6 Fragrances I Love

CHANEL BEIGE
the most extravagant fragrant I own

I shall kick-start this post with the most expensive fragrant I have ever purchased. An intense powdery floral of natural elegance and grace – eponymous for Mademoiselle Chanel’s favourite colour. CHANEL Beige is created by CHANEL Master Perfumer Jacques Polge in 2008 with a blend of new white petals and yellow gold flowers being highlighted by hints of honey that reveal its discreet sensuality.

CHANEL Beige consists of notes from hawthorn, freesia & frangipani and honey.

Because of its high price point, I save this for “special occasions”, usually on dinner dates or when I want to feel “special” for the day.

I set my eyes on CHANEL Beige for the longest time before buying it. Whenever I visit Chanel, I will take a sniff and one day, it was missing from the display. It was then I realised I love it so much – I asked the SA if it has been discontinued. Luckily, it wasn’t. And so, CHANEL Beige came home with me.

To me, CHANEL Beige is very clean and serene with a touch of boldness. Almost like a beige interior with essence of depth that warms up the space.

ESTÉE LAUDER PLEASURES
the first fragrant I own

Created in 1995, Estée Lauder Pleasures set the trend for uplifting, airy fragrances and introduced the Sheer Floral fragrance type. Evelyn Lauder created it to have a sheer, elusive, luminous quality. It captures the clarity of flowers just after a spring rain.

Whatever the fragrance was to be, I wanted it to have an elusive, textural quality. And we have achieved it with Estée Lauder pleasures. For the first time, there is a fragrance that unfolds like a flower in the warmth of the sun, surrendering its scent little by little.

Evelyn Lauder

NEVER SWEET, EVER FRESH, IT DELIGHTS YOUR SENSES WITH PLEASURE AFTER PLEASURE

Top Notes

• White Lily
• Violet Leaves
• Green Accents

Heart Notes

• Black Lilac
• White Peony
• Karo-Karounde Blossoms
• Baie Rose
• Pink Rose
• Jasmine

Base Notes

• Sandalwood
• Patchouli

Estée Lauder Pleasures was a gift when I was in high school. The first perfume I ever own but sadly, I don’t have it with me any longer – even if I have, the scent would have been evaporated.

It’s a day-scent for me and I enjoyed the lightness and freshness of this fragrant. Very young and uplifting, as if the morning sun never fades – always bright, a little warm but never too overwhelming.

JO MALONE ENGLISH PEAR & FREESIA
the fragrant I love waking up to

This is a relatively new fragrant, launched just last year. Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia is the essence of Autumn, capturing the scent of just-ripe pears gathered from an English orchard. It’s mellow and cool. The surprising, sensuous freshness of sweet pears is wrapped in a bouquet of white freesia, on a subtle background of scrambling wild roses and skin-warming amber, patchouli and woods.

Top Note

• King William Pear

Heart Note

• Freesia

Base Note

• Patchouli

Although Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia launched just last year, I have finished a 100ml bottle – well into my second. Not only I love it on myself, I love it on my sheets as well, making them smell so new and fresh in the morning.

It’s a vacation-scent for me. Imagine waking up to an estate facing the ocean with luscious greenery surrounding you – very relaxed. Whether you are lying in the pool with a bit of sun or reading a novel in the lounge with a cup of hot latte – this is the scent.

GUCCI RUSH
the fragrant when I am in a hurry

Introduced in 1999, Gucci Rush is a fantasy to be reached through an intoxicating, addictive combination of florals and spices. A sensual burst unlike any other. Gucci Rush is an unmistakably sensual chypre scent for the woman who is sophisticated, intoxicating and truly unforgettable. It’s a warm, seductive and distinctly alluring fragrance.

Top Notes

• Bergamot
• Peony
• Gardenia

Heart Notes

• Violet
• Vanilla
• Jasmine

Base Notes

• Patchouli
• Vanilla

I am in love with the scent my sister left behind every morning after she leaves home for work when we still lived together a few years ago. She is my neighbour now but I can remember clearly – even when I got home after work, the scent still lingers around. One day I asked my sister and it’s Gucci Rush.

Whenever I am in a rush, Gucci Rush comes into my mind. It’s mistake proof, it’s a scent that carries through and never failed on me. Whenever I can’t decide what to wear, it has got to be Gucci Rush.

LANCÔME TRÉSOR
the fragrant I was once crazy for

Love. Romance. Elegance. TRÉSOR is for a woman who understands that time is precious and moments in this fast-paced world are to be treasured. Because love is a treasure and TRÉSOR evokes that feeling of everlasting love, it makes her as radiant and precious as the fragrance she wears. The elegance of rose, mugent and lilac and the sparkle of peach and apricot blossom are just a few notes that define this luminous fragrance.

TRÉSOR is presented in an inverted crystal pyramid. The bottle is angled with rounded edges, representing the softness of the wearer. The band is black, the color a subtle reminder of the power of love and the woman embracing it. The juice is a golden peach, as radiant as the woman in love who wears it. The elegant bottle is topped with an iconic diamond-shaped cap.

Top Notes

• Apricot Blossom
• Rose

Heart Notes

• Lilac
• Iris
• Peach

Base Notes

• Amber
• Sandalwood
• Musk
• Vanilla

TRÉSOR is one of those earlier fragrances I own and it’s like a hidden treasure. Something subtle yet elegant, something iconic and powerful. It’s very cosy and comfortable with a touch of uniqueness in every angle. Very well-balanced, nothing too warm, nothing too cool.

Perfect for everyday.

CHANEL Nº 5
the legendary classic

Last but not least, I have CHANEL Nº 5 on the list – the now and forever fragrance. The ultimate in femininity. It continues to inspire devotion and garner acclaim, recently winning Allure Magazine’s Reader’s Choice Award for Best Classic Fragrance. In parfum form — the most powerful, long-lasting concentration of fragrance — N°5 is elevated to the fullest expression of the perfumer’s art. The Classic Bottle is an attractive addition to any dressing table.

Top Notes

• Ylang Ylang
• Neroli
• Aldehydes

Heart Notes

• Jasmine
• Mayrose

Base Notes

• Sandalwood
• Vetiver

CHANEL Nº 5 first launched in the 1920s, developed by a Russian-French chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux. The French government reports that a bottle of CHANEL Nº 5 is sold every 30 seconds and generates sales of $100 million a year. It is often considered the world’s most famous perfume.

I have put together a set of vintage CHANEL Nº 5 adverts for you above. Don’t we all love the tag line “Every woman alive loves Chanel Nº 5”?

 CHANEL Nº 5 is my all time favourite – you know, sometimes we get a little excited with new fragrances and change our favourites along the way? This is not the case. It has always been  CHANEL Nº 5 for me all these years. I have been using this for at least the past 8 years until a point whereby I think my body and nose are getting immuned to the scent. The lasting power is deteriorating, within 4 hours, its gone with the wind.

Like many fragrances, CHANEL Nº 5 also comes in a variety of products, ranges from bath soap, bath oil to body cream. The intensity varies and my favourite is still Eau de Parfum. Ever since I realised it doesn’t last long on me anymore, I purchased the Sensual Elixir which is a fluid peach-coloured gel that can intensifying the fragrance experience. I also have the Parfum (a gift) which lasts the best – if it doesn’t, I don’t know what does.

I am not sure if Chanel still does this anymore but I used to have CHANEL Nº 5 Talcum Powder (a gift). I also have the Hair Mist, Deodorant Spray and Bath Soap (a gift).

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I get questions frequently regarding the fragrances, makeup brands and skincare brands I like, I thought I will start with fragrances and slowly proceed to others. As I don’t excel in describing scents and my knowledge in this department is limited, I relied mostly on online sources, I hope you don’t mind. I know what I like and what I don’t but I am not good at picking out the differences and distinctive notes.

However, I relate scent closely with interiors, maybe because I majored in spacial design? So, allow me to share some interiors done by Kelly Wearstler (my favourite interior decorator of all time, well-known for her unique taste and style) with you as they reflect how I feel about the scent.

Several fragrant mentioned above have newer additions but I stick to the original, for example, Gucci Rush has a little sister in pink, Gucci Rush 2 and Estée Lauder Pleasures comes in Delight, Exotic and Intense.

So, yes, this post pretty much summarizes the 6 fragrances I love and I hope you have enjoyed reading about them. I have never paid much attention to the scent’s notes before this post and as I am typing this entry, I have learnt a lot. As least I would like to think that scents with Patchouli and Sandalwood captures my attention more?

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What are your favourite fragrances? Do you wear a certain scent during the day and another during the night?

Thank you for reading, have a wonderful day ahead.