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Perfumes that ACTUALLY smell good
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items Here's my personal perfume recommendations by scent e.g. fruity or woody, for your wedding or if you're on a budget! Tell me what you think ;)
Sections
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Fruity perfumes
Woody, spicy & oud-y perfumes (unisex)
Under $100 list
Perfumes to wear on your wedding day
Floral & rose
Wildcard fragrances! For those who want somethin different
Fruity perfumes
A MUCH cheaper cherry alternative to Lost Cherry by Tom Ford.
Lovefest Burning Cherry - Kayali Fragrances
Still one of my fave fruity perfumes ever! This one stays on forever.
Georgio Armani- Si Pasione
My fave cherry! Smells like a decadent, syrupy cherry cocktail. It's everything you want from a cherry perfume and lasts forever. It's not cheap but definitely one to save for if you love cherry.
Cherry Pop
I LOVE this Pear fragrance! It's clean, fresh but so much pear! If you're after a fruity but not too sweet, this is it. Unfortunately, my skin didn't hold this scent well but I've smelt it on others and it was fantastic. Everyone's different!
Juliette Has a Gun Pear Inc. Eau De Parfum
Bright & sparkling- probably one of my favourite grapefruit fragrances. It's addictive. Warning though, it doesn't hang around long. You'll need to carry this with you and keep reapplying so if you can handle that, it's a keeper!
Pomelo Paradis by Atelier Cologne 100ml 2 Piece Gift Set
I was torn whether to put this in fruity or boozy/woody. Fruity won! This is one of my Top 10 of all time! It's not your usual fruity fragrance, it's a boozy, pineapple candied delight but R18. Very unisex. For me, it just gets better with time. Frui...
P Frapin & Cie- 1270
BANANA fragrance anyone? This is a really interesting and lovely perfume. Think banana, but creamy and with a bit of saltiness. If you want a fruity perfume but something different than everyone else, give this a sniff!
Bana Banana Eau de Parfum Fragrance Spray
Looking for the best Baccarat Rouge dupe? This is probably it. Syrupy, sweet, but has the saffron and jasmine that BR has. For a third of the price, this is an INCREDIBLE buy.
Club De Nuit Untold by Armaf 105ml EDP
My Summer 2023 fragrance! A strong, Italian citrus. I love, love pomelo and this has decent longevity
Gritti Fragrances – Pomelo Sorrento - Oligarch
Woody, spicy & oud-y perfumes (unisex)
If you like deeper, stronger perfumes that make you feel like you're in the middle of the Dubai desert, you likely lean towards woody, spicy perfumes. These are my personal faves, most which I own!
Probably my favourite scent they sell at Mecca! Exxy but if you have the cashola to spend, this is worth every cent. It's dark, moody and smells amazing on both men and women.
OUD Satin Mood EDP - Maison Francis Kurkdjian
My first ever niche perfume! And still one of my favourites 12yrs later
NASOMATTO BLACK AFGANO 30ML
My ex bought me this after our 1st date. I got rid of him but not this LOL. Warning it's not a stayer so keep applying but perfect for the handbag so you can re-apply
Marrakech Intense Eau de Parfum | Aesop New Zealand
BOOZY & SWEET: One of my most complimented fragrances. It's not cheap but for something super special, you can't go past this. Men love this too.
P.FRAPIN & CIE: 1270
WOODY & SPICY: One of the best boozy, woody fragrances around. It's over 10yrs old now but still slaps! I love the rum note in this.
LUBIN IDOLE EDP 100ML
This is one Serge Lutens most famous fragrances and it's for a reason! This is one of the OG woody, oud fragrances in niche perfume. The best part is, you can pick it up for a decent price. 100% unisex.
AmbreSultan- Serge Lutens
Black Afgano but even better! This reminds me of being in a dark, speakeasy cocktail bar in Melbourne at 1am. It's smoky, boozy, syrupy and strong! Amazing winter or evening fragrance for men and women. This is power in a bottle.
Orto Parisi-Terroni
You'll start to see a pattern here LOL... I have a deep love of unisex, dark, smoky, woody perfumes. This one literally stopped me in my tracks 10yrs ago. It says it's for men but there's no way I wasn't rocking this! It's giving billionaires of Duba...
Herod by Parfums De Marly 125ml EDP
DELINA dupe? Very close yes. This could've sit under fruity or floral to be honest but it has a lot of oomph to it so felt it better sat in the heavier category of woody/spicy etc. Currently my favourite winter fragrance of 2023. Better than half my ...
Club De Nuit Imperiale by Armaf 105ml EDP
One of my Top 10 of all time. Honey, hay and tobacco. It's over 20yrs old and still knocks most new releases out of the park. A certified Whitney ICON of niche perfumery.
Chergui Serge Lutens for women and men
Love the smell of ginger? Then you will LOVE this. Recently sniffed this in Sephora and fell in love with it.
Buy Goldfield & Banks Ingenious Ginger Perfume
Had a sample of this for a year and only just tried it. OH MY GOD! The staying power on this baby is incredible. A deep, spicy amber. My nose picked up the cardamon straight away. With hints of black tea and fig. This is a 9.5/10 for me
Gris Charnel (EDP) by BDK Parfums - Niche Fragrances
Under $100 list
All these I have personally owned or tried myself and are budget-friendly
SWEET: A really lovely sweet, vanilla musky scent. I love it for everyday wear. It is not a dupe for Baccarat Rouge 540, soz!
Ariana Grande Cloud Eau de Parfum 100ml Spray
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FRUITY & SWEET: A $25 fruity fiesta! It's not gonna last all day but at $25 you can keep on spraying
Katy Perry Killer Queen Eau De Parfum 100ml
WOODY: Smells so expensive! I LOVE this fragrance, and went through a bottle in 4 months. Costs around $60NZD and is woody and aromatic. Smells like there's a bit of patchouli in there too. July 2023 update; It's been discontinued! So if you can trac...
Buy Sarah Jessica Parker Stash Eau de Parfum 100ml ...
FRUITY & FLORAL: This is the OG Paris Hilton perfume and it is really, really good. I owned it when I was 23 and still love it. Smells so much better than people think.
Paris Hilton by Paris Hilton 100ml EDP
FLORAL & POWDERY: How many times have I told y'all on Tiktok to BUY THIS. Perfect budget wedding perfume. It's just so pretty and feminine. I love it.
Buy Rihanna Reb'l Fleur Eau De Parfum 100ml Online at Chemist Warehouse®
CLEAN & POWDERY: Honestly, a lil gem. Its feminine yet clean and almost creamy. A really beautiful perfume.
Narciso Rodriguez Poudree Eau De Parfum 90ml
OUD: A really beautiful beginner Oud, it's a rose oud but very much unisex. A strong, bold fragrance that doesn't break the bank! A very popular Arabic perfume
Shaghaf Oud Swiss Arabian for women and men
The chokehold this fruity, sweet gourmand perfume had on me in 2008 is second to none. Even 14yrs later, I still like it. A longlasting, powerful beauty that still shines on
Buy Dolce & Gabbana for Women The One Eau De Parfum 50ml Online at Chemist Warehouse®
One of my FAVE white florals and for $85NZD you can't go wrong. Supposedly a dupe of Christian Dior- Lucky
Lily Of The Valley | Obsede
Perfumes to wear on your wedding day
This my list of my favourite perfumes for wearing on your wedding day
FEMININE BRIDE: One of my favourites in my entire collection and one I'll buy over and over. It's the epitome of feminine. Think white flowers with a hint of spice. It's also powdery. It's beautiful and a great price point for such a beautiful perfum...
So Nude- Costume National
JASMINE BRIDE: If you love jasmine and honeysuckle but still looking for understated and elegant on your wedding day, then Olene is it! Another, timeless, white floral with hints of green. Perfect Spring bride perfume.
Olène Eau De Toilette - Diptyque
CLEAN GIRL BRIDE: The ultimate clean girl bride perfume that won't break the bank. Coming in around $110NZD this one is incredible for the pricepoint. You'll feel so beautiful wearing this
Narciso Rodriguez Poudree Eau De Parfum 90ml
FRESH & CLEAN BRIDE: If you don't like overpowering fragrances but want to smell like Springtime with flowers, blooming but keep it fresh and clean. This is it.
MAISON MARGIELA Replica Springtime In A Park EDT
BEACH BRIDE: Honestly, I LOVE this perfume. It smells like the beach, a lil salty, hint of coconut but not Tropicana coconut and vanillery without being too sweet. Perfect scent for the barefoot wedding on the beach.
Juliette Has a Gun Vanilla Vibes Eau de Parfum
ORANGE BLOSSOM BRIDE: One of the most beautiful orange blossom perfumes but is creamy at the same time. The juice itself is bright orange. My first try of Hermetica is this one, and I think it would make beautiful wedding fragrance
Megaflower- Hermetica
CLASSIC BRIDE: Marilyn Monroe's signature scent! This is a beast mode tuberose. If you love white florals and wanting a timeless scent. This may be it…
Robert Piguet- Fracas EDP 100ml
My fave scent from Jo Malone. This is feminine, delicate and enchanting. Smells like you're lying in a bed of daisies on a Spring day ha! Captures the essence of being a woman for me
Wild Bluebell Cologne - Jo Malone London
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Floral & rose
If you love smells like jasmine, gardenia, lilly of the valley, freesia and rose. This list is for you! Famous floral and/or rose fragrances you might know are Marc Jacobs Daisy,
Had this when I was 18 and I still love it. This is a perfect floral and rose fragrance for the youth! I think this is an ideal first fragrance for someone in their late teens/early 20s. It's sweet, playful with a vanilla base. LOVE this so much to t...
Forever And Ever Dior Eau de Toilette
Marilyn Monroe's signature scent! This is one of the most beautiful if not THE tuberose fragrance in the world. Made famous by Marilyn Monroe, 70 odd years later, this fragrance still SLAPS. It's beautifully feminine, making you feel like you're lyin...
Robert Piguet- Fracas EDP 100ml
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A really great white floral at an affordable price for a niche fragrance. Not the most complex but if you're looking at an affordable niche perfume and you like J'adore, Daisy, or Gucci-Flora, you'll probably like this
Kayali Dejà Vu White Flower | 57 Eau De Parfum
The most beautiful rose ever! It reminds me of pot pourri at my nana's but in the best way possible. It reminds me of my nan without being nana-ish. If you love classic rose, then this is the creme de la creme.
La Fille de Berlin-Serge Lutens
It definitely gives atomic with the level of rose in this! It's a sweet, fruity rose on STEROIDS. This is a super strong perfume, so you need to want to get stopped on the street to get this. It isn't cheap but if you love rose and want a showstopper...
Atomic Rose by Initio Parfums 90ml EDP
A line of niche perfumes from the iconic Sydney florist Grandiflora. This is a really unique take on a fruity floral. For me this is one to wear at night, going out out to dinner. If you want a floral that is a little different and more than pretty, ...
GRANDIFLORA QUEEN OF THE NIGHT 50ML
Bright, sweet and powerful! This is youth in a bottle and guess what, this is my nana's FAVE! It also reminds me a lil of coca cola! As y'all know, Costume National is one of my top picks for quality, and affordable for niche perfume.
Supergloss by Costume National 100ml EDP
I smelt this in NYC and have looked EVERYWHERE for it in NZ to no avail. So if you're lucky enough to be able to track this beauty down, then DO IT. It is a beautiful tropical floral but with the most stunning sandalwood and musky base. It is heaven!...
South Pacific Sandalwood Perfume Oil Nest for women
Beast mode white floral babe! This is gonna be on my shortlist for my wedding fragrance. A stellar example of slight citrus, white flowers with an amber base. STUNNING.
Stephane Humbert Lucas – Wish Come True
Wildcard fragrances! For those who want somethin different
This legit smells like you're drinking a matcha! I love the earthiness of the matcha note in this. As it's an EDT, it's not going to stay on all day but that's ok, just reapply during the day!
MAISON MARGIELA Replica Matcha Meditation
Wanna smell like a gingerbread man cookie? Then you need this. It smells like warm, ginger loaf or cookies straight outta the oven with a cup of tea. It's not for everyone, but some it's just your cup of tea
Five O'Clock Au Gingembre by Serge Lutens 100ml EDP
A 2023 Art & Olfaction finalist, this is for the tomato leaf lovers out there! An indie brand from Seattle created this perfume oil and it smells of herbs, wet dirt and freshly picked tomatoes off the vine
Garden Heaux Unisex Perfume | Tomato Leaf, Freshly Mown Grass, Wet Earth, Lisylang, Herbs
Clean & fresh
COMING SOON
This makes my mouth water every time I sniff it. Inspired by Grace Kelly, this is a fresh, elegant citrusy floral that just makes you feel good!
LUBIN GIN FIZZ EDT 100ML
Coming in under $100NZD, this is a clean, refreshing sun shower in a bottle. Tokyomilks aren't known for their longevity but it's the type of bottle you throw in your handbag. It's a really beautiful, crisp scent for the clean skin scent lovers out t...
TOKYO MILK LIGHT EDP - And Soul 47ml
Clean and salty. One of my fave salty, beach scents ever.
SYDNEY ROCK POOL Eau de Parfum
One of the OG clean and fresh fragrances. Still one of Jo Malone's best sellers and it's for a reason. Clean, understated but always gets people asking what you're wearing
Jo Malone London Wood Sage And Sea Salt Cologne