Scentzilla!

For a while I’ve been mulling over the idea of compiling a list of fun fragrance choices for under $25. Then lost interest when it dawned on me what a huge list that might become. The theme of summer fragrances narrows that list down a bit. Doing a Top 10 for $10 narrows the focus even further, in addition to satisfying my OCD need for symmetry. So without further ado:

1. Novaya Zarya Carnation Eau de Cologne -  This inexpensive splash may be a rather reductive take on the iconic Soviet national flower, but if you can let go of the idea that a cologne named Carnation should smell of actual carnations you’ll be able to appreciate its charm. A clove and white floral note form a chord in the heart of the EdC, with a base of warm brown sugar vanilla acting as both a fixitive and a softening note for the first two.

2. Coty Exclamation - The smell of Exclamation in the air may fill you with the nostalgic horror of the 80s - and I can’t say I would blame you. Its ridiculous popularity resulted in the same fragrant cultural overdose that kids who grew up in the 90s experienced with CKOne.

It’s a perfectly nice scent, however, even if it may seem a bit passe. Powdery scents just don’t get the love they used to.

Especially the powdery-musky scents which folks like to decry as “old lady smell.” (And why exactly are folks complaining? My great-grandma, admittedly a great old lady, smelled of boiled meat and mentholated cough drops. One of my grandmas mostly smelled like vitamins and pee. Powdery would have been preferable. Proustian rembrances of unpleasant odors can mess with your head while thinking back of loved ones.) If you can concentrate solely on the here and now smell of Exclamation in 2008, it will smell more like a sweet and oddly demure coquette than some “old lady.”

3. Revlon Jean Nate - Speaking of “old lady smells…” Everyone everywhere in the US had at least one older female relative who went a little nuts with the Jean Nate. I suspect this is partially due to the diminishing return on our sense of smell as we age, and partially due to the fact that those who wore it received their Jean Nate in the form of gift sets at Christmas. If they didn’t use those bottles up by the next round of Christmas gift sets, it was a sign they weren’t wearing enough.

I like Jean Nate. The floral musky elegance of the after bath splash and the dusting powder when used judiciously smells clean and bright without reeking of detergent like so many of the so-called fresh and/or clean fragrances that populate the top selling lists at the moment.

4. Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers* - Technically, this is still considered a midrange department store fragrance. But it’s not hard to find the eau or ancillary products lurking on discount shop shelves, or smaller bottles mixed in with the rest of the other drugstore options.

Sunflowers was released in, like what, ‘92 or ‘93? I associate that time with the indulgent overuse of “celestial” designs, and a shitload of cheap Van Gogh posters depicting a.) sunflowers, or b.) Starry Night that accumulated in all my friends’ bedrooms. And all my friends wore Sunflowers. I’ve overcome my revulsion for celestial themes and learned to see Van Gogh with unjaded eyes again, so I suppose it was only a matter of time before I’d circle back to Sunflowers.

It’s a moss flecked, lily of the valley aldyhyde fragrance at first, which gives the top a lovely sweet-and-sour feel. The fruity-marine heart brings on the sensation of a cool breeze on a bright sunshiney summer day. In fact, it kind of is the perfect summer fragrance. The base smells of rosy sandalwood, and is light enough not to overwhelm everyone around you in the heat.

5. Gal Perfumia Red Currant balm - As you’d suspect, this lip balm smells (and tastes) sweet. Unlike the other Gal Perfumia balms which apply clear, Red Currant leaves a sheer tint of red on the lips. On sweaty, no point in wearing cosmetics summer days, its light perfume and soft color can be a welcome effect for those who have to leave the house wearing something at least.

6. Yardley English Rose - Aside from their soaps, Yardley is getting tricky to find here in the US. The brand used to be a bigger staple of drug and dime store toiletry shelves, so I guess that must be one of those unfortunate out with the old/in with the new things.

If you were to go by name, you’d be forced to conclude that the English Rose fragrance is a failure. It is not a rose, English or otherwise. But what it is is just fine! It’s GERANIUM, often used as a rose note or substitute rose note for, like, ages. Perfumers have long been attracted to its lovely smell, its easy availability, and its relative cheapness. If you too enjoy its minty rose character, then why pay a lot for a geranim perfume? The mint facet has a cooling effect; the rose facet has warming one. It’s a nice balance.

(PS. Does anyone make a geranium toothpaste? For some reason I think that’d be enjoyable.)

7. Pre de Provence Linden - PdP Linden soap is one of my absolute favorites. While its particularly cheering in the dead grey of winter, it makes for a blessedly airy fragrance when trying to shower in the hot humidity of triple digit summer temperatures. The eau de toilette is no less pleasing, to both the nose and wallet.

8. Agustin Reyes Royal Violets - Somewhat of a Cuban grooming staple, this baby cologne is perfect for adults, too. The fragrance is expectedly soft, which makes it ideal for the heat. I might even suggest to keep a bottle in your fridge during summer, much like you would with 4711 or Guerlain Vetiver. As with most violet fragrances, what you find is the perfumer’s candy recipe for violets rather than actual violets. Royal Violets comes across as sweet, powdery, and I’d say in the base it bears a delicate touch of spiced woodiness, too. It’d make a nice change up when you tire of the non-stop citrus parade of fragraces usually trotted out during summer. In some areas it can be found on drugstore shelves, but a quick Googling reveals a number of online store specializing in Cuban goods also carry it.

9. Coty Sand and Sable - An inexpensively made fragrance can smell rich, and Sand and Sable stands as a fine example of that. This is not to say it’s a thick pyramid of carefully revealed notes. Sand and Sable is a mostly linear fragrance. Which is not a criticism. Horizontal compositions are finding fans again in the niche world, and I don’t see why this mass-market classic can’t be rehabilitated back into fashion.

Sand and Sable smells like a tame photograph of a pin-up icon (Old school pin-up that is, as opposed to those most confusingly named Suicide Girls.) She’s got a big “gardenia” pinned in her hair, a nice sandy spot picked out on the beach, and her Coppertone sun lotion applied. The fragrance is pretty, if a little flirty, and despite its retro glamor poses no risk to the wearer of being accused of being a kitsch lover.

10. Jovan Pink Musk - Light musky peony. Yeah, that’s about the gist of it. You could look for more depth than that, I guess. You shouldn’t, but you could.

Peony? Good.

Light musk? Good.

Together? Also good.

It seems to have a little bit of sticking power to it, or at least compared to other drugstore florals. Unless it’s a completely triple digit day you should get two or three hours out it before needing to refresh. I’m not a great proponent of the merely pleasant or any fragrance with the word pink in it, but Pink Musk’s peony note is fairly accurate, and a hint of grassy green gives it just enough feistiness to escape that dreaded “I suppose its nice enough” designation.

For more lists, please visit Bois de Jasmin ::Now Smell This :: Perfume Posse :: Perfume-Smellin’ Things

*I was complimented by a teenager a while back for wearing the above-mentioned Sunflowers to a barbeque. Not for its loveliness, no, but for the “irony.” I don’t know what that means. Apparently one can wear a perfume “ironically.” This is news to me. Very troubling and baffling news. The hostess had decorated her living room with large sunflower-filled vases, which I guess scores a rating of “ironic.” See, now if I’d have worn Dior Poison to a meeting of the International Assassins Union, THAT would be… no, that would be merely complimentary. Maybe wearing Poison while manning the phones at a Poison Control Center? Feh. I think I have officially become one of The Olds. The Youngs and their new-fangled ideas frighten and confuse me. Expect me to explore this area soon in a post demanding a Matlock perfume, the first celebrity fragrance featuring a hot dog note… a note which will only make sense to Olds like me who actually watch Matlock.