Current Perfume Shelf

Full Size Bottles

I usually stick to travel size or sample size bottles, since I don’t think its physically possible use up a full size bottle of perfume, but there are a few that I have made exceptions for. Some are simply because the bottle is a work of art, or because I liked it that much. Some are because there wasn’t a travel size, and buying a travel size on a decanter’s website would be cost prohibitive. Here is my full size perfume collection (with travels mixed in):

A collection of perfume bottles on a white satin background

In this photo you see:

  • Nest- Indigo

  • The 7 Virtues- Vanilla Woods

  • Glossier- You

  • Yves Saint Laurent- Libre Intense

  • Billie Eilish- Eilish

  • Burberry- Her

Nest- Indigo

This is actually one of the first perfumes I really got attached to, and it used to be my signature scent. I had the rollerball in my car for all of my undergrad, haha. I finally got a full size bottle this year during a Sephora sale. It says that it is inspired by the smells of Moroccan tea, and I can see the influence. If you’re not familiar with perfume and how the scent changes, know that rollerballs actually smell pretty different from the spray. I can comment on this later, but I prefer the spray. The rollerball has always had a dark, rich, kind of sweet smell to it, but I had no idea it was inspired by tea this entire time. I never had that association. The spray, I can definitely get it. It smells minty, leafy, fresh, dark, sweet, I mean it really smells like how I’d imagine the color indigo to smell. There is a lot of cardamom and bergamot that comes through as well. It’s a wonderful perfume.

The 7 virtues- Vanilla Woods

This perfume is kind of having its moment right now, and for good reason. Not only is this a fully sustainable and cruelty free brand, their perfumes just smell good, and have staying power. Vanilla woods honestly makes me hungry when I spray it. Its sweet, round, vanilla smell, with a wonderful smell that lasts all day. It reminds me a bit of like, things that are “vanilla buttercream” scented, I guess? I am honestly surprised so many people like it honestly, because I could see how people wouldn’t like it. It also layers really well with Eilish. I like this fragrance so much, I bought their sampler set, which not only comes in a beautiful box, but also even has layering suggestions. The Blackberry Lily (ironically not in this photo) perfume is definitely on my list next.

Glossier- You

This perfume is mostly formulated with ambroxan, a white musk scent, that changes with body chemistry. I had to blind buy this perfume (back in my day, uphill both ways, etc.) but now they have Glossier in Sephora (an event I made a special trip to Sephora to see with my own eyes! Twice!) so you can actually go smell this in person! I love this perfume, I have the full size bottle, the solid perfume, the candle, and even the hand lotion. This last winter they came out with a travel size for their holiday sets, and while I resisted, I definitely wanted it to complete my collection. Glossier has a secret scent that they refuse to just make into a perfume- orange blossom neroli, which is the scent of their Body Hero oil wash and lotion. Once they come out with THAT perfume, I will be able to sleep at night.

Glossier you full size bottle and hand lotion on a pink background

YSL- Libre Intense

My friend Adrienne once described this perfume as having girlboss vibes. I can definitely see it. This is described as a warm floral, and the first time I smelled it, I was so intrigued. It has more of a subtle floral powder smell, and a warm cozy top note. I usually hate powder florals, but they mix it so well, the powder compliments the perfume like a cradling cloud. Besides the fact that it smells great, it also has a beautiful bottle with an incredible color. Highly recommend! Unfortunately, it seems like YSL is trying to pretend it doesn’t exist. It is the only scent in the Libre line that didn’t get the travel size treatment, so you’ll have to buy for full price (it’s worth it for the bottle though!)

Billie Eilish- Eilish

The first time I smelled this perfume, I was immediately disappointed. It’s advertised as a mysterious dark warm vanilla, but it totally smells like a sour candy perfume that you would get for a 16 year old. However, after letting it sit, it isn’t that bad haha. It smells really good, it has a lot of sour red berry and honestly more of a chocolate smell. I don’t get vanilla from this perfume at all, but it does layer really well with other vanilla perfumes in this list. I almost never wear this scent alone. Smell aside, this is another perfume with a striking bottle. Billie is so beautiful, and this is such a cool way for her to showcase herself on her own terms. I watch her Vogue interviews literally every year lol.

Burberry- Her

I mean come on, this perfume has exploded in the last two years. It also has girlboss vibes, but in a different way. The baby pink aesthetic is also right up my alley. This perfume has a prominent red berry scent but unfortunately I am one of those people that also gets the weird medicinal/hospitally smell from it too. I choose to ignore this fact about it and appreciate the other parts of it. Its such a fresh light scent, but still has a full sweet fruity undertone. I have also finally, after months of trying, gotten to take a sniff of the Her Elixir, and I honestly like it better. It plays even more on the richer fruity undertones, and lacks the medicinal overtone. Unfortunately, I am not sure when ill get to add it to my collection. Burberry prices are no joke.

Travel Sizes

Like I said before, I realized one day that I probably had more perfume that was humanely possible to use in a lifetime (okay maybe not that much but still). So I started buying smaller sizes when I could, unless I wanted the bottle as decoration. Below is my travel size collection. I actually have the travel sizes of Eilish and Her, but I wanted the bottle after using them for a while.

A collection of travel sized perfume bottles

The bottles you see are:

  • Killian- Angel’s Share

  • Versace- Dylan Blue EDP Pour Femme

  • Prada- Paradoxe

  • Phlur- Missing Person

  • Kayali- Vanilla 28

  • Ouia- Melrose Place

Killian- angel’s share

Killian’s most popular line of perfumes is based on different drinks, and the full sizes come in this beautiful cut glass bottle meant to resemble a glass of whiskey. The “Angel’s Share” is the whiskey that evaporates as the spirit ages (the Devil’s Cut is the amount left in the barrel that you can’t get out). The smell of this perfume truly is heavenly. It has a pleasant whiskey, vanilla, and toasted/spun sugar scent. It smells the way whiskey guys are always describing it (even though it all tastes like rubbing alcohol and no I am not sorry). The reason I have the travel size when I love it so much is that the full bottle is $230. lol.

Versace- Dylan Blue EDP Pour Femme

Honestly, since getting more into perfumes, I have come to actually not like this perfume as much, it honestly smells a little cheap! But it is very green apple forward and then wears down to honestly a pretty generic perfume smell. It smells good, but kinda basic. Especially for a brand that has an entire Lady Gaga Artpop era song about it. I have tried other Versace perfumes as well and they just smell… like perfume… I they have that perfumey alcoholy smell that just overwhelms it all. But it was one of my first favorite perfumes and I had a tiny sample bottle that I held onto for years and figured I would give it a tribute by buying a travel size.

Prada- Paradoxe

The first time I smelled this, I could not stop smelling it. It was such an interesting scent. It is described as a warm floral, similar to Libre Intense. This perfume claims that it has performed some sort of perfume alchemy where you can smell the musk notes at the top of the perfume instead of once its worn off like other perfumes. I don’t know how true it is, but this is certainly an interesting perfume. It can have an overwhelming smell at first, similar to Libre Intense, but I think it works.

Phlur- Missing Person

Many seem to think this perfume is making light of missing peoples. It does no such thing in any marketing I’ve seen, and more advertises this as a perfume that is meant to smell like when you are missing someone who isn’t there. It manages to smell like worn t-shirt. It can sometimes have a bit of a stinky smell, but it works. It is another perfume that is supposed to change with your body chemistry. It smells great.

Kayali- Vanilla 28

This perfume goes a bit deodoranty on me unfortunately, like, metallic musky sweet. However, until that point this is a beautiful, spicy, sweet vanilla scent. It smells like exactly like it looks like it would smell. It also pairs really well with Elish, since the sour candy balances out the smooth vanilla in this scent. I really like this perfume. I even went out and purchased the Kayali sampler, seen below. They brought this pack out with the intent of having you layer the perfumes. I honestly haven’t gotten super far into this sampler, but the ones I’ve tried have smelled great, even if they aren’t my thing. It is somewhat of a curse, because they last really well, Pink Pepper specifically lasts all day, but it’s so heavy on the Bulgarian rose, that I was sick of it by the end of the day haha

a white box with gold lettering and 8 perfume sample bottles

Ouia- Melrose Place

I have been to the real life Melrose Place in LA several times (that’s where the LA Glossier store is!) and I think this perfume does capture the energy of that place well. It’s a very laid back suburb of LA a few blocks down from Sunset Avenue. Think girls who wear sunglasses, white tank tops, and jeans. This perfume is also ambroxan heavy and changes with your chemistry. This one pulls very soapy and shampooey on me, which would make sense, Ouai (pronounced way) is a hair care company after all. It smells slightly sweet, but mostly like a fresh and clean t-shirt. I have not been lucky enough to test their other perfume, North Bondi, but I keep trying every time I go to Sephora.

Honorable Mention

Another brand or “house” that I love, is Thin Wild Mercury. Though her perfumes can be described as… grandma chic… I think they smell great. They are pricey though, so I have purchased their sampling set instead of the full set at travel sizes. I also cant decide which one I like the best either. Here are some quickfire reviews:

  • Zuma, 1975- Smells very planty, definitely a more subtle scent

  • Laurel Canyon, 1966- Smells like weed haha, but in a chic way

  • Whisky, 1969- Vanilla whiskey, kind of like Vanilla 28 but more masculine and without as much of the spice

  • Chateau, 1970- Floral, smells kind of like an old house

Rollerballs vs. Sprays

Rollerballs offer a more concentrated application of the fragrance, while sprays are a little more, well, airy? This is because the top notes are almost immediately lost in a spray application, esp if its almost basically dry by the time it hits your skin (I don’t know if this is really the scientific explanation, but it makes sense right?) Meanwhile, rollerballs go on wet, concentrated, and exactly at the pulse point (you should be applying perfume to the inside of your elbow, not your wrist!) allowing the scent to be more full. However, I prefer the smell of sprayed perfume. Like I said, I have the rollerball of Indigo, but I also have the rollerball of Burberry Her as well, and I prefer the spray version. I also don’t like rollerballs because they get pretty gross! If you’ve had a rollerball for long enough, you can see the dead skin and oils oxidizing on the applicator and getting pretty nasty. A spray wont do that, it wont pick up your dead skin and put it back in the bottle.

Application

Wrist or elbow?

As I just mentioned, the best way to apply perfume is to the inner of your elbows, not your wrists. Assuming you wash your hands in the bathroom, you’re just washing perfume off! The whole wrist thing comes from the idea that you should apply perfume to pulse points. If you’re anything like me, you have gigantic veins in your elbows, much bigger and warmer than the wrist. Not spraying it on my wrists also makes it tough to add the perfume to my neck the way they do in movies. I solve this problem by simply not adding perfume there. Sometimes, I will simply spray my chest if I really want the scent to last.

Spray Spray sashay away

This method comes from Jonathan Van Ness, of Queer Eye fame, who now has a hair care line. I don’t know what episode this came from, but he was showing one of the contestants how to apply cologne. He sprayed two sprays into the air and then walked through the mist. I do this application most of the time, since I find that the scent is not too overwhelming, though I also find it doesn’t last as long. maybe cologne is stronger? But I work in an office and try to be considerate to my coworkers (I also have several coworkers that REEK of their cheap perfume, always floral powder, ew, so I try to be an example of good perfume application).

Products Listed:

And of course, because I am a financial professional, the total is (using the prices that I paid): $727! Yeesh! I also used the prices for the size I actually have, so the ones that seem cheap are probably the travel size.

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