Tinaciouslee

If you didn’t know, I am one of those people who gets either a searing migraine or an asthma attack after smelling a certain scent. So wearing perfume wasn’t really something I was into. That’s not to say I didn’t wear one.

I had, in fact, several signature scents in every season of my life.

In high school, I wore this beautiful clean, cottony fragrance I ordered from Avon, everyday. I can’t recall the name but I think it has “blue denim” in it. I used to love very fresh, aquaceous scents when I was younger. I remember buying Aspen and Cool Water also but didn’t finish the bottle.

Throughout college, my signature scent was The Spirit of Moonflower by The Body Shop.

My love for this perfume is everlasting. I wore the shit out of Moonflower until it was discontinued in the early 00s and I heard it’s because the moonflower is an endangered plant.

I spent years searching for it or at the very least, a dupe (I did find one last year, it’s Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea x Cherry Blossom, very similar, a close dupe I’d say!)

I laso dabbled into Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea series and wore the original for a long time (working in the office and beyond) until I just stopped wearing cologne altogether.

That’s pretty much my forays into fragrance.

How It Started

This year, I stopped by Jo Malone’s boutique out of curiosity. I checked out ALL the fragrance and became obsessed with the Poppy and Barley cologne. The rep gave me two spritz to wear for a few hours, just to see if it will trigger my headache.

It didn’t!

I didn’t buy the perfume right away because I was not sure if it will really suit my sensitive nose. I ordered a trial vial from an online seller and wore it for a few days just to make sure it won’t make me sick and it didn’t.

At this point, I decided to make it my signature scent. I was so in love with it and ready to splurge. I told myself I’ll buy the full bottle in Japan to make the experience even memorable.

And that, I did! It was the first thing I bought at Japan Duty-Free!

Skeeee!

And the perfume was 3K plus cheaper overseas. I was ecstatic! My only regret is not getting the Neroli and Basil variant – but I was in no hurry. I want to diversify my collection slowly.

I’ve also did bits of fragrance shopping at Ueno and got the following:

• Givenchy Tartine Et Chocolat
• Salvatore Ferragamo Incanto Charm
• Lanvin Eclat d’Arpège
• Clean Warm Cotton

All these purchases were from 2023 and none are blind buys. I bought sample vials before our trip so I’ll make an informed decision. Also tried samples several times in store before I bought them.

My faves from these are the Tartine and Clean Warm Cotton. I told you clean cotton, linen scents are MY jam!

It’s funny because I thought I was always into cottony scents but it seems I like florals and green scents too.

How It’s Going

For 2024, I got a couple of new perfume because I’ve been meaning to get them while I was in Japan but I didn’t because I felt I went overboard with the shopping already, hahaha! So far, I got:

Hermes Un Jardin Sur Le Nil
YSL Libre EDP

The YSL Libre, in particular, is something I’ve been eagerly wanting to add to my collection. I got a sample of it some time ago and it smells so good and so expensiiiiive. Everytime I wear it, I feel so so expensive, like an It Girl hahaha!

I love it so much! It will be my second signature scent!

These last two fragrances were bought online and they were on sale. They were still pricey but I got a couple of hundred pesos off the total so better than nothing, right?

What to Get Next

My collection is very new, just a couple of months old and I’m sure it will grow. I want to be very mindful of what I’ll add in my collection and won’t be too impulsive about it because I don’t want to waste money on fragrances I can’t wear, you know? They’re not exactly cheap.

I get a slight headache from Libre, BTW but only when I spray too much. I plan to spray on my nape instead of the usual behind the ears pulse points to tame the scent down.

For Incanto, I’m thinking of giving this one away. It doesn’t trigger a migraine but I don’t like it enough to keep it in my collection. I want a curated collection that wows, you know?

For my next round of purchase, I am eyeing the Replica Beachwalk and/or perhaps, Under the Lemon Trees. I’m also thinking of getting another one from the Un Jardin line specifically the Sur Le Toit and Monsieur Lee, something from Narciso Rodriguez (the amber neroli one in the peach bottle), and something from Dyptique.