Speaking as a male, I've always rather liked L'air du Temps as a classic scent. It very much evokes the same mental imagery that Denise mentions.

I am a perfume-aholic. We're a little cult that travels the world in search of fragrances, and are enraged when pseudo-government bodies regulate classics out of existence. For our "own good", mind you. Because stuff like citrus oil could give 1 person in 1000 a rash.

Amy, I could always picture you wearing the re-release of Baghari by Robert Piguet, whilst walking through the grocery store in an evening gown. And for the days you feel like wearing a leather jacket and tight jeans: Banit (also RP). Most releases are murky, dreckish wannabes that lack the power and sophistication of the originals (mostly due to the changing tastes [sugar! candied fruits! PINK PEPPER! vomit...] and regulations prohibiting the use of original materials)...but Piguet managed to create beautiful tributes to an elegant period in time I feel we've lost.

And the rest of the time I can see you in Oriental Lounge by The Different Company. I want a bottle of this quite badly and would wear it whilst in a silk Kimono sipping something rosy and bubbly, as I drape myself across a velvet-covered chaise.

http://www.aedes.com/product.php?product_id=2526

Well it's not vintage, but in the last couple of years one my favorites has become Bond No. 9 New York, the Saks Fifth Avenue fragrance. Also Michael by Michael Kors is my long time go to. The Saks is lighter, nice for work. The Michael is for dressing up and going out on the town, it makes me feel mysterious and sexy.

Never underestimate the power that a scent can have.
Several years ago, I found an old unopened bottle of Chanel No. 5 at an NYC Thrift Store believe it or not. Really old. Apparently, that bottle remained upopened for about 30 years before I got it. Who knows how long it sat unopened before that. And the story behind that bottle was amazing. It was, as I discovered from the clerk, donated by an elderly woman's son. According to the sone, she lived in NYC and was once a Zigfeld Girl. She wore that frangrance everyday until the day she died. She had recently passed and he was donating some of her things and found that bottle in the very back of one of her closets, still in the shopping bag. He distictly remembers his mom being very put out that she had misplaced her Chanel No. 5. He decided to throw it in the donation pile instead of the trash. Thank goodness he did! Normally find that fragrance just a little too strong, (I tend to go for lighter, fresher scents) but I just could not pass this up. I had just moved to NYC to be an actress (hence why I was shopping at the thrift store; starving artist and all that) so I felt like it was fate for me to get that bottle. i didn't really care if the story was true or not. I felt exactly like Denise when I finally opened it up. I felt like a WOMAN. And I can't tell you what that scent did for my confidence. I booked nearly every audition when I wore that scent. And I still wear No. 5 (although that particular bottle is long gone) occasionally when I need that extra oomph.

Most fragrances these days use a petrochemical as a scent extender that causes a fairly severe allergic reaction in me (migraines that could drop a horse). In fact you find it in most scented products; colognes, soaps, candles, deodorant. . . However there are some lines of natural fragrances I really like. I prefer spicy scents myself. Thanks to the pavlovian reinforcement of perfume = pain, I just can't stand the sweet smell of most perfumes.

Besides that a spicy scent makes me feel a little badass, and that makes me feel more confident. It could have something to do with my perfume of choice being Pyromania by Villainess. They carry a wide variety of unusual scents for women who don't want to smell like sweet things.

( www.Villainess.net )

Ah, this thread brings back such happy memories of my glamorous mom, a perfume-phile like no other! Her favorites tended to have musky and/or spicy notes, like Shalimar, Obsession, and Youth Dew, though she also liked L'Air Du Temps. Fragrance-wise, I've always liked a touch of sweetness with my spice, such as my favorite scent, Thierry Mugler's Angel. (My husband Vinnie likes it on me because it reminds him pleasantly of Twinkies! :-) I also like Donna Karan's Black Cashmere; to me, it smells like holiday spice cookies with a touch of cognac. (Not for all tastes/noses, though. Vinnie can't stand the smell of BC, so I don't wear it when he's home. :-)) However, I'm also drawn to fragrances that smell of citrus, like Clinique's Happy, and/or new-mown grass, like L'Eau D'Issey. Never cared for Calvin Klein CK, though; it seemed to be trying for both musky and citrusy, but to me, it smelled like a sweaty grapefruit!

Used to love Opium then something in my body chemistry must have changed because it started to smell funky on me, but I still loved it on other people. There's a Japanese one I can never pronounce (isamayake-spelled wrong) that I had the same experience with. I love when a man or a women has a nice scent. Don't know why they always stink on me, lol!

Slick plug there, Amy. Yankee capitalism still lives. Good job! It's all about giving people what makes them happy, in a pleasant manner, not inundating them with mind-blowing advertising.

They're all in black bottles! She sounds like a Bandit kind of woman. Fracas is the most popular of them. At first I couldn't stand the loud white floweryness but after a year of trying, I love it.

http://www.robertpiguetparfums.com/parfums.php

Elle,

I'm sorry to hear that.

It's surprising that chemicals - some which have been suspected to be carcinogens - run rampant in the ingredient list of things we smother, spray and lather on to our bodies multiple times per day. And yet, these is a current (horrifying) trend to transform all perfumes into a chemical mess.

Natural ingredients are slowly being banned by a pseudo-governmental body called the IFRA. Some ingredients are rare or banned b/c of the rarity and extraction method (...like civet from wild animals). But now things like citrus oil is being banned - b/c it may cause an allergy. Their solution is to create chemical substitutes. I am still unsure who and how it was decided that man-made means safer. Whether it smells worse, or better, is not the point: it's different. And for the wrong reasons.

Read my perfume-rant if you're interested!
http://thediscursivedaily.blogspot.com/2009/04/perfume-lovers-vs-ifra.html

Amy, you're not the only one who likes a nice perfume:

http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpps/news/offbeat/big-cats-obsessed-by-%27obsession-for-men%27-dpgonc-km-20100608_7984011

I wonder if it has the same effect on pussy(cats)?

I love scented things, but my husband is really sensitive to scents, so I go with plain old soap these days. He's OK with food scents, so I make my own soaps with scents like strawberry and coffee.

I don’t really wear perfume; I prefer to make my own scent by mixing essential oils with sesame oil and slathering it on after my shower. This way I have a unique scent, my skin is incredibly soft, and I smell good all over rather than just at the wrists and neck. Plus, it doesn’t really seem overwhelmingly strong smelling for people who would be bothered by it. Sesame oil is pretty cheap at my local co-op, and it saves me money on lotions and perfume. Certain essential oils can get pricey, but you just have to be thrifty and search the different brands and make sure you’re getting one that’s intended to be applied to skin. The only downside is that you feel a little greasy at first, but if you wait a little while to dress, and keep your hair up until you’ve got a shirt on, so it won’t soak up the oil, no big deal.
I really LOVE the crap out of vanilla though, so I usually do a vanilla and clove mixture, or sometimes a clove and orange, but you could really do whatever floats your boat.

Angie, I have a friend who does something similar to you and she always smell so nice, and very natural, not perfumey. I am mixed on vanilla. Done right, I like it, but too many people use it in a way that is overpowering. And I love the mix of clove and orange! What do you use to mix them?

I love a good perfume on a woman, provided she applies it sparingly and it can't be detected from more than two feet away. Unfortunately, some perfume and cologne wearers seem to feel that if the birds aren't gagging and dropping off the wires for at least two blocks downwind, they need MORE.

Birmane by Van Cleef and Arpels ... never sniffed anything like it and I've gotten only adoring compliments, especially from men! Very soft and sophisticated, it lingers nicely. They'll never forget it and everytime they smell something similar they'll think of you;)

Kristen, I just squirt some sesame oil into my hand and then add a few drops of whatever essential oil I'm using, rub together and apply like lotion. I agree with you about the vanilla too, there are some I won't touch, but good ones smell sooooo good to me!

I like J. Peterman's 1903 for special occasions; for everyday aftershave, Royall Lyme. I like the smell of Estée Lauder's Cinnabar on my GF, it's a scent that takes me back to high school days.

In Soviet Union, perfume wears you! Cinnabar, when I wear perfume.

I've been wearing Thierry Mugler's Angel for years. I do a little spritz on one wrist, rub wrists together and then dab them at my temples and behind my ears. The fragrance lasts all day and night, it's never overwhelming, and it always makes me happy. I've had strangers walk up to me and ask me for the name of my fragrance so they could buy it for their wives or girlfriends. Pretty good, huh?

Anybody know where I can get Arpége, by Lanvin?

And being somewhat of a petro oil bug, I always find it marvelous when somebody uses the term, "essential oils". Essential in what way? Essence of what?

Mobil 1?

When I can the very best men's fragrance: Penhaligon's Blehiem Bouquet or really anything male by Penhaligon. George F. Trumper is very good too. Love Bay Rum, a very old scent that is spicy and deep.

I don't know Rad, that's what the label says: "essential oil".. what should I call them instead to convey the scented product I'm talking about?

I’m thinking essence of orange, clove, vanilla or whatever other scent it’s labeled as.

On my 21st birthday, my favorite aunt gave me a bottle of Shalimar. She told me it was time to move on from the Love's Baby Soft, into a "grown-up" scent. And she told me very seriously that men LOVE Shalimar.

She was so very correct! Men absolutely love Shalimar, as long as it's very, very sparingly used. I've worn it for my entire adult life. The only other perfume I've liked as well was Donna Karan's Chaos, which sadly was discontinued.

I like the Bath and Body Works scents more as candles and room fresheners; when my middle-age coworker reeks of sugary something-or-other...yikes!

Of course, if a scent makes the wearer happy, that's really all that matters!

Thanks, Angie. I'm going to try the essential oils. And Les, you bring back such memories. I went from Love's Baby Soft to Shalimar too. I still love Shalimar!! I used to also use Samsara but found like the Opium that something changed with my body chemistry and I couldn't wear it. Poison was another. My daughter started wearing Brittney Spears' perfume which I thought would be really stinky, but was surprisingly nice for a teen. I hate to admit that I love how my daughter smells when she wears it.

I have found I have an allergic reaction to most all perfumes and colognes - just getting really stuffed up. It has gotten less so as I have gotten older. I don't know if it is has something to do with the replacement of ingredients like someone mentioned earlier - I have not heard of that though it would not surprise me. I would generally say people should wear scents extremely sparingly and probably not at all. If you are public, the scent invades others people space. It gets into your clothes so even when you don't put it on, you are still wearing it.

I had to break up with a girl just because I could not be around her for an hour without getting a pounding headache even when she didn't put her perfume on.

I, too, am a recovering perfumeaholic. I still sniff, but I rarely buy. It's destined to be a lifelong struggle.

I rotate my scents a lot depending on season and mood, but my non-vintage go-to is the original Lolita Lempicka. I fell in love with it the first time I smelled it and am still using the bottle I bought three years ago (gorgeous bottle, by the way). Second favorite non-vintage is Betsey Johnson's, which is still oriental (my favorite), but with more fruitiness-- sort of pieapple-y, really. Great for summer.

My favorite classic scent is hands-down Champs Elysees. It's not technically a vintage scent, but it's from Guerlain, so it smells classic and very French. Guerlain is fantastic at making scents that are mature-smelling without being old ladyish. I discovered it when a customer gave me a Guerlain coffret as a thank-you gift. I loved all five that were in it, but I was drawn most to Champs Elysees. The main notes according to the internet are floral rose, blackcurrant, mimosa leaves, hibiscus, and almond wood. It smells really yummy and I feel so classy when I wear it.

I would generally say people should wear scents extremely sparingly and probably not at all.

It's a bit much to say that people shouldn't wear scents at all, but I do agree that people should wear scents sparingly. I wish more people would wear Angel like Omnibus Driver up there, because I can usually smell that one a mile away. It's a great scent (not for me, but I like it on others), but you need about a third as much as you think. I think the really good perfumes are like this, actually, because they're so concentrated with good ingredients. I think a lot of times you shouldn't use the spray and instead dab. You don't need perfume everywhere, and TFB's right in saying that your clothes will smell. Scent should also be put on before you dress to avoid that problem.

I was at the movies a while ago, sitting a bit more than halfway up the stadium seating. A girl walked in on the ground level and I could smell her perfume as soon as she walked in. It just kept getting progressively stronger as she moved up. She didn't sit that close to me, thank goodness, and some of the scent dissipated, but I could still smell her through the whole movie.

*Okay, I had a rogue "n" in my above post. It should be "pineapple-y."

Oh, Elle, cheers to you for mentioning Villainess! I like unusual fragrances and am a Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (BPAL) girl myself, preferring their Longing (a rose-cinnamon blend) and The Living Flame (a spicy-sweet-musky blaze of a fragrance) to almost every other perfume.

I also love DSH's La Rose Fleurette (a very innocent, girlish apple blossom-rose that smells of spring and wonder..and is set for discontinuation! :weep:) and Australian Sandalwood oil, and CB I Hate Perfume's magnificent Forest Floor accord (rich dark soil and growing things) as well as his Cradle of Light perfume (a precious white floral, expensive but well worth it).

Of the more mainstream offerings, I've always had a soft spot for the sophistication of Floris Tuberose; that and L'Erbolario Lodi's Tuberosa are the two best tuberose fragrances out there. I also love Guerlain's Mahora, a deep, sexy tropical floral that I thought was discontinued but seems to still be kicking around Amazon a bit?

And I do retain a great love for Victoria's Secret's now-discontinued Mood line, the sugary fragrance called Sweet Craving in particular. Mmmm, sugar....

Eau d'Issey, hands down. Though sometimes I do my own mixes of essential oils, jasmine and rose are my favorite.

I view the wearing of scents in public similarly to how I believe views people talking on cell phones in public.

Yesterday I ended up taking public transportation and it was rather crowded. A lady sat down in the seat in front of me and was there for about 5 to 10 minutes. I could hardly smell her perfume but it was definitely there. The smell itself didn't bother me - it was rather neutral and not over powering - but after a few minutes I could tell it was going to give my a plugged up nose. Unfortunately, it was very crowded so I could easily move and besides, the damage was done. This morning I am finally get my nose cleared out.

If it was a cell phone conversation, I could tune it out. Or I could ask someone to hang-up or at least keep it down. I cannot do any of these with scents -- and usually be the time I realize it is going to be one of those scents the damage is done.

If I was a rare case, that would be one thing. Though I maybe one of the worse cases. A lady I dated a few years ago was a Opera singer in training and they were not allowed to wear scented items to class and the Opera house accessed people to not wear perfumes or colognes.

It looks like a little over 12% have reaction to common chemicals. http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/press/12pop.html

So, if wearing scents in public is like talking on a cell phone, does the same apply for people who wear loud clothes that hurt your eyes a bit? Or have ridiculous hairdos that you can't stop staring at? Or, for that matter, wear extremely low-cut tops that show too much cleavage? While I agree that people need to try not to be totally obnoxious to others in public, you can't completely insulate yourself from others who will grab your attention. It's bad that your case involves physical symptoms, but you live in the world, not your own private island.

You said you could hardly smell the lady's perfume, so I put the problem on you. I have terrible allergies when things are blooming, so I try not to be outside if I don't have to. If you need to be on public transportation, you're going to have to accept that your sensitivity doesn't mean that no one can wear perfume, especially if, like you say, they're not pouring it on.

I had a lady walk into my store a few years back to admonish me for putting out balloons when we were having a sale. Her daughter had a terrible latex sensitivity, see. Her daughter didn't even shop at our store, but this lady felt the need to come in to tell me that there are people in the world with latex allergies. So apparently balloons must be done away with.

I don't wear fragrance if I'm going to the movies or going to be in close quarters with other people. I'm very conscious of that, and I also, very purposely, chose a dog that has hair rather than fur so I wouldn't bother the allergic when I travel (a friend with serious allergies can't be around most animals, but has no problem sitting with my dog on her lap).

The thing is, all things are not available to all people. People are going to use shampoos with scent, and have clothes washed in detergent with scent. If you have serious sensitivities, maybe you have to avoid public transportation, just as I have to avoid car trips on winding roads, boat trips, or small planes for any length of distance. (I get car sick, etc., very easily.)

I guess I am not one of the bad cases, as things like scented shampoo and detergent don't bother me (to the best of my knowledge) but I do know people who it does. I mean other people wear it, it can affect me if I wear it.

I do suck it up. I do try to avoid public transportation.

If I was the rare case, I would see things different. I have a reaction if I eat much of a common vegetable and I realize that this extremely uncommon. I don't go around saying restaurants should stop having it.

However, the numbers indicate 12%, which seems low based on the people I have talked to -- ignoring my family where all the men seem to have this problem to varying degree (yet none of the women). So 12% of the population should physically suffer for some other's vanity?

Keep in mind it is not just public transportation.

"My picks aside from Scherrer, are these spicy, sensual fragrances:

•Opium, by Yves St. Laurent (longtime fave)
•Coco (NOT Mademoiselle Coco), by Chanel
•Fendi (second-string fave, for variety)"

Amy, do you still get these fragrances in the US?? Aside from Coco, Opium and Fendi are no more available in Mexico, and these were also my favorites. I assumed that they were no more produced.

The current fragrances are disappointing, they all smell the same (either citrus or vanilla), but are specially abhorrent when carrying names from gals like Paris Hilton or Sarah Jessica Parker... *ugh*...

For the record, I've always been allergic to fragrances, I get a rash when I wear it directly on my skin. I usually spray it carefully on my clothes, and when used it with caution and sparingly, they never leave stains.

Only time we don't speak is during band of brothers .