Thanks for taking interest! The post is long, but please don't let that deter you 
I am extremely new to the world of perfumery. In high school I messed around with cheap body mists and sprays, but now I'm ready to make a commitment. I live in New York for school, and I've always admired the elegance of certain ladies on the street and how as they pass by, the most sophisticated will always have a wonderful waft of perfume following them.
Now, I don't aim to reach that peak of classiness, but I would like to be someone that smells nice, as opposed to your plain student who smells like nothing.
I was given a bottle of Shiseido's Zen White Heat for Christmas, which I had liked as a paper sample. On my skin it smells okay, but a little "older" than I'd like - It has a warmth that I associate with women older than me. I think the reason I liked it in the store was because of the topnotes, which smelled really bright on paper but seem less so on my skin, especially after a while. It's by no means a bad scent, but it smells more mature than I'd like.
I *am* a college student, so certain qualities that affect college students - Being around many people in a classroom setting, a need to have a scent that will work both in the library and out on the town, a lower amount of income, etc.
I would like some advice from knowledgeable people before I really invest in a signature perfume. I have a budget of $50-70, although I would probably only spend that much if I knew I would definitely use it.
My experience with perfumes are limited to the department stores and body mists, but I can give a brief list of what I like and don't like:
- I enjoy lighter scents, in the citrus or floral category, and I enjoy clean scents. I wouldn't mind a "soapy" or "laundry" scent if it was special enough to distinguish from actual soap.
- I tend to not favor nature smells, such as green or sea - My experience being Bath and Bodywork's Rainkissed Leaves and other nature-themed scents from B&B. They're okay.
- I have a love/hate relationship with sweetness, which I associate as "girly" and "tweeny". I do like Dove's Refresh Plum-Sakura scent, though, which I use as deodorant.
- I dislike "warm" smells such as vanilla, but especially musky scents. I associate them as being too overpowering. I have tried a friend's Beyonce's Heat and I do not like it overmuch.
I do like the smell of Clinique Happy Hearts, but for some odd reason I favored Zen White Heat over it in the store, so that doesn't bode well for my choices.
The original Happy, I thought, was a little too strong for me.
Speaking of "name-notables", Chanel No.5 just smells really old to me.
I like the smell of Gap Blue for Women, although it is on the extreme end of the "clean" spectrum for me. I don't think I could wear it in very many situations. The name is really accurate, so it's the "bluest" that I'll go.
My mother uses Jessica McClintock, which I like. It's powdery and lily and a bit mature, and it smells good on her, but I really couldn't see myself wearing it every day.
True Religion seems appropriate for my age group, but is a little too vanilla/musk for me. It smells sweet, which I don't know if I like - It makes the scent younger but also I tend to dislike obvious sweetness.
I have heard good things about Ralph Lauren Romance , V&R's Flowerbomb, and Philosophy's Grace line.
In all, I'm trying to find a "younger" floral scent that is not offensive but loud enough to be noticed, isn't too expensive, has a good basenote vs. topnote, and lasts a long time. The last one is important to me - If it lasts a long time, I wouldn't mind spending more money on it.
Thanks for reading and for your advice!
I am extremely new to the world of perfumery. In high school I messed around with cheap body mists and sprays, but now I'm ready to make a commitment. I live in New York for school, and I've always admired the elegance of certain ladies on the street and how as they pass by, the most sophisticated will always have a wonderful waft of perfume following them.
Now, I don't aim to reach that peak of classiness, but I would like to be someone that smells nice, as opposed to your plain student who smells like nothing.
I was given a bottle of Shiseido's Zen White Heat for Christmas, which I had liked as a paper sample. On my skin it smells okay, but a little "older" than I'd like - It has a warmth that I associate with women older than me. I think the reason I liked it in the store was because of the topnotes, which smelled really bright on paper but seem less so on my skin, especially after a while. It's by no means a bad scent, but it smells more mature than I'd like.
I *am* a college student, so certain qualities that affect college students - Being around many people in a classroom setting, a need to have a scent that will work both in the library and out on the town, a lower amount of income, etc.
I would like some advice from knowledgeable people before I really invest in a signature perfume. I have a budget of $50-70, although I would probably only spend that much if I knew I would definitely use it.
My experience with perfumes are limited to the department stores and body mists, but I can give a brief list of what I like and don't like:
- I enjoy lighter scents, in the citrus or floral category, and I enjoy clean scents. I wouldn't mind a "soapy" or "laundry" scent if it was special enough to distinguish from actual soap.
- I tend to not favor nature smells, such as green or sea - My experience being Bath and Bodywork's Rainkissed Leaves and other nature-themed scents from B&B. They're okay.
- I have a love/hate relationship with sweetness, which I associate as "girly" and "tweeny". I do like Dove's Refresh Plum-Sakura scent, though, which I use as deodorant.
- I dislike "warm" smells such as vanilla, but especially musky scents. I associate them as being too overpowering. I have tried a friend's Beyonce's Heat and I do not like it overmuch.
I do like the smell of Clinique Happy Hearts, but for some odd reason I favored Zen White Heat over it in the store, so that doesn't bode well for my choices.
The original Happy, I thought, was a little too strong for me.
Speaking of "name-notables", Chanel No.5 just smells really old to me.
I like the smell of Gap Blue for Women, although it is on the extreme end of the "clean" spectrum for me. I don't think I could wear it in very many situations. The name is really accurate, so it's the "bluest" that I'll go.
My mother uses Jessica McClintock, which I like. It's powdery and lily and a bit mature, and it smells good on her, but I really couldn't see myself wearing it every day.
True Religion seems appropriate for my age group, but is a little too vanilla/musk for me. It smells sweet, which I don't know if I like - It makes the scent younger but also I tend to dislike obvious sweetness.
I have heard good things about Ralph Lauren Romance , V&R's Flowerbomb, and Philosophy's Grace line.
In all, I'm trying to find a "younger" floral scent that is not offensive but loud enough to be noticed, isn't too expensive, has a good basenote vs. topnote, and lasts a long time. The last one is important to me - If it lasts a long time, I wouldn't mind spending more money on it.
Thanks for reading and for your advice!
