Guerlains

It sounds like you're not actually in LOVE with these Guerlains. I think you shouldn't buy unless you truly love the fragrance! Keep looking, I'm sure you'll find something that is more to your liking. Having a perfume you don't love just because it's from a certain house isn't worth it. Try other houses, other perfumes and see what's out that that you just can't get enough of!

I've tried all the Guerlains you mentioned. Shalimar just wasn't for me, Samsara didn't do anything for me, and Mitsouko was an olfactory offense to my nose. If you're interested in Mitsouko I recommend you DEFINITELY test before you buy. If you want Guerlain perfumes, why not try some of their other fragrances, and see if something else really makes you go "Wow! This is great!" I'm about the same age as you, and the only Guerlains I own are Champs Elysees and Cherry Blossom Fruity. While I don't really own any 'prestigious' and classic perfumes that get raves here, I've stuck to whatever I fell in love with, and I adore my wardrobe. I suggest that you just keep on testing lots of different things, and really only buy something that you know you truly love!

I really think the classic Guerlains work better for women 30+. I'm 20, and I'd prefer a 19 year old (that I'd be friends with or date) to smell light, modern, and floral, fruity, or sweet. Something along the lines of Ralph Lauren Blue, DKNY Light Blue, Creed Spring Flower, Flowerbomb, or Lolita Lempicka. Perhaps you're too sophisticated or mature for those?

Did you try Insolence or the Aqua Allegoria line? They are young and fresh.

I think that the 'My Insolence' smells adorable on a young lady.

I agree with lookingglass - since you don't want to smell like an elegant mature woman (which most Guerlains do) suggest you try the Aqua Allegoria line which Guerlain came out with to attract youngsters.

Another nice scent that is a little younger in spirit, is Cherry Blossom by Guerlain. It has some lovely floral notes, with a kiss of green tea in the opening. It is not sickeningly sweet either.

There is a subset of lighter, more whimsical Guerlains like Apres L'Ondee, which might tempt you to the older ones, but I agree that you should test before you buy and wear things you enjoy. If you absolutely must must wear things, why not go the samples route? It will get you a lot more smells for your money and might help you avoid the dreaded 'bad' blind buy.

And definitely sample Mitsouko before you buy. It has a love it or hate it reputation because it's all down to your nose and your skin. Some people adore it, others loathe it. Neither is right; or perhaps both are...
Anyway, the point is to wear perfumes you enjoy. Scents that make you sing.

I just looked up the notes in EA Diamonds and see it has a vanillic cedar base. Perhaps you could try Shiseido's Femininite du Bois? It's very cedary and a classic in its way - it was the starting point for all those Lutens Bois scents you'll see mentioned here.

Half the fun of being interested in perfume is compiling some kind of shortlist of scents that sound interesting and you'd like to smell, then finding ways to get to smell some of them to see what your nose registers as yum or yuck. (I've been surprised a few times by things I thought I'd adore but loathe on me.) It can be down to skin chemistry or personal taste. If you can, try Angel. Like Mitsouko, it absolutely splits the BN population in half between lovers and loathers. See which you are.

As for where you can smell and try these things - if you're in a big city you should be well-provided. But there's also mail order, and swapsies with other BNers if you're out in the sticks. Hunt around your local stores to see which ones stock perfumes and which have interesting little bottles of this and that tucked away on bottom shelves. For the really niche stuff like Lutens, you'll have to go to a major metropolis. But you can also email them via their website and ask nicely for a set of wax samples of their fragrances so you can try them.

Enjoy! And welcome to Basenotes - one of the few places where you don't have to say 'I know it's only perfume, but...'

Hi again, I have a couple of suggestions that perhaps you may like to try. Since you mentioned you're a big fan of vanilla (me too!!), and also how you love Armani Diamonds (I rather liked this too), you may enjoy these:

Armani Mania: This is my fave Armani fragrance, with Diamonds coming second. It has a basenote of vanilla, but it's a lovely woodsy fragrance that works great in Winter! Not too sweet either, which might be great for you since you don't seem to like anything ultra-sweet.
Hypnotic Poison: I've tried this one. It's a yummy vanilla fragrance. Not quite for me, but perhaps you would like it!
Dior Addict: Another vanilla fragrance. This one is very sexy and good for evening wear. It's on my wishlist!

By the way, I tried Ange ou Démon just yesterday and it's really nice! Definitely one to try out. Oh and My Insolence certainly exists but I think it's only sold at certain stores right now. I believe it's sold exclusively at either Macys or Sephora? (I can't remember). I've only found it in one store in Australia, so it's definitely exclusive at the moment.

Sounds like you're extremely picky lol. I suppose you should just stick with Armani Diamonds and JPG Classique then.

I ABSOLUTELY agree that you should test Mitsouko before buying. In fact, you should test them all. Guerlains are not for everyone. I've been staggeringly disappointed that I can't quite 'get' what's so special about them. None of them really work for me, except Champs Elysee and Aqua Allegoria Pivione Magnifica. And neither of them have any longevity unfortunately.

Maybe you'd like L de Lolita Lempicka, the one in the beautiful aqua blue bottle. Notes: Bitter Orange, Cinnamon, Immortal Flower, Vanilla, Precious Woods, Solar Notes, Musks.