on the Sephora site, but I find it always comes off much more as a green/clean scent -- the rose/bluebell notes are pretty faint to me, while the citron/apple/bamboo notes are really the ones that I pick up. YMMV, of course.)
posted by scody at 10:49 AM on November 23, 2007

I came in to suggest Pure Grace as well as Falling in Love, also from Philosophy. Falling In Love is more sweet than soapy, but I also love Banana Republic's W so maybe we have similar taste (or smell, as it happens).
posted by infinityjinx at 7:36 PM on November 23, 2007

I would be wary of BPAL if you like 'clean' scents - the ones I've tried of theirs are very powerful, not in a bad way, but it doesn't sound like the way you want.

Penhaligon's are great. I wear Bluebell in the summer. Pure Grace is also lovely.
posted by mippy at 10:01 AM on November 17, 2008