Fragrance and Demographics

Hi, would just like to say that I'm a complete newbie here and already awed by the vast amount of fragrance knowledge from this community! Anyways, to cut to the chase, I'm currently a senior high school student with a growing addiction to scent, though still very much an amateur in the fascinating world of perfumes. Just out of curiosity, around what age are most of the members here? It sounds like everybody has such a highly trained "nose" perfected by age and experience (it's difficult not to feel a little intimidated!).

Would also love to ask for some recommendations, should anybody be so kind. I'm a huge fan of Coco Mademoiselle, D&G Light Blue, Yves Saint Laurent Nu, Nina Ricci Love in Paris, the "satin" SJP Lovely, Emporio Armani She, and Hugo Boss Femme, to name a few. Florientals? My tastes are probably a little more "mature" than your average high school student, though I'm nowhere quite near the Chanel No. 19 or Guerlain Mitsuoko territory yet. I'd prefer a few less-known, though still accessible fragrances to fit within my budget and lifestyle. Thanks so much in advance!

Thanks, everybody, for replying! It's nice to see I'm not the only person who feels a little bit awed by the vast amount of expertise here.

ineespenes, I've tried Coco before, but it tends to turn very sour and pungent on my skin. I prefer Coco Mademoiselle since it's lighter and juicier, but, thanks for the suggestion!

Clemmie, your daughter and I are the same age, actually! Most of the girls I know are wearing Anna Sui (Dolly Girl's a favorite), Britney Spears, Cool Water Woman, Ralph... the vast peppiness of it all gets on my nerves at times. I can pick out common department fragrances fairly well, too, but some are just so generic that they just blend like crazy in my brain.

And ozkat, I started enjoying perfumes from about... age 14? I think it was the bottle of Elizabeth Arden Green Tea that did it - I thought it was so minimalist, light, yet elegant. Flash foward a month, I went back to my dorms, and every other girl seemed to have a bottle. *sigh* It's probably because I'm new at this, but I love mass-market scents. There's a familiarity about them, I guess? But the European names intimidate me a little; I always feel like I should grow up another few decades before I even start thinking about trying them. I tried your advice on checking the directory and came up with bergamot, rose, musks, ambers, cedarwood, freesia, jasmine, vetiver, peach/mandarin/tangerine, and orchid. Thanks so much! Knowing the notes will help me alot, I'm sure!

Clemmie, it's nice to know that your daughter likes to do things a little different as well! Glow from JLo always seems to smell very differently from person to person - on some it smells like a fresh, warm second skin... (I'm guessing your daughter is so lucky) - on others I think it smells like sweat, unfortunately. I've never tried the Serge Lutens but I have a vague recollection of the Gaultier, and own the Beyond Paradise though I rarely wear it. It's a beautiful floral, but it doesn't meld well with my skin chemistry (it was a birthday gift). Anyways, you sound like just about the world's coolest mom, since mine absolutely hates scents and continually threatens to chuck my entire perfume wardrobe into the trashcan 24/7...

Thanks for the welcome, andiMAC! My wallet is continually being reduced by my excessive buying of new scents... but who can help it, really? Even as newbies, it looks like we're falling head over hells for this sort of thing!

And thanks so much of the list, Kotori! It was really helpful - before the boards went down, I browsed around my local department store and paid close attention to most of these, thanks so much! YSL's I loved in the bottle, but turned to... pepto bismol on my skin, unfortunately =/ Miss Dior Cherie was a little too sweet, even after the nuttier, warmer drydown - but I'm currently considering Dior Addict 2 as a summer scent (it's fresh and lovely!). Incanto Shine was a little too fruity-floral, while Lovely Prism I couldn't find in my local department store... but remember trying on at the airport at least a year ago and finding very nice (so I might make a note to revisit it). We don't have Clean where I live (!) but I tried on the Bulgari; unfortunately, it wasn't a great blend with my skin chemistry, either. But I had just about the biggest blast trying them all on, just like a kid in a candy shop, and Dior Addict 2 just might be my newest addition to my perfume family - thank you! You were a huge help!

Hey, xdattax! Ahh, nice to meet somebody around the same age demographic - hmm, as for why the aversion to No. 19... I don't know, really. I do like other more "mature" scents (I love Chanel No. 5, for example!) - but perhaps something in the mixture of No. 19 just really hits my nose the wrong way. I do like just about every other Chanel scent, though - hmmm. But I totally agree with you - it's best to wear what I like, and hope that others will agree with my assessments. That's such a beautiful way of looking at it Oh! And I really like Champs-Elysees myself... do you mean Guerlain's L'instant, btw? I own that one too (gift from an ex-boyfriend) and I love it on occasions but find it too gourmand-y on others. Guerlain scents are absolutely breathtaking for the most part, though!

Thanks for the link, EnvYuS! I read through it and it seems like most people are from their late twenties to early thirties... really interesting to read!

And mochi227, I did get your PM (and replied to it, thanks so much!), so I'll just make a shorter reply to your post from here. I will definitely read, read, read, and explore, explore, explore! My nose gets tingly just thinking about it all, actually I will definitely make it my resolution to start building up my wardrobe and getting more and more involved in this wonderful community. Thanks for the great advice! It feels like I'm learning so much already.

Way too cute about the bf! Just to share a story, before my ex and I were going out, we got each other Issey Miyake (his and hers) for Christmas without even realizing it. I guess it shows great minds think alike? (We're still good friends, now.) Your boyfriend sounds like a great guy, though - any guy who buys a Guerlain gift set for his girl is a keeper! My ex got my Guerlain, Issey Miyake, Kenneth Cole (Black), along with other non-perfume presents within the three months we dated... needless to say I was sorry it had to end. Now I have to buy them all myself!

Ack about the Mitsouko (sp as well?) - I'm sure you can always go back another day, right? I'd really love to smell Mitsouko; I never have! I do like Shalimar as well, though - it's such a dreamy, exotic, gorgeous scent. As for No. 19, I suppose it's a love/hate, too. Coco Mademoiselle is my personal favorite, followed by No. 5, and then it might just be Gardenia, Allure, etc... No. 19 and Chance are the only two I can't really bring myself to like.

Thanks, Twolf, for the lovely welcome! I hope to become more and more involved here, too!

Ged, thank you for all the suggestions! Now I'm extremely curious I'm going to check out the Frederic Malle website right after this and take a closer look at the scents you mentioned, because they sound extremely lovely and enticing. While I can't write in French, never having learnt it... (Chinese is my second language, and snippets of Latin my third, with Japanese as my fourth) I'm definitely going to try and get my hands on a few samples. Your wife seems to have great taste! I've tried Burberry Brit and while I love the scent in the bottle, it turns completely sour on my skin - but the Hermes 24 Fauborg has always intruiged me, and yes, Miss Dior smells so much more wonderful to me than Cherie, I can't even believe it! As for the other two, I have yet to try them, but will definitely make it a priority as well. Thanks so much; I'm so excited now!

Thank you, The Squire, for your advice as well! I like "young" scents as well - I think the Tommy Bahama scents are really beautiful, especially for summer vacations - and I also happen to like YSL Baby Doll, Lacoste Touch of Pink, and a few other more girly scents as well. I can't say Princess is one of my favorites, but I have a friend who wears it and it smells absolutely delicious on her; it's just a little too... gourmand-y for me, I suppose. I certainly agree with you that there shouldn't be an age limit as to perfumes, but the reality is that certain age groups just usually prefer certain scents, hmmm? But to me, it's how old you feel on the inside that matters the most I can sympathize with you that certain scents smell "old lady" to me as well, but it really depends on whether or not the wearer can carry the scent. I think they're more "old lady" since a woman needs an air of worldliness to be able to pull them off in the first place; but, I don't always think they're so bad. Sometimes yes, sometimes no, but I sometimes think young scents smell great and sometimes horrible as well. Women really like to feel unique with their scents, as opposed to men... who usually seem to want their girlfriends/wives to smell nice, I suppose? I'm not seeing anybody now, but I definitely tried to ask my boyfriend his opinion on some of my collection, and tried my best to wear the ones he liked best when I was with him. But since men's tastes differ as well, perhaps there are men out there who adore those musky, old lady smells as well

And thank you as well to Arhianrad, I did get your PM and will try to reply ASAP! I also think it's best to have a range of fragrances in one's closet, so one can pick and choose at his/her will! And, judging by most of the posts from this thread, I'm also pretty sure women wear the "old lady" scents because they want to, not because they feel trapped into them. I find some "old lady" scents very nice myself, but in the end, I think people should just wear whatever suits them best. Whether it's a light, bubblegum scent normally targeted towards thirteen-year-olds or a heady, musky "old lady" fragrance... it's up for the wearer to decide what to put in their perfume wardrobe!

Thanks, Arhianrad! I've tried Jicky and think it's very modern, too, though it's not really my style. It really is a masterpiece, though! I love the older Guerlain scents.

Aww, too bad about your little sister - I'm pretty sure most of my friends would run away screaming from Miss Dior as well, which is a shame since it's so lovely! As you know, I've yet to try Mitsouko, but I have a feeling I'll like it - it sounds gorgeous from description.

And wow, castorpollux, thank you so much for the list! I actually searched for every single one through the directory and there are some that I absolutely vow to try now, so it was extremely helpful! I'm glad you enjoyed reading my other posts and I'm so grateful for the warm welcome that's been bestowed on me by Basenotes members; everybody has been unbelievably friendly and helpful so far! Anyways, out of the list you compiled, I'm definitely going to try Pure Wish, Armand Basi, Gloria, Daliflor, and the limited edition Love in Paris. I've tried a few others on the list, but I'm going to re-try the Versace Jeans Couture Glam because the descriptions sound really compelling. Once again, merci beacoup for taking all the time to compile everything for me!

And hi, kiddo! I feel so blessed that people here have been SO nice - to think I was intimidated in the first place! People here have been wonderfully helpful and accepting, and I agree that I haven't been to any other boards where people are so kind. I'm really getting addicted to this fast, eep! (I'm replying to threads while I should be writing an English essay...) - and, oh! Since you're new as well, welcome! I wish I could help you with something, but I'm such an amateur myself that I have nothing to offer except a hello. Hopefully that isn't too paltry!

Yes, grapefruit is a great note! Not as sweet as orange, not as sour as lemon, but a little bitter and a little sassy/fresh. The Dior counter where I live doesn't give out samples, though, so I'm still deliberating on it... I'll probably buy it when the time comes, though!

Will try Annick Goutal Eau d'Hadrien, thank you!

And will also check out your review of Mitsouko - judging by the advice I'm getting from more than one person, I'll probably run away screaming from the bottle first sniff... but I'm so incredibly intruiged anyways!