New and looking for classic perfume recommendations.

[SpriteLily_1959]

Hello! There has been something oddly addicting and soothing about reading the reviews here on Basenotes since the Pandemic. It's a sort of mindless poetry, painting pictures of things I've never experienced. I am not quite sure what brought me here- I work in the medical field and have never worn perfumes or scents. Yet somehow, I have fallen in love and absolutely need to know more.
The only perfumes I ever wear is my grandmothers beautiful Shalimar, and only on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and my beloved mothers Diorissimo on Easter, graduations and weddings. In recent years I've been gifted two other nice perfumes I wear to meetings , soir de lune and a hermes amber (I can't remember it's exact name) and they were beautiful and suiting. yet this funny thing happened. I was cleaning my now long on her own daughters bedroom and making donation piles when i discovered these really beautiful, tacky perfumes that smelled like dessert. I fell in love. Not with the teenager scents, but the part of me who could wear such a fun scent. who knew!?
So, I have been wondering- are there any sweet, gourmand (is that the right word) delicious scents that are elegant and not childish?
Thank you all. I love the beauty and poetry of this sight so much.HR][/HR]

---

[hednic]

Welcome to you SpriteLily_1959! Enjoy your time here at Basenotes! I get the sense from reading what you wrote that you are female. If so, i wouldn't be able to help you with female fragrances, but if you like sweet gourmands, I'd suggest checking out the offerings of two houses: Maison De La Vanille and Comptoir Sud Pacifique.

[SpriteLily_1959]

Thank you so much! They really sound lovely and I'm ordering samples.

[cacio]

Welcome!

If you are ok going into niche territory, Lutens (the older ones) is the king of elegant sweet-woody gourmand. Feminite de bois, Ambre Sultan, Bois vanille, Jeux de peau, and others. If you want something closer to modern fruitchoulis (ie more fruity-syrupy), harder to find something elegant, but I'll toss in Histoires de Parfum 1969 and Piguet Visa.

cacio

[SpriteLily_1959]

Without research I cannot comment, however, I am so thrilled in your suggestions! I will look into them- happily! Thank you.

[sjg3839]

Eau Des Baux is a nice fragrance that is unisex.

[Cook.bot]

The only perfumes I ever wear is my grandmothers beautiful Shalimar, and only on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and my beloved mothers Diorissimo on Easter, graduations and weddings.

You couldn't do much better than those two classics!

are there any sweet, gourmand (is that the right word) delicious scents that are elegant and not childish?

It sounds like you want to tap into a youthful vibe but without smelling like an actual teenager.

Two suggestions that are both affordable and easily obtained:

Original Lolita Lempicka Eau de Parfum (be careful, there are many, many flankers with a variety of similar names)

https://www.basenotes.net/ID10212178.html

and Lolita Lempicka "L de Lolita" (this has been discontinued but can still be found pretty easily, especially on eBay. Since you like Shalimar, you may like the vanilla base this shares with it.)

https://www.basenotes.net/ID26125353.html

There are a lot of lovers of gourmand scents here, and I'm sure they'll be along to make recommendations soon. (Clockwork Alice, I'm looking at you!)

[teardrop]

Welcome, SpriteLily! Here are some suggestions for you:

Alien Essence Absolue by Mugler: rick, smoky vanilla with a whiff of spice.

Like This by Etat Libre d'Orange: candied ginger, pumpkin spice & maple syrup - perfect in autumn & winter!

Hermessence Ambre Narguile: cinnamon & apple pie.

Angels' Share by Kilian: boozy, nutty praline. This is a recent release which proved extremely popular, & you may have to wait for stores to restock, but l think it's worth it!

Have fun, & do report back on your search!

[saminlondon]

Shalimar and Diorissimo - glorious!

Perhaps have a look at the more recent offerings from Guerlain, which does gourmand (especially vanilla) so well: La Petite Robe Noire, Mon Guerlain and suchlike; the magnificent L'Heure Bleue too, if you don't already know it, and recent flankers of Shalimar.

[Ken_Russell]

Many great recommendations already, also taking the liberty to add in no particular order:

Jaipur by Boucheron-including not just the renditions of this for either gender but also its not very difficultly obtainable flankers, most Lutens fragrances with a fairly unisex suitability like Chergui, Endymion EDC by Penhaligon's

all of these aforementioned fairly modern, but also with a classic sense for classic elegance at the same time

[satyen]

Eau duelle by diptique

Sent from my SM-G980F using Tapatalk

[ChickenFreak]

Parfumerie Generale makes two of my favorite gourmands: Aomassai and Un Crime Exotique. I also perceive their Cadjmere as a gourmand. Oh, and there's Sushi Imperiale from Bois 1920.

There's also Indult Tihota. Some people shrug at it and complain that it smells like a bottle of vanilla. Some people enthuse about it because they say it smells like a bottle of vanilla.

[Fernaldo]

A newer release that is sweet but not gourmand is: Tyger Tyger by Francesca Bianchi.

Kind of a honey/peach with some leather and white florals.

Really nice.

[N.CAL Fragrance Reviewer]

Welcome aboard SpriteLily_1959!

If you like gourmands then fragrances like Guerlain Tonka Imperiale and Gourmand Coquin would be great choices.

If you like orientals, particularly vanilla then Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille would be great.

Other vanillas were trying are Indult Tihota, Diptyque Eau Duelle, Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille.

Other gourmands worth trying are Chanel Coromandel and Dior Feve Delicieuse.

[Kaern]

It sounds as though you would like Hypnotic Poison by Dior

[ClockworkAlice]

Welcome to Basenotes, SpriteLily! And you're right - gourmand is a good and widely used term to describe those sweet and almost edible fragrances!

You have already got many great suggestions and I agree with all of them that I myself have tried:
Lolita Lempicka (cherry, anise, liquorice and lovely sweetness; the version that you'll most easily find is Lolita Lempicka Mon Premier which is almost as the original just with a bit more cherry and a bit less anise, so maybe a bit less unique but maybe a bit more gourmand; I own that version and it's very lovely and easy to wear)
Diptyque Eau Duelle - a beautiful beautiful spicy-woody vanilla, on me it's basically lots of cardamom and cozy not too sweet vanilla, super lovely
Serge Lutens Un bois vanille - another woody vanilla, also lovely, but quieter and sweeter than Eau Duelle. I personally like Eau Duelle much more
Serge Lutens Feminite du bois - I'm not a fan of this personally as it gets sour and strange on my skin, but it's very well regarded classic, so try it if you are able to. Not very sweet and not a gourmand, more woody-rich. Mature.
Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan - try it if you can and don't buy it unsniffed. Very unique. You'll love this if you want to smell like a spice market and a bit like a curry, otherwise you may find it strange. Very rich and strong, I wouldn't call it a gourmand and definitely not juvenile.
Serge Lutens Chergui - now finally a Serge Lutens I like, not a gourmand though. it's sweet. but in a more ambery than gourmand way, it's a little hay-like, and a little sand-like, another rich and warm and definitely not juvenile fragrance
L'Occitane Eau des baux - it's marketed as masculine, but many women wear it, too. It's a woody-vanillic scent. If you're at L'Occitane counter, do sniff Terre de Lumiere, too - it's a sparkly honey-lavender-almond-bergamot gourmand, very sunny, very warm, feminine, yummy and definitely not juvenile. If you want more juvenile (but still suitable for you), try L'Occitane's Fleur de Cerisier series - they're all sweet and super girly cherry blossom scents, very lovely. They have a new fragrance Rose Calisson which is a rose gourmand and smells very good - young, but also grown up, too. L'Occitane is good at making good quality but still affordable scents.


Several more suggestions from me:
Guerlain Shalimar Philtre de Parfum - this is a very new variation of Shalimar so it might not have arrived to where you live yet, but it's a bit modernized and gourmandized version of Shalimar that I enjoy and you might, too: it's stripped of its leathery and smoky facets, vanilla and powdery aspects are amplified, the citruses are softened and a bit of lavender added to the top notes. It still feels like Shalimar, but it's much sweeter and feels a bit gourmand. It's still quite a mature fragrance, but doesn't feel as vintage as your usual Shalimar. I personally love both.
Guerlain Mon Guerlain - a very cozy vanilla/tonka/lavender gourmand, doesn't feel super young, a very lovely cuddly scent
...if you're at Guerlain counter, also do try La Petite Robe Noire series (cherry gourmands in various flavours; they all smell pretty young, fruity and fun and will probably have that carefree tackiness, but with all the elegance of Guerlain added, too. My favourite is Black Perfecto that is a bit rosier, leatherier, darker, more powdery and not as fruity-sweet, but you only can find it in online discounters nowadays; La petite robe noire Intense (a blue bottle) is my second favourite and still widely available, but you have to try them yourself), Insolence (very powdery, sweet, dreamy and fairytale-like...it smells both childishly innocent and old at the same time, just as the fairytales are; lots of powdery iris + berries. It's a modern and much sweeter nod to Guerlain's classic L'heure bleue which I suspect you'd also like) and L'Instant de Guerlain (a floral/slightly herbal vanilla fragrance, very grown up and elegant; I personally decided I don't need a bottle of it but it's lovely)
you can try Guerlain Shalimar Souffle or one of its variations, too - but don't look for actual Shalimar in it! It's an elegant and very slightly gourmand-ish variation of Shalimar that is VERY far removed from actual Shalimar - only the idea of combining citrusy top, some very blended florals and vanillic, musky base is what is taken from actual Shalimar here. So basically it's a lemon custard-like musky vanilla. Not juvenile.
Dior Poison Girl - if you can get past the name and a pink bottle it's a very cozy and a bit girly mandarine-jasmine-vanilla gourmand! Not juvenile to my nose though. I like EDT more as it has more of that lovely orange/mandarine that cuts through the sweetness a little bit, but EDP is more gourmand and very enveloping. There's also a very fun version Poison Girl Unexpected that's just like the EDT but with sparkly and peppery ginger added, I love this version a lot.
Dior Hypnotic Poison - an almondy vanilla. More vavavavoom than anything juvenile! Already a classic and for a reason.
Thierry Mugler Angel Muse - do you want to smell like fruity Nutella?!! Then perfect, because that's what it is! Definitely not juvenile though, although I don't know how to better describe it. The Nutella accord is tamed by woods and vetiver, grapefruit and berries, so it smells just like a dessert, but you won't smell like you're smeared with it - you'll smell beautifully perfumed, just in an edible way. It's very cozy and gorgeous. The EDP is richer, sweeter, denser, woodier, patchouli-ier and the EDT is lighter, summerier and fruitier/juicier. I prefer EDT as it's a bit more tart than sweet, but they both have that sweetness+tartness.
Try Paco Rabanne Olympea if you want to smell like salty vanilla and Paco Rabanne Olympea Legend if you want to smell like salty vanilla/caramel/amber and dried prunes - reminds me a bit of salted caramel popcorn a bit!
You can also try Nina Ricci fragrances in whimsical apple-shaped bottles (Nina, Nina Rouge, Luna... they're cute gourmands, not too tacky. I prefer Lolita Lempicka myself though!)

Pretty much all fragrances recommended for you are more on the vanilla-gourmand side (Lolita Lempicka and La petite robe noire aren't very vanillic though and there's no vanilla in Terre de lumiere). If you want something more fruity instead of vanillic, but still kinda edible, Moschino Cheap and Chic I Love Love smells like an orange creamsicle on a light woody base. Very affordable at discounters. Citrusy-sweet, yet very light and summery. I wouldn't even call it gourmand if it wouldn't remind me of orange creamsicles or orange cream so much!
Lolita Lempicka Oh Ma Biche smells just like a bellini cocktail - peaches and champagne! Very sparkly, fruity, very young and very fun to wear. (It's a version of a sweeter, denser, stronger, even more gourmandier Lolitaland)
Hermes Elixir des Merveilles if you want a very unique half-gourmand that has lots of sweet and rich orange with a bit of ambery/amber-woody/slightly spicy, resinous and almost boozy scent. (Don't mix it up with Eau des Merveilles which is far from a gourmand and much lighter, but just as unique)
Also if you want less unique but truly fruity, you can try Dolce&Gabbana L'Imperatrice (watermelons, lots of fruits, some flowers, popular for a few decades now) and Donna Karan Be Delicious (apples apples apples apples). These are fairly simple but very likeable scents that might have started as something young-smelling a few decades ago, but I think they smell just fun, bright and very feminine and appropriate for all ages nowadays. You can find them nicely discounted, too if you decide on them, don't buy at full price.

Good luck searching for your perfect gourmand!

[ClockworkAlice]

There are a lot of lovers of gourmand scents here, and I'm sure they'll be along to make recommendations soon. (Clockwork Alice, I'm looking at you!)

Speak of the wolf...

[Bavard]

I like Ambre Sultan and Visa. They have sweetness, to me, but they don’t remind me of food.

[DrLewy]

Hello . You can try Givenchy Xeryus Rouge.

[woodnotes55]

A lot of gourmand experts here but will offer two humble suggestions...


First, Hanae Mori

I was very surprised to see it listed as male in the directory.... but check this out!!!:
About H.M.

A rich edible oriental fragrance with notes of, amongst other things, Chocolate. One for Homer Simpson then!
H.M. fragrance notes

1. Top Notes
   
   • Lemon,
   • Lavender,
   • Blackcurrant,
   • Green notes
   
   
2. Heart Notes
   
   • Iris,
   • Jasmine,
   • Lily of the valley,
   • Bulgarian rose
   
   
3. Base notes
   
   • Moss,
   • Vanilla,
   • Tonka bean,
   • Cedarwood,
   • Chocolate,
   • Amber
   
   
   

It sounds like a lot going on with the notes, and it is definitely not your everyday fragrance, but it's quite nice and interesting to wear. Best of all it is very inexpensive and quite the bargain. Take a look at some of the reviews and see what you think....


And the other one, Acqua di Parma Mandorlo Sicilia. It smells like you are on the beach and having a very rich dessert. It's got a strong almond note, but also has vanilla, even a touch of orange and florals. You get all kinds of descriptions for it everything from almond cake to coconut ice cream. Definitely a fun scent, even if you are wearing your best sunglasses and sandals and looking mucho elegante....

[yellowtone]

Welcome SpriteLily!

I am not a great lover of gourmands, but there are a few vanillas I'm partial to:

Tihota by Induit - as others have said, a very realistic, sweet vanilla that never goes cheap or plasticky, like so many vanilla scented stuff does.
Mona di Orio Vanille - a boozier, darker, smokey and resinous vanilla

If you want to go the edible gourmand route, Hilde Soliani has some fun sweet delights, think praline, sweet cherry, coffee, chocolate, Nutella and so on. They're lick your arm realistic yet they don't feel immature.

[leffleur]

L’Artisan Mure et Musc is one of the most well done fruity scent so know. I typically don’t care for them. Definitely more fun and carefree vibe.
More gourmand are MFK Baccarat Rouge extrait de parfum. For vanilla TF Tobacco Vanille (expensive hot cocoa), Arquiste Archetect’s Club (vanilla martini), Atelier Vanille Insensee (lightly woody Vanille/brûlée), and Goutal Vanille Exquise (dry cream soda).

[hellbentforleather]

You might enjoy MFK Grand Soir...it really is quite lovely to my nose...

[ThVH]

Basenotes at its best