I don’t think I’ve had such a moment with perfume since I was in high school and first started wearing it! When I first started wearing perfume – I distinctly remember that I had ones from Jessica McClintok, Burberry and a beloved one from Anna Sui that I bought on the Champs-Élysées in Paris at one of the very first Sephora stores while on a trip to visit one of my closest friends who grew up in France.
My Favorite Light and Floral Fragrances
Given how much I am enjoying growing my perfume collection these days and how I’ve loved the return to the ritual of wearing a soft spritz every day, I wanted to round up all the favorites that adorn my vanity these days.
I think scent is such a powerful thing and I personally love using it to recall happy memories. One of my most treasured items is the last bottle of my Grandmother’s Chanel No. 5 perfume. If I’m ever missing her, I can smell her and recall all the happy memories with just one whiff.
Nowadays I use fragrance to remember happy memories, special occasions and self expression.
Byredo Sundazed
This is like if you bottled the perfect summer day. Sun, lemonade, a warm breeze. This citrus forward eau de parfum is truly like a midsummer’s daydream.
This fragrance opens with sunny top notes of mandarin and California lemon combined with neroli and Arabian jasmine at the heart. Cotton candy and musk inject this citrus scent with the endorphin rush of sugar on skin.
Chanel Paris-Biarritz
If I had a signature scent – this would be it but I don’t play favorites when it comes to perfumes! Except I do wear this the most- ha! It’s all vibes of crisp air and energy of the French Basque coast.
This fragrance is vibrant and delicately fruity. Sicilian mandarin highlights the sparkling radiance of a lily of the valley accord. It’s so light, so wearable and truly just so special.
Chanel Paris-Riveria
One of my newest perfume purchases, I picked up this perfume while in Paris at the Chanel Beauty store in the Marais. It embodies the carefree charm of the French Riviera, where Gabrielle Chanel built her villa, La Pausa.
This fragrance is sweet and tangy yet fresh and joyful. It’s a sunny, summery scent.
Phlur Missing Person
TikTok made me buy it! I had to set a notification for when this came back in stock because it keeps selling out and oh man – it is a gorgeous perfume. It’s a bit more moody than I usually go for but I am totally hooked. The first day I ever wore this I kept getting compliments on it!
Phlur says this is all about “if nude were a perfume” this would be it. It has a bit of white musk, floral nuances of jasmine and glowing orange blossom, and subtle notes of wood. It is sexy without being overtly overpowering.
Maison Margiela Lazy Sunday
I bought this fragrance in Paris at a favorite store to remind me of a trip that was really special to me. To me, from me, this scent is like a soft summer day if it were mixed with freshly washed sheets.
Lazy Sunday Morning Eau de Toilette aims to capture the feeling of silky skin, crumbled linens and the reassuring scent of clean laundry. Notes of pear, lily of the valley, iris and musk mingle to evoke a sense of ease and time that stands still.
I love that now it will always remind me of a time I listened to my heart.
Maison Margiela Beach Walk
After falling in love with Lazy Sunday, I tried a sample of Beach Walk and then ended up buying a tester so I could travel with it all summer. This is more floral-forward than I would wear for every day but I think it is a great date night fragrance.
This perfume was designed to evoke the memory of a summer day with rays of light, the heat of the sun and the taste of salt and sunscreen while you stroll along the ocean. It has notes of bergamot, ylang-ylang, heliotrope and musk.
Hermès Jour d’Hermès
I’ve been wearing this scent since I visited Bordeaux in May 2016 and stayed at a gorgeous property who had Hermès toiletries featuring the scent. This eau de parfum is luminous and sensuous with sweet peas and gardenia. It’s super feminine and very floral forward without being too strong.
Beauty Pie Orange Absolute Eau de Toilette
This smells like summer in France. It has everything I love in a perfume – part citrus, part woodsy and crafted by a famed nose from Paris. This scent features lemon and orange oils as top notes and then Jasmine and Musk and Wood has base notes.
Byredo Gypsy Water
I bought this perfume in Paris at the French brand’s Rue Saint Honore outpost after I smelled a friend wearing it and asked her about it one too many times. It is such a unique and memorable fragrance. It’s woody and yet floral thanks to its notes of bergamot, lemon, pepper and juniper berries.
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And if you’re up for trying something totally different than a more floral fragrance, I cannot recommend the Byredo Rein de Nuit fragrance enough. It is now my go-to evening fragrance. This perfume is so sexy. It features warm and spicy extrait de parfum that captures the scent of flowers after nightfall and it is so special. I bought it in Paris as well after using a tester for a few days and being unable to get it off my mind. I think it is such a unique perfume and so perfect for nights out on the town.
If you don’t already have a nighttime fragrance, I can’t recommend one enough. Find one you love and make it your signature scent for evenings!
I’d love to know – do you have a signature scent? Or several favorite perfumes? What are they? Leave in the Comments below!
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I need to try this one! I used to have an AERIN one I loved – need to revisit the brand!