Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with perfume

Help me find a fragrance for a young woman!

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:51:00 -0800

Please help me find a fragrance for a young woman! I have asked her what she wears (she always wears some scent), and her reply is vague: "I have a number of spritzes I use." I would like to get her something that she likes. I have no idea what a spritz is. The fragrances she wears are fresh-smelling, and not overbearing, pretentious, or intense. I don't know whether I am looking for a perfume, an eau de toilette, or something else. This is a young woman, in her twenties, fairly casual in her style. I am willing to go to a department store or anywhere else you suggest. (But I probably don't have time to order it online.) All suggestions are welcome and appreciated--I would love to hear about something you have liked.

Anonymous because she might see this under my Metafilter username.

Perfume sensitivity

PJSibling — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:13:49 -0800

What is in Women's Colognes Co-workers' fragrances cause me teary eyes and blistering headaches, but men's cologne doesn't bother me. Is there a specific ingredient in women's perfumes not in men's? I've given up asking women at work to refrain and wonder if there is something I can do to dissipate the specific chemical causing the problems.

They are trying to sell me what?

rus — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 05:35:28 -0800

Why do perfume adverts seem more arty than selling? With Christmas coming there are more perfume adverts on TV (UK at least) but I might be missing something but none of them make much sense to me. Are they commissioned as works of art than anything else? Is there some deeper meaning I'm missing?

Help with our smells

skyscraper — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:40:34 -0800

What "base oil" should be used for diluting essential oils to make perfume? I got my daughter a kit of essential perfume oil so she can make her own perfume. Unfortunately, the kit came without a base oil to do the dilutions. She's tried some of the on-line recommended oils (glycerin, vegetable oils) but they seem too ... well, oily. Are we just being too fussy, or are there better liquids to use?

Smelly

bunny hugger — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:57:23 -0800

I'm looking for the name of a writer who writes about perfumes in a really beautiful way. I guess she is a perfume critic. All I can really remember about her is that writes about them in an unconventional way (describing memories, comparing them to things really unrelated to scents, etc.) and maybe for a newspaper or magazine. Anyone got an idea?

ScentFilter: I love Caress Moroccan body wash. Help me find a similar scent.

pghjezebel — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:26:11 -0800

ScentFilter: I love the smell of Caress's Moroccan body wash. Help me find a similar scent in perfume form! I love Caress's Moroccan body wash. I want to find something similar in a perfume form. Bonus points if I could recreate this smell (or have it recreated for me) with natural oils. I tend to like to keep my beauty/cosmetics items on the natural and healthy side.

As far as the scent goes, it's very exotic. It has a spicy, musky and yet sweet smell to it. The closest I've come is Jasmine Vanilla line from B&B Works - and that's still not remotely close in smell. But it has those exotic vibes to it.

Any suggestions?

How?!: Perfume Smell OUT of Laundry.

Shane — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:12:42 -0800

Is it possible to get cologne smell out of clothing? I kind of "inherited" a half-dozen nice sweaters that reek of perfume, and I'm allergic as well. I've tried mucho baking soda and soaking in the wash machine; haven't tried vinegar yet; past (somewhat related) threads suggest Ozium and Synthrapol, but they're really not for this purpose.

Where can I find reliable information on essential oils?

quarantine — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:47:02 -0800

I need further information about essential oils, but I'm having difficulty cutting through the questionable information online. Among my questions are:

1. Where can I find detailed information about extraction methods (books -- even expensive books -- are fine)?
2. What does "pure essential oil" really mean, and is that a legally-defined term in the U.S.? Can a "pure essential oil", for instance, contain solvents, waxes or resins from the botanical, other oils, etc?
3. Is there a way to tell through terminology whether benzyl benzoate is used (as it apparently sometimes is)? I'm allergic to that compound.
4. Where is the best place to find out any toxic effects of such oils used internally (I have The Commission E Monographs already)?
5. And, specifically, my google-foo is failing me: can anyone find for me pure violet flower essential oil, through any extraction method? I've seen this and this, both of which seem priced too low to be believable, and the latter link's owners confirmed that benzyl benzoate is present.

And yes, I've read Süskind ;-)

Looking for chocolate and cinnamon spice perfumes/oils.

immlass — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:23:05 -0800

I've been wearing the Body Shop's cinnamon spice oil, sometimes layered with their chocolate perfume (Amorito) for a couple of years. I've finally run out of both and the local Body Shop tells me they've been discontinued. Now I'm looking for an essential oil or perfume with both chocolate and cinnamon notes to replace the combination that won't break the bank if I wear it daily. I'm aware of BPAL although I've never bought from them, just tried imps I've been given. I'd appreciate specific recommendations for BPAL scents because I find their descriptions difficult to interpret sometimes. Other brands of oils are welcome; BPAL is just the one I know. On the perfume front I've tried Aquolina Chocoholics and it's OK but not quite what I'm looking for.

Perfume Puke

pjern — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:35:33 -0800

How do you deal with excessive levels of perfume? There's a family reunion in my immediate future, complete with some women who, to put it frankly, wear enough perfume to qualify as a war crime under the Geneva Conventions on Chemical Warfare, and are going to want to get all huggy and touchy-feeley with me. I can't stand the petrochemical after-effects of that activity. How can I tactfully avoid that contact?

The perfume gives me an immediate headache, and if I actually get rubbed up against it seems to transfer the stink to me, which is just horrible.

I'd like something or some tack that will avoid World War III in my family.

Repurposing perfume oil

slightlybewildered — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:13:29 -0800

Can I make a room fragrance from perfume oil? I have some nearly-full bottles of Body Shop perfume oil, which I don't want to wear any more. (Some I was given, some I'm just tired of the scent). How can I best use these as a room fragrance? I could only find one fairly elaborate recipe to make a spray. I tried just putting some on a cottonwool ball but it didn't work! Ideally the solution would not involve candles as I have little kids.

I don't want to smell like a My Little Pony plz thx

grippycat — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:26:32 -0800

"make sure you smell like freshly baked cookies" - Hee! Ok, how? I'm looking to re-enter the world outside my apartment, have been interviewing and working with a recruiter, and actively soliciting advice and letters of reference from previous employers and co-workers - but the above piece of interviewing advice tickled me (^_^)

Are there any perfumes recommended by the hive mind that smell like freshly baked cookies and are not wildly inappropriate for a woman in her early thirties?

Vicky Tiel fragances online

ragtimepiano — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 23:37:06 -0800

Where is the best site to buy Vicky Tiel perfumes online?

Make me smell like flowery grape soda.

fiercecupcake — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:18:19 -0800

Can anyone find me some Texas mountain laurel perfume? I just noticed them blooming today and I've always loved the scent. I would love to be able to smell it all year long. And it's my namesake, for added amusement.

How can I extract scents from things?

soma lkzx — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 08:13:01 -0800

How do I extract scents? It seems like there are a few ways to extract scents from things, but I can't seem to find the Klutz Guide to Scent Distillation - decent instruction and a guide to what types of materials need what method of extraction. Web pages, books, whatever - I just want to be able to make a tiny bottle of mulch, or used book, or miso soup! Graduated cylinder and pipette use is a plus, I need more laboratories in my life.

Are my allergies just an excuse not to clean?

Bunglegirl — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 15:06:08 -0800

What are your favorite unscented or allergy-friendly home products? I'm getting my own place and will finally have the opportunity be free of chemicals, cigarette smoke and other nasty stuff that give me problems. I am specifically allergic to perfume, but can handle things that smell like food (pumpkin, cinnamon) and sometimes gentle scents (baby powder, vanilla, mint). Unfortunately a lot of scents that I could normally stand have gotten more "chemically" in products (orange, lemon and sometimes a flower base seems to be added to vanilla). I don't have to touch or even notice the smell of perfume to have a reaction, I can merely walk by a store in the mall and start swelling up. I also have problems with chemicals, if I walk into a home store with lots of new upholstery or carpets or down the laundry detergent aisle I could almost faint.

So what products do you suggest I use for my new apartment? I'm located in the USA so anything that I can buy at a regular grocery store, Target or perhaps online would do. I like Method's "Go Naked" hand soap but that's all I've tried so far. What do you suggest for an all-purpose cleaner, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, dish washing liquid, etc.? I like the idea of going old-school and cleaning with ammonia but I'm not sure I could handle that either.

How do you get rid of that old-lady-who-bathes-in-perfume smell?

chan.caro — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:37:12 -0800

How do you get rid of perfume odors that cling to everything? Google-fu is failing me. My brother recently sent over a package of some of my stuff (a necklace, bottle of lotion, bit of makeup), and unintentionally sent with it a small bottle of "perfume" that reeeeeks of a very unwelcoming stench - the kind that sticks to whatever touches it and makes your head spin and stomach churn. Of course, said perfume was so pervasive it leaked out of the bottle and onto my effects; washing them with dishwashing liquid didn't put a dent into the smell. I've yet to try baking soda, which may help, but I think something way more heavy-duty is necessary for this awful stench.

It's a Wonder I got Through it at All

wittgenstein — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 09:43:57 -0800

GuitarChordFilter: What are the chords being played in this video? I like this song a lot and here is an acoustic version. I could try to figure out the chords myself but I suspect that some of you guitar-playing Mefites can just a)look at his finger positions or b) listen to the chords and tell me what they are. (They don't sound too complicated.) I think he is playing one set of 4 chords during the verse and another set of 4 chords during the chorus and that's it.
Thanks in advance.

What to do about an over-perfumed coworker?

hades — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:56:54 -0800

How should I deal with someone higher up on the org chart who wears way too much perfume, and who my direct superiors have been reluctant to confront about it? The manager of a group within my department, but which is not my group, is about to move into an office next to mine. I am allergic to her perfume, to the point that when she simply walks through the office suite, I can't think straight for half an hour due to swelling eyes, itchy nose and mild headache. Last year, when she started attending a monthly meeting I participated in, I talked to my manager's manager (who is at the same organizational level as she is) and he advised me to skip the meeting and to feel free to take a break in the fresh air whenever she was going to be in our office suite. Obviously this won't work once her office is 15 feet away from mine.

I've talked to my manager, who agrees that it sounds like a problem, but doesn't have any ideas. I offered to take a laptop and work from somewhere else on campus, because I thought she was only going to be here for a week or two. He told me that it's more likely to be for the next five or six months, so that's probably not a realistic solution.

From talking with my co-workers, I know that I'm not the only one bothered by her perfume. I think I'm the most affected, though.

I've asked my manager's manager's manager (the director of our division) about the possibility of making our shared office space a fragrance-free zone, and while she agreed in principle that it might be a good idea, she seemed uncomfortable with actually trying to do anything about it, so I haven't raised the issue again. We're moving to an open floor plan cube farm later this year, and eating in the cubes has been preemptively banned out of consideration for others who would have to smell the food, so I might raise the perfume issue again then.

Closing my office door doesn't work for long--there's negative air pressure in here thanks to the ventilation system, so all the smells from the shared suite get sucked in through the cracks. Should I invest in a case of Ozium? A face mask and charcoal filters? Should I take it another level up the org chart, to the assistant vice president? Just let it go and hope I develop a tolerance? Get a prescription for something?

Is there a polite way to tell someone they're wearing enough perfume to strip the paint off the walls? Given how reluctant anyone I've talked to has been to raise this with her, she must have some kind of political clout, so I don't want to offend her myself. I'd managed to almost completely avoid university politics in my seven years so far; I can't believe perfume is what's going to suck me in.

Where can I possibly find Michael Kors Hawaii parfum?

turkishLola — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 10:13:03 -0800

Where can I possibly find Michael Kors Hawaii parfum? It's unavailable/not in stock in almost every shopping fragrance sites and I doubt any stores have it either. Does anyone know if it will come out again this summer?

Help me smell!

DarlingBri — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 16:29:01 -0800

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!

Help perfume me!

sarahkeebs — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 23:27:29 -0800

Help me find a perfume to meet my picky needs! I like sweet/spicy/musky perfumes, nothing to sharp or floral. I would love to be able to wear Opium, for example. But anything not oil-based makes me sneeze and/or breakout where it's made contact with my skin. Scents that I love, but can't wear:
- Opium (weeps) (I can wear it once in a while)
- Aqua di Gio (can't have it on five minutes)

Scents that I love and can wear:
- Body Shop White Musk
- GAP sueded musk (but discontinued)
- pure lavender essential oil
- pure orange/ylang ylang essential oil
- Eau Dynamisante by Clarins (I think)

It also needs to be something I can get my hands on in Toronto anytime OR in the Netherlands this December.

I'd stick to the Body Shop, but not only have the prices gone up exponentially (I don't mind paying top dollar, but it irritates me when prices have doubled since I started shopping somewhere) and I feel like their quality has gone down. What is it in perfume that I react to so badly, that isn't in middling-quality oil-based scents? And is there any way I could get Opium or any other "classic" perfume in a way that doesn't trigger my allergies?

Petrichor/Bergamont perfume

rdr — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 07:37:11 -0800

Wikipedia says that petrichor is " the name of the yellow organic oil that causes the familiar scent of rain on dry earth". The article also mentions that perfumes have been produced from it. Which perfumes? Are there synthetic perfumes that come close? Failing that I'm looking for an interesting men's cologne with strong bergamont notes.

Who is this guy?

Karcy — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 03:58:01 -0800

Several years ago I listened to a radio show which mentioned that there was this chemist who invented a perfume that had the smell of earth after rain. I need to find out this guy's name. The guy is (probably) British, and is more likely to be a chemist than a perfurmer. The scent was not part of any fashion line then.

I've tried Googling, Yahoo'ing, and BBC Online'ing, but to no avail. Variations include 'British chemist earth scent' or 'British perfumer earth scent' or 'chemist earth scent'. Does anyone here know who this person could be -- or could have any clue or indication on this person?

Cologne picking tips

joshuaconner — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 00:33:18 -0800

Cologne picking advice: it can't be as simple as "just pick what your like" or "bring a girl with you and buy what she likes"... can it?