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What fragrance smells "magical" to you

post #1 of 47
Thread Starter 
Is there a fragrance that you have experienced, that would transport you to a magical land, that you either read about in a fairytale, or just in your most vivid imagination? Something that smells as close to heavenly, you couldn't imagine being better. Have you found it? I haven't found that yet, still looking, and want it. Don't laugh, but when FENDI first came out, and I took my first whiff, it almost took me there. Oh, the power of scent...
post #2 of 47
The Unicorn Spell by Les Nez has a magical quality about it. Crisp earthy notes and chilled violets take me to the Snow Queen's palace in my imagination. A highly evocative scent. Demeter Thunderstorm has always seemed magical because it seems so natural, a fabulous illusion.
post #3 of 47
I think the fragrance oil pikake (Hawaiian jasmine) is "magical"...
post #4 of 47
I live in rural Alaska where it stays cold all year. Last summer we had a "heat wave" where it was sunny every day for a week and all the elders were kvetching that it was "too hot, too sunny!" I had to laugh, since I was born and raised in Denver where we have gorgeous sunshine 300 days a year!

Anyway...because I live in such a cold climate, I'm a huuuuuge fan of really rich, heavy oriental fragrances. I just recently started getting into florals. It's a huge step for me because I seem to hate most florals!

Annick Goutal's Songes is magical for me. It's just heavenly. Also in the "magical" category is Montale's Intense Tiare. Just tropical bliss. I love them!
post #5 of 47
Caron's NARCISSE BLANC makes me want to be a garden fairie!
post #6 of 47
Nirmala brings me to Goddess Land and I'm the Goddess.
post #7 of 47
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dolly Dagger

Is there a fragrance that you have experienced, that would transport you to a magical land, that you either read about in a fairytale, or just in your most vivid imagination?

Dont most serge lutens frags promise that ?
post #8 of 47
Quote:
Originally Posted by zztopp

Dont most serge lutens frags promise that ?

Lutens isn't the only perfurmer to use that kind of descriptive advertising. But now that you mention it, yes - I do consider Lutens to have a magical quality in that they are so expressive, rich, and multifaceted.
post #9 of 47
Quote:
Originally Posted by linnea

Lutens isn't the only perfurmer to use that kind of descriptive advertising. But now that you mention it, yes - I do consider Lutens to have a magical quality in that they are so expressive, rich, and multifaceted.

Un Santal de Mysore is instant magic for me...
And it was instant love, and infatuation.
I'd like to grow old with it, lol.
post #10 of 47
Eau des Mervielles takes me to a magical beach with one sniff. I'm transported to this deserted white sand beach with just my special guy ... the water tickles our toes, the sun gently kisses our bodies ... maybe not heaven, but close

L de Lolita is another magical scent for me, this time I'm in a mermaid fantasy ... silly, huh?

And I agree about many of the Lutens being magical ...
post #11 of 47
Harry Potter EDT . Seriously, it smells like how I think the prefect's bath bubbles would actually smell like.
post #12 of 47
I get into lotsa trouble when I start assigning magic and mystery to scents...$$$$ trouble, yes. But even more importantly, I set myself up for a big letdown.

Perhaps it's the "magic" that makes Lutens so hard for me to appreciate...I only own Ambre Sultan, but I have tried many and maybe I'm waiting for something to happen or to "feel" something?

The fragrances that have anything akin to a "magical" quality for me are those that help me remember special moments or remind me of special people in my life. I can't smell Miss Dior without thinking of my grandmother. Miss Dior is like a ghost or a spirit. It's something I will wear or at least sniff if I need "intestinal fortitude" or the feeling that there is "someone to watch over me".

Memories can be magic?
post #13 of 47
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zibeline

I get into lotsa trouble when I start assigning magic and mystery to scents...$$$$ trouble, yes. But even more importantly, I set myself up for a big letdown.

Perhaps it's the "magic" that makes Lutens so hard for me to appreciate...I only own Ambre Sultan, but I have tried many and maybe I'm waiting for something to happen or to "feel" something?


The fragrances that have anything akin to a "magical" quality for me are those that help me remember special moments or remind me of special people in my life. I can't smell Miss Dior without thinking of my grandmother. Miss Dior is like a ghost or a spirit. It's something I will wear or at least sniff if I need "intestinal fortitude" or the feeling that there is "someone to watch over me".

Memories can be magic?

How lovely is that? Yes, and you probably do have her watching over you. Good memories give us strength & can be magical in reliving them again in our minds eye. Fragrance & music does that for me. It reminds me of certain people & the time that was spent with them. Thank you for your reply.
--------------------------------------
Quote:
Originally Posted by shadesofbleu

Eau des Mervielles takes me to a magical beach with one sniff. I'm transported to this deserted white sand beach with just my special guy ... the water tickles our toes, the sun gently kisses our bodies ... maybe not heaven, but close

A nice visual, anything that can temporarily take you away from the day to day grind, is worth sniffing in my book.

L de Lolita is another magical scent for me, this time I'm in a mermaid fantasy ... silly, huh?

No, it isn't silly if it makes you feel peaceful, we all need some kind of escape from all harsh reality.

And I agree about many of the Lutens being magical ...

I haven't really taken the time to smell most of the Lutens, only a couple, and from what I've experienced, they are definitely unique.
post #14 of 47
I agree with rtamara41 that Nirmala is the one that transports me
to another realm. Definite Goddess territory. I do believe that you and I
are scent twins dear girl!!
post #15 of 47
I remember when I smelled Mitsouko for the first time It was and still is magical to me!

I also feel the same way about L and Chergui!
post #16 of 47
I remember the first time I smelled Mitsouko parfum...That was really magic to me!I loved it,but used to have really negative feelings baout the edt.So that was really strange:P Another scent that immediately works like magic on the emotional level is L'eau D'issey It used to be the signature of a dear friend of mine who unfortunately died only 17 years old So even today.8 years later I still can't stand to smell that scent, cause it reminds me too much of her.
post #17 of 47
I also find Mitsouko magical. I get a lot of visual impressions from it. I don't wear it often, don't even like it that much, but it has this strange "haunting" effect.

Lolita Lempicka is also magical for me. It makes me feel very enchanted black forest.
post #18 of 47
"Magic" is in the soul of the imaginer which for this Gemini changes from moment! :bounce:

To go mystical/magic, spirit rising to the cosmos - Avignon. To go tropical, black shiny beach with pale aqua waves, palm trees, pool boys (!!) - Vanille Abricot (thanks Danae! :wave For a stroll down Bou' San' Jacques - Rive Gauche. Wearing Gaultier and sinking into the brocade and silken cushions of a private gaming club in Deauville - Habanita.

To put on my clothes now and head out to Tai Chi class - Mitsouko!!! :bounce:
post #19 of 47
The only time I remember feeling that way about a fragrance was the first time I smelled Jovan Musk. I was in my early teens and had never smelled anything quite like it before - the musky, womanly fragrance transported me to a fantasy world where I was the queen of feminine power and seduction... something like the heroine in She by Rider Haggard!
post #20 of 47
L'Ombre dans L'Eau never fails to take me to a garden in the rain.

Opium smells like Indochine as presented in the movie of the same name.
post #21 of 47
Le Baiser Du Dragon. I have not smelled anything else like it. I love it and it does seem to change on the wearer.
post #22 of 47
I find most of the Caron's magical, but the ultimate for me is Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles, which invokes beautiful Arabian nights, with miles of white hot sand and Ali Baba with all 40 of his thieves! Sweet, seductive and most certainly magical!
post #23 of 47
MyQueen makes me think of being wrapped in furs and riding a sleigh through snowy landscapes - very Narnia.
post #24 of 47
Caron Parfum Sacre to me is hauntingly beautiful. I just used the last of my Urn sample and I am in withdrawls!
And even though I don't wear it myself - on the right woman - Coco Chanel has a real mystic 'White Witch' quality. It is a lovely scent when you are given a nice hug - envelops you in a warm, chocolatey spicy scent.
Lauder's Beyond Paradise has a real desert island - Amazon woman scent to it as well, but only when applied with a light hand
post #25 of 47
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arhianrad

L'Ombre dans L'Eau never fails to take me to a garden in the rain.

Opium smells like Indochine as presented in the movie of the same name.

I dug that movie, too! But my take on a magical place: Jolie Madame makes me feel like a (pre-Rainier) Grace Kelly - soignee, cool, beautifully dressed.
This is quite a feat for a brunette with curly hair who lives in jeans and sweats!
post #26 of 47
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gumoosh

Caron Parfum Sacre to me is hauntingly beautiful. I just used the last of my Urn sample and I am in withdrawls!
And even though I don't wear it myself - on the right woman - Coco Chanel has a real mystic 'White Witch' quality. It is a lovely scent when you are given a nice hug - envelops you in a warm, chocolatey spicy scent.
Lauder's Beyond Paradise has a real desert island - Amazon woman scent to it as well, but only when applied with a light hand

I bought a bottle of Parfum Sacre about 3 months ago, and I still haven't worn it yet, outside my house. It indeed is different, and I know alot of people like it, but for some reason, I can't get myself to go with it on. It seems like the kind of scent that would receive negative response, because it's so unusual, and I don't mind getting attention with my scent, but not if it's going to disturb or offend someone else. Scent can do that. I don't mind offended someone if they mess with me...lol...but I don't want to nauseate someone else. I'm glad you enjoy it & it makes you feel magical, I would like to find that special one too.
post #27 of 47
I wrote this in my review of it, but Opone does something transcendent to me. I can't figure it out, because it's not *beautiful* or feminine, but it transports me to the ship in the fragrance's tag line. I wish I knew what was in this fragrance that does it... it actually haunts me a bit, like it may be a past life thing or... something.
It's so strong, I researched Opone and found it was an old trading center on the Somalian coast, which shocked me because I had just seen a travel documentary about the Gulf of Aden, and this entire coastal area, and found some of the landscapes strangely familiar, almost comforting, homey, pleasant (and we're talking desert areas this Alaska girl would never consider pleasant). I know this sounds quite strange, but... there it is.
post #28 of 47
The first scent that came to my mind is 'The Dreamer' by Versace
post #29 of 47
Hi I have to say that Hermes Ambre Narguile is like no other to me. And I have a lot of fragrances. I wore it last week to the hospital when dh had surgery and felt better and got so many compliments, it is such a special fragrance and is loved by many. I am sure there are many others, love that one so much.
post #30 of 47
great thread.
post #31 of 47
Ok, this one seems obvious because of the name - Hanae Mori Magical Moon. Of all my collection this is the only one I feel is truly 'magical'. When wearing it I truly feel transported to a tropical paradise - a gorgeous, clean and uninhabited beach, stretching on and on in the night. It's warm, but the night has brought a cool breeze as my partner and I take a romantic stroll down this breathtaking beach with its soft sand. The moon and stars seem larger than life and brighter than ever before, bathing the whole area in their milky white light.
post #32 of 47
Diorama. In there is a whole world waiting to appear before your mind's eye. :-)
post #33 of 47
Wow !

To be honest, there are several.

One of my best experiences was with Violetta from Penhaligon's. We went for a walk in the woods in winter, it had snowed all night, all the noises were softened, snow cristals were sparkling in the sun and the sky was bright and blue.

Sometimes, a bird left a branch and all this powder snow was falling down on us like sequins, this was really magical.

We ended up lying in the snow making angel shapes with our bodies and laughing like kids.
post #34 of 47
Shalimar is like an ancient mythology - and it's also my mother (which is both good and bad; I love this scent, but can't wear it because it belongs to her!).

Ambre Sultan is like the Thousand and One nights, a handsome prince, opulent fabrics and a magical intimate moment.

Jardins de Bagatelle is like a love potion - it makes you feel drunk and happy with its scent and evokes the feeling of an enchanted garden. Too much and you might fall over with the spell though! Just like in fairy tales.

Mandragore by Annick Goutal makes you feel like a faerie princess surrounded by mysterious herbs and vegetation, with fauns and little gnomes frolicking around you.
post #35 of 47
There are five:

The original Femme by Edmond Roudnitska is a magic journey of my past

Michel Roudnitska 's Bois de Paradis is a whiff of the garden of Eden and the magic of my present

A new fragrance yet to be released by K Mihov is the magic of niche perfumery's future.

Black magic is Serge Lutens Douce Amere- the absinthe weaves a spell that blurs reality

Andy Tauer's Reverie au Jardin is white magic that opens my heart like a flower
post #36 of 47
This is terrible, not because I can't think of anything, but because I am thinking of too many scents!
My latest love is Chanel Cormandel.
post #37 of 47
I find this thread fascinating but hard to answer. At different times through life, different perfumes have been magical.

I think right now, it would probably be Samsara which makes me feel like a beautiful princess in a gorgeously appointed tent in the middle of a desert.

I remember years ago, Dune used to transport me to a field with tall grass and beautiful flowers on a sunny but not too warm day. I probably need to buy this perfume again as it has been years since I wore it.
post #38 of 47
I second Shalimar and would add Alien to the list--there is a strange, luminous quality to the development of that fragrance on the skin, distinctive in a darkly beautiful way.
post #39 of 47
Lovely thread

A 'magical' scent for me would probably be something extremely light and sparkling, rather than dark, exotic and mysterious ... by that, I'd probably go for something like Chanel's Cristalle.

It goes on 'silvery' with me, and stays that way a long while. It is luminescent and radiant with extraordinary sillage ... trails after me like fairy dust!
post #40 of 47
Well, I live in a country with a lot of cold weather. I guess thats why my magical scents are dark, exotic and mysterious.

SL Ambre Sultan
Shalimar
Sacrebleu
Sacre

Mmmmm
post #41 of 47
The most magical scent I own is CdG Avignon.
I have visions of a medieval church at night and green fields outside
I am immediately transported to the 14th cenntury
Very medieval in a good way.
post #42 of 47
Bois de Violet transports me to an enchanted forest in the spring, running from satyrs.

Guerlain's L'Instant is like having a shady fairy tea party with sweet honey cakes served in flowers.

Eden Botanicals Amber Royal is my gentle, deep intuitive scent.

Snake Oil is my dark and dirty voodoo go to...
post #43 of 47
Vintage Mitsouko, Shalimar, L'Heure Bleue
Vintage Nuit de Noel
Apres L'Ondee
Ambre Sultan
Iris Silver Mist
post #44 of 47
Quote:
Originally Posted by vezerne View Post

I dug that movie, too! But my take on a magical place: Jolie Madame makes me feel like a (pre-Rainier) Grace Kelly - soignee, cool, beautifully dressed.
This is quite a feat for a brunette with curly hair who lives in jeans and sweats!

LOL. Amoureuse makes me feel like a blond bombshell (think Jean Harlow). I too am brunette. And I'm rarely ever bombshell-ish.
post #45 of 47
Quote:
Originally Posted by lookingglass View Post

Guerlain's L'Instant is like having a shady fairy tea party with sweet honey cakes served in flowers.

How delightful! I'll think of your lovely imagery next time I wear L'instant
post #46 of 47
CHAMPAGNE d'Yves Saint Laurent.
post #47 of 47
Serge Lutens Douce Amere--like being in one of those very old black-and-white films with huge glorious sets and silk gowns on all the actresses http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theda_Bara
Ormonde Jayne Woman--This is pure fairytale, my absolute favorite scent. It smells like nothing else I've ever smelled in my life; I have no reference points for this one. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howl%27..._Castle_(film)
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