When I was little, there was a time when I seriously wanted to be a perfumer, creating my own fragrances that captured the spirit of life's special moments. I was the sort of girl who never really bothered playing with her mum's make up, I just wanted to wear her perfume (and I would get in trouble for spraying her expensive perfumes everywhere!). Even now, make up never really excites me as much as perfume does. When my mum took me shopping, she would leave me by the perfume aisle, so she could shop in peace whilst I tried out all of the testers. The shop staff began to recognise me and would even give me free perfume samples when they got any in! I would mix bath products and pretend I was some sort of perfume witch, making magic potions that would make people fall in love. That probably sounds really silly, but I guess I was a bit of a weird kid.
Fragrance is a bit of a weird topic when it comes to lolita. It is not really that widely discussed. When you look at an outfit picture, do you usually think about what perfume they are wearing? Most of the time we are focusing on the clothing. You can't reach in to a picture and smell perfume. For all we know, the outfit wearer could smell completely different to how we would expect. And yet, I still feel that perfume could play a big part in lolita in the wider sense, even for the non-lifestylers. It can be easy to forget how big a role scent plays in our life. Shops pump out smells to encourage us to buy more, it lingers on our bodies and on our belongings and scent can trigger memories. Similarly, wearing a favourite scent can remind us of memories of when we previously wore it. As time has gone on, I have noticed that I have started saving certain scents for when I wear lolita. I guess I do it because for me, dressing up in lolita is special, and the whole getting ready phase is part of the experience. That includes a spritz of perfume right before I walk out of my front door. It also helps me to connect that scent with lolita meets and all the fun things I have done. I associate that scent with happy times where I have met up with friends and have worn the clothes I love.
I will admit though, that I have never purposely chosen a scent to match my outfit. I tend to go for the perfume I happen to fancy wearing that day, rather than matching sweet scents with sweet lolita and classic scents with classic. So I decided it would be fun to see if I could make perfume collages for each of the 3 main lolita styles, with scents that match the look. I found there were certain challenges that came with each style, but I did enjoy looking up fragrances. In fact, I had to stop myself from buying anything! As a little disclaimer- it is worth mentioning that not all of these perfumes may be available in your particular country. I also decided to include a few other scented products, rather than sticking to just perfume.
Classic
1. Chloe Eau De Parfum 2. Lush Imogen Rose Fragrance 3. Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb Eau de Parfum 4. Marc Jacobs Gardenia Splash Perfume 5. Miss Dior Eau de Parfum 6. Lancome La Rose body lotion 7. Cath Kidston Meadow Posy body wash
Gothic
1. Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs Snake Oil 2. John Galliano perfume 3. Tom Ford Black Orchid perfume 4. Absinthe and Sugar body lotion by Bloodbath on Etsy 5. Ghost Deepest Night perfume 6. Lush Devil's Nightcap soap 7. Dior Midnight Poison eau de parfum 8. Opiate by Enchanticals Perfume on Etsy
Sweet
1. Body Shop Vanilla perfume 2. Lush Candy Fluff dusting powder 3. DKNY Be Delicious Candy Apple in Sweet Strawberry perfume 4. Imperial Leather marshmallow shower gel 5. Vera Wang Pink Princess Eau de Toilette 6. Nina Ricci Les Delices de Nina eau de toilette 7. Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Nuit Blanche eau de parfum
I feel like I have only really scratched the surface here, but there are many websites (like fragrantica.com) where you can search for a perfume by picking out top notes. I always feel with fragrances though, it is always best to go in to a store and try before you buy. And it is important to only try out a few perfumes at a time! I love the feeling of discovering a new favourite scent, especially when it is an unexpected find. Are there any other perfume addicts out there? I am curious to know if any lolitas out there match their fragrances to their outfits or have particular scents they save for meets.
I'm probably not as much into perfumes as you are, but I do try to pay attention to what I'm wearing in terms of fragrance. If I'm wearing Lolita then I do my best to match my perfume with the outfit, but not so much because I want to be matchy-matchy, but more because wearing that outfit puts me in a certain mood and a certain perfume will compliment both the outfit and the mood.
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely going to have to try Lush's Imogen Rose. I used to have this gorgeous rose-based perfume called Rose Absolute by Yves Rocher, but they don't sell it anymore and I was gutted when I used up the last of it. ;_; So I'm hoping that this will replace it - I'm missing that rose perfume so, sooo much!
I also must say that mixing up your own fragrances and a perfume workshop would be an AMAZING idea for a comm meet! I have an acquaintance in Poland who (which I didn't know until relatively recently) is quite a famous perfume blogger in Poland, and does some great-sounding stuff, from workshops to interviewing perfumers (but I think she treats perfumes as an art, so it's not people from like Dior or Yves Saint Laurent, but people whom, as a perfume amateur, I've never heard of and who do expensive limited edition only fragrance art that doesn't really end up in your average Boots). But I digress... :p Since your experiments when you were younger have you done anything towards learning how to make your own perfumes? :D
http://cupcakes-and-unicorns.blogspot.co.uk/
I do agree that perfumes can compliment an outfit. I have noticed my outfits at times match my mood and I have even changed outfits completely because the mood was wrong, and I am the same with perfume, so sometimes I can get quite matchy-matchy without realising it!
DeleteIt is so devastating when your favourites get discontinued! Lush used to have a nice violet perfume as well, but they discontinued it and I think there is another one they do now but it is not quite the same. It was too woody, I seem to recall. I am happy Imogen Rose has stuck around though.
I would definitely go to a perfume workshop meet! That sounds like an amazing idea. Wow, it sounds like your acquaintance must have quite an interesting collection with some lovely rare scents. It is frustrating when you hear rave reviews about a perfume and you can't just go to your local Boots and get it though.
Sadly, my experiments never really went much further, at least not on a professional level. I do admit that as a teenager I sometimes experimented with household stuff when a perfume was not quite right though. I once ended up wearing vanilla essence! Nowadays I tend to mix perfumes that don't have many different ingredients and layer them up. There is still a small part of me that wouldn't mind being a perfumer though. I would love to create a rose fragrance with peach or maybe raspberry notes and then a nice bottom note to prevent it being too sickly sweet.
It's the little, but important detail, so just like the right makeup or accessory can make or break an outfit, I think so can perfumes/scented products. And in the same way, it can transform you into a whole different person by giving you more confidence.
DeleteIt is, it's the worst thing. I'm not also running out of two other perfumes: one which I got very cheaply, an orange-y kind of smell which nobody else seems to do right now, and (and I'm not ashamed to admit it) One Direction's One Moment. But that second one isn't that much of a deal, it's not so unique so sooner or later I'll find a good enough replacement for it.
Yeah, it's a shame that she blogs in Polish, I think you'd really enjoy what she writes. Though if you're not bothered by captions, she has a gorgeous Instagram (sabbathofsenses), where at least you could see the sort of stuff she reviews and deals with.
I can imagine, it just seems like something so many women would love to do, but the opportunities simply seem difficult to find. I'm sure there'd be something in London around that, but it's always about how much it'd cost and if the content would be worth that price, which is hard to juge in such a niche world. But maybe if we pass this idea to our comms/the Tea Party Club often enough... ^^"
Well if the scent is right, what is the harm in liking a celebrity perfume? :) I doubt One Direction had much say in the product anyway! Orange is quite an unusual scent. I find a lot of citrus perfumes have that same generic smell, so a good citrus perfume is always a top find.
DeleteI am checking out her Instagram right now. I am already feeling a lot of envy!
I imagine that it would be quite expensive to do in London, sadly. I guess there is no harm in looking though. And there have been some very strange meet ideas in the past, so I am sure a perfume themed meet would actually go down quite well!
I loved this post! I am really into different smells and I always find it notable if someone around me smells really nice. At the same time I'm very sensitive to smell, so I find a lot of fragrances/perfumes to be too overwhelming. I don't know if I really match my scents to my outfits, but I generally like things that are soft and floral rather than sweet.
ReplyDeleteI'm very fussy when it comes to bath products, and hate anything that's too sickly or synthetic smelling. My favourite bath products are Molton Brown's Templetree body wash (for when I'm feeling indulgent! This stuff is absolute bliss and smells divine) and Imperial Leather's Calming Pink Peony & Cherry Blossom (I use this one daily).
You've reminded me that I really want to buy a new perfume! I'm getting a bit bored of the one I wear occasionally, Youth Dew by Estée Lauder, as I've been wearing it for years, it's a bit too mature, and if you use more than just a tiny bit it becomes too intense and musky. I would really like a delicate rose perfume that gives a fresher, more youthful vibe, and there's a few I now need to try out!
Your childhood fantasies of being a magical perfumer are so adorable! I love Cupcake Kamisama's idea of a perfume meetup, and I didn't even know perfume bloggers were a thing! Maybe you need to get in on that and get yourself some perfume sponsors haha!
Glad you liked it! I always want to ask people what perfume they are wearing, but it always feels a bit creepy telling people they smell nice!
DeleteI really dislike anything that smells too synthetic as well. That is why I love stuff like the pink grapefruit line from the Body Shop (I couldn't resist giving it a sniff on Saturday!). I almost ended up buying their blueberry shower gel as well but decided I had spent enough already!
I am glad we were able to find that scent you were after in the Body Shop. I never realised they had so many different rose scents alone! I think the one you picked had a beautiful floral scent and it suited you.
Ha ha I was convinced my little perfume 'spells' were going to be my future destiny! I am glad I at least still enjoy perfumes. I don't think I am well known enough to become a perfume blogger but it is fun looking at other's instagrams!
I don't think so at all! I'd love it if someone told me that!
DeleteI'm not usually into fruity scents but even I thought the pink grapefruit range was gorgeous.
I literally never go into the Body Shop so tbh, outside of what I was after, I wasn't aware of what else they sold! I never really thought to try out perfumes in there before, but now I think that because I prefer when perfumes smell specifically of certain flowers etc, that shop is more suited to my tastes than the designer perfume departments in other shops (where I tend to feel really lost and never seem to find anything that speaks to me!)
Thank you! I'm really obsessed with it now and I'm so pleased it seems to suit me :) I might have to get the shower gel next!
I've actually done perfume spells before XD Not quite as exciting as your childhood flights of fancy, but glamour type spells where you essentially charge a perfume bottle overnight on a pentacle with some kind of intention in mind, such as increased self confidence, and then wear it the following day.
Agreed! I also like watching YouTube videos where people review different scents or share their collections. You can sort of live vicariously through them haha!
Ha ha I will bear that in mind then! Perhaps it is just about careful wording. I once had somebody tell me that my hair smelt nice and I didn't really know what to say apart from thanks!
DeleteI love the smell of pink grapefruit anyway and I had forgotten just how good the Body Shop range was. It is a shop I have never really explored that much to be honest (a bit surprising seeing as it is one of the only good shops in my town). I guess it is because growing up I was always a Lushie, and then I read some horror stories about them and I got put off buying from them. I don't really like designer perfume departments either. I only found out about that perfume I brought on Saturday because I got given that sample of it. I would never have even tried it otherwise.
It is good you are so happy with your purchase! Maybe getting the shower gel as well will help to make the scent last longer too.
I never really thought of doing perfume spells as an adult. Although as a kid, I did focus my intentions strongly on what I wanted, so in a way I sort of did a spell without even realising it! At the time it felt like it was just a game.
"Living vicariously though them" describes my feelings on that perfectly! XD