As I was looking up some of these perfumes on the web, I got interested in how perfumes are classified. This is probably not that interesting to anyone else but I know, I’m a nerd. Some of the descriptions are hilarious, I’m thinking you have to specialize in “perfume description writing”. And then some places say “recommended use: romantic occasions”. How funny is that?

Last weekend, I spent four hours at the Stanford mall. It was heaven! I actually didn’t buy too much, mostly make-up and moisturizers and other girly things. But my best purchase was a new perfume. I don’t know what it is about perfumes, no one can see it but sometimes it can be more powerful than buying a new outfit or getting a haircut. It can definitely change how you feel.

I have been using the same perfume since high school. It’s Armani by Giorgio Armani. About 8 years ago, they stopped selling it in the U.S. Now, whenever I travel, I have to stock up on that. I like it still and it’s sort of like an ex-boyfriend that you keep going back too.

But sometimes I feel like I need a change and I then decide to try a new perfume. So I just purchased YSL Nu. And I’m loving it. Who knows, maybe Armani has met its match. These are the perfumes I have tried/used/stopped using/loved/grown tired of/bathed in/etc since the age of 15.

Allure by Chanel for Women 3

Chanel, Misc., $110.00

From Chanel, Allure is a tangy semi-Oriental blend built around six movements. The opening features an initial cologne-style freshness of citron–the mark of a truly elegant perfume.

The naming of Chanel No. 5 is legend, and Allure follows suit in an uncanny fashion. During Allure’s creative development, it seems that fated submission number 819 from the Chanel laboratory, proved to be the winning Allure formula. Later, upon reflection, it was realized that Mademoiselle Chanel’s birthday was August 19, or 8/19. Coincidence? She’d always been fascinated with numerology.

Allure is packaged in chic beige and black, Mademoiselle Chanel’s favorite combination. A versatile, multifaceted scent, for the woman with a certain indefinable something, a certain je ne sais quoi.

© Perfume Profile by Jan Moran, Fabulous Fragrances II

Armani Le Parfum (Classic) by Giorgio Armani for Women 3

Giorgio Armani, Health and Beauty,

Armani Original is the signature fragrance by Giorgio Armani first launched in 1982. A Rare Fragrance Collectible.

A cool fragrance of classic proportion, Armani is the original signature scent from Italian fashion design master, Giorgio Armani. The green chypre scent bowed in 1982 to popular and critical acclaim.

Armani shows shades of Italian chic with breezy spearmint and bergamot, topped with the green balsamic sweetness of galbanum, a tree resin. Jasmine and lily of the valley provide a segue into a mossy base. Undertones of woods and musk enhance the composition.

Armani proves a timeless fragrance, a well-conceived balance to ageless Armani fashions.

© Perfume Profile by Jan Moran, Fabulous Fragrances II

Caleche by Hermes for Women

Hermes, Misc.,

One in a million. A fragrance of vibrant light and magic. A classic blend of floral and woodsy scents. One of the younger classics with a more modern composition. Calèche carries an air chypre and cultured flowers which lends itself to sophistication and glamour. Introduced in 1961, Calèche by Hermès exudes elegance and classic floral essences from a French perfume.

Calèche is a classic floral aldehyde from Hermès, endowed with subtle French floral essences of rose and jasmine languishing on a bed of sweet woods and mosses. Hermès describes Calèche as “vibrant and luminous,” a clean fragrance developed for the woman of timeless charm and classic style.

Calèche is packaged with simple elegance in bottles of clear glass. It is presented in a vibrant spring yellow box, embellished with the proud gold-colored symbol of the House of Hermès, a stately horse-drawn carriage, or calèche, which was the most elegant of nineteenth-century carriages.

© Perfume Profile by Jan Moran, Fabulous Fragrances II

Casmir By Chopard For Women

Chopard 2005, Health and Beauty, $90.00

First of the gourmet floriental fragrances, Casmir, by the House of Chopard, was introduced to the international market in 1994, although it has been a hit in Europe since 1991. Created for Chopard by Michel Almairic, Casmir is a trend-setting fragrance inspired by the Indian tradition of the Lotus flower, considered a symbol of power, virtue and abundance. Opulent, rich and warm, this prize-winning fragrance imparts an asserted sensuality, which makes it perfect for special occasions. Casmir captures the charm and mystery of the Orient in a beautiful, exotic perfume. Opulent, rich, and warm, the fragrance imparts an asserted sensuality, which makes it perfect for special occasions.

From Parfums Chopard comes Casmir, a fruity Oriental fragrance with gourmet ingredients that sound like a feast on a tropical Asian isle. The initial impression of succulent fruits evolves into a floral treasure trove. The dominant base note is vanilla, while sandalwood and musk complete the Eastern influence. Soft and smooth as cashmere.

The reach of India envelops Casmir, from the exotic fragrance to the Taj Mahal-inspired bottle, tucked amidst packaging of wine red and black.

Casmir is an enchanting fragrance to pack for your next trek through Kashmir and Tibet…or simply close your eyes and let your daydreams whisk you away on the aroma of Casmir.

© Perfume Profile by Jan Moran, Fabulous Fragrances II

Calvin Klein Ck Be 6

Calvin Klein, Health and Beauty, $75.00

With his scent CK Be, American fashion designer Calvin Klein advises us to just be. Suitable for women or men, the Oriental scent is made up of fruits and spices, with a dominant strain of white musk threaded throughout the composition. Youthful, edgy, and sensual, CK Be is housed in a matte black flask with a silver inscription, suggesting strength and vitality.

© Perfume Profile by Jan Moran, Fabulous Fragrances II

Calvin Klein ck one

Misc.,

The blockbuster scent of Generation X, CK One is the gender-free brainchild of fashion designer Calvin Klein. The scent is a citrus blend with a green tea accord and an unusual heart of hedione high cis, an aromatic material likened to jasmine. A frosted flask with a silvery screw-on cap houses the pale yellow fragrance. The fragrance can be worn by women or men, so a couple need pack only one CK bottle in their weekend suitcase. CK One - a scent as perennial as blue jeans.

© Perfume Profile by Jan Moran, Fabulous Fragrances II

Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel for Women 0

Chanel, Misc.,

Coco Chanel was always a work in progress, forever innovative and inventive, fresh and provocative. Now the irrepressible spirit of Coco Chanel is captured in Coco Mademoiselle, a new feminine and sexy, young and exciting fragrance. The scent is more casual and relaxed, a modern, new interpretation of Coco, almost completely different from the original scent, but clearly inspired by it. It still has an oriental feeling, but enlivened with kicky, modern, unexpected notes. The classic citrus top notes are very subtle, retaining only the freshness, but a freshness that is abstract. The middle notes are defined by a jasmine-rose accord, light as a petal. As with Coco, the base notes are evocative of sensual femininity and opulent voluptuousness.

Coco Mademoiselle is a fresh Oriental blend from Chanel. The original Coco was created in honor of couturier Gabrielle Chanel. Colleagues called her “Mademoiselle,” but her dearest friends knew her as “Coco.” The scent of Coco Mademoiselle, while it shares some fragrance notes as the original Coco, is a sheerer formula, distinct and different.

Chanel’s house perfumer, Jacques Polge, blended bergamot and orange with a heart of rose and jasmine, and finished the creation with a base of woody vetiver and patchouli. Vanilla and white musk add subtle sensuality. Youthful and spirited, a radiant fragrance bursting with joie de vivre. Makes you want to visit Paris in the springtime. And why not?

© Perfume Profile by Jan Moran, Fabulous Fragrances II

Emporio She by Armani for Women 3

Giorgio Armani, Health and Beauty, $70.00

Launched by Giorgio Armani in 1998, it is classified as a refined, flowery fragrance. A sensual new fragrance from the master of understated luxury, the Emporio Armani scent is designed for the woman who is refined yet playful. This is a fresh, rich, provocative fragrance, incorporating vibrant bergamot, precious cedar, Eastern spices and vanilla. Emporio She bursts into the senses as a delicious harmony. It is fresh and eager, sexy and sensual, natural and feminine. A vibrant signature scent where flowers and spices melt together into a gentle, radiant fragrance.

Fashion designer Giorgio Armani offers Emporio Armani She, a classic, sophisticated floral Oriental. Entitled simply She and referred to as Elle in France, it goes native in several other languages as well.

European chic and sensuality is clearly evident, as the scent unfolds around a romantic heart of heliotrope, which is a sunny, fragrant white or purplish flower with hints of almond. The champagne-colored, soft-touch aluminum outer sleeve conceals the fragrance in an unbreakable, cleverly activated spray bottle. Emporio Armani She is portable, a cosmo-to-go. Understated Armani chic, designed to take you everywhere in spare, elegant style.
© Perfume Profile by Jan Moran, Fabulous Fragrances II

Il Bacio By Marcella Borghese 3

MARCELLA BORGHESE,

Il Bacio is an understated fruity floral mélange from Italian Princess Marcella di Borghese. Il Bacio, Italian for “the kiss,” is an airy, feminine composition, created as a token of love. Il Bacio features floral top notes, animated by a well-rounded basket of succulent Mediterranean fruits, such as melon, plum, and pear. Il Bacio is a pretty springtime or light winter fragrance, easy to wear for daytime.

Il Bacio is encased in fan-shaped bottles; a knotted red cap, suggesting the “unbreakable bond of eternal love” adorns them. Feminine and romantic–Venus would approve.

© Perfume Profile by Jan Moran, Fabulous Fragrances II