perfume - to buy or be given

I love my perfume! It's part of me and has been for as long as I can remember.

I always use the same one and if DH sees it getting low he buys it for me but if he doesn't spot it, I buy it myself.

DH has not bought me perfume for some time - the last one he bought turned out to be a no-no. I liked his Cool Water aftershave so he got me Cool Water Woman and we both agreed it is horrible. I have been wearing Jo Malone Vetiver since then. It was my birthday last weekend and DD gave me a box of 'Jo Loves' testers. There are ten little aerosols in a box and a voucher for a complimentary 50ml bottle of whichever proves to be your favourite. I am working my way through them, but have already decided on one I particularly like. As for whether it is worth the expense, if it makes you feel special, of course it is.

When I've been given perfume, it's often turned out to be disastrous, so I don't encourage them. I like Jo Malone's Pomegranate Noire and some of the Liz Earle collection and prefer to buy them for myself. If I like them they are worth every penny pound.

greyduster I have just finished reading Jo Malone's autobiography. Really enjoyed it and was an interesting read. she seems a nice person and her perfume is worn by royalty. A wee bit expensive but I may try one

I hate perfume - that ghastly after-smell of skunk - yuk!

I love Jo Malone perfumes and usually wear Lime Basil and Mandarin. Friends always seem say "Oh you smell nice! DH keeps me topped up with it for Christmas usually. If not I buy it myself. Like her Grapefruit one too.

Can't say I've ever noticed an after-smell of skunk luckygirl
Are you suffering from phantosmia?
I buy my own perfume. Either the original Miss Dior or Sisley No 2.
I used to love Balmain Jolie Madame but they don't make it any more and I've never found anything like it

I try to give some hints if perfume is going to be a gift. Sometimes it's good to try something new other times it can be a disaster and that's expensive. Should be grateful for gifts I know. I like Eau Dynamisante and Thierry Mugler Angel at the moment.

The basis of perfume is skunk oil - honest guv!

What does after-smell of skunk smell like luckygirl and how do you know??
I am sure all us lovely women on GN who wear perfume do not smell skunky. But perhaps you have an olfactory problem Lucky or a specific problem that causes you to react differently to perfume?

People's skin reacts differently to scents so what smells lovely on one person can smell foul on someone else. Many years ago I went to a party after liberally spraying myself with some very expensive scent that I had been given. Other guests kept sniffing the air and asking where the smell of Brussels sprouts was coming from. I had to leave early as I was so embarrassed.

Dh used to buy me quite a bit duty free since he travelled a lot for work, but couldn't always the ones I particularly liked. I hate anything heavy or over sweet or musky.

Someone gave him some aftershave recently - he never uses it so I've been pinching it! It's nice and light and fresh.

I only buy it as a present if I know exactly what someone wants. Have bought a couple of times for a dd, but only after she's requested a particular one.

One of the Jo Loves testers I got was a scent called Smoked Plum and Leather. I put a tiny squirt on the back of my hand and it was so overpoweringly smokey and leathery that it took three hand washes to get rid of it and even then it lingered. Don't know where that one came from, Jo, but I won't be going there again!

I love Cabochard by Grès, I have worn it for nearly 40 years now! I also like Fidji by Guy Laroche, Diorella and the original Miss Dior. I quite like Jo Malone Bluebells and Pomegranate Noir too.
I buy my own always ?

I love Joop (femme) but so hard to find usually have to order it from local chemist,
Sometimes can get it in the market.
But just discovered Gucci Bamboo! Love it. It's new.

I used to be a Gloria Vanderbilt woman but now I like Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy and the Fantasy Naughty remix. Don't like Spears as a performer but her perfumers appeal!

Estee Lauder "Estee" for daytime, "Mystere" by Rochas for evenings or any other glam do. I did here that one has been discontinued though.......sad! Anything else just smells like dolly mixtures on me!

Hear, not here!!!

I wouldn't buy perfume for anyone else unless I knew their favourite brand. I forgot to take some with me on holiday and bought some on the plane which I hated! I would prefer not to be given it as a present unless it was my favourite Spears numbers.#

I have Givenchy Ysatis and have worn that for forty years. I recently heard my daughter say to my grandchild that my scarf smelt of Granny. Lovely.

I tend to stick to one perfume, occasionally trying another. The main one I love is eau de compagne by Sisley which is quite hard to find even in France, it's country of origin.

My favourite is envy me by Gucci most of my family and friends know this so I enjoy getting it as a present. When my sons got married I asked both DILs to choose a new perfume so the first time they wore it was their wedding day and would always associate the perfume with their wedding day

i've worn opium for many years after my now ex husband brought me some back from a trip.
however i can't afford to buy it for myself now so my wonderful son buys me a bottle every year for christmas. he's lovely.
i don't use opium for every day as it wouldn't last the whole year so i've discovered florentyna from m&s - i started with the original one and then discovered their florentyna midnight floral - lovely.
thankfully that's within my budget especially if i've got a voucher from the surveys i do!!

For me I associate perfumes with happy memories my favourites are alien for evening blue grass for every day and if I'm going somewhere important aromatics whenever I smell opium I think of my niece and I always remember as a child my older sister who was in her teens would allow me a spray of Norman Hartnel in love or aqua manda.