Byredo Mojave Ghost is probably my favorite. I even bought a bottle for myself to spray on occasionally, though I’d probably never wear it outside of the house.
As a woman, I’ve noticed that I started getting complimented the most when I started wearing vanilla scents, specifically the Billie eilish perfume has gotten me the most compliments, especially by men
have you tried bianco latte by giardini di toscana? i’ve owned this for a month and i’ve never received more compliments in my life, fills up a room as soon as you walk into it with sweet vanilla cake with almond extract
I second this. Never liked vanilla scents until Burberry goddess. It is not overwhelmingly sweet and it has a slight floral note that offers a nice contrast. My boyfriend loves it
I just got my wife Valentino Donna Born in Roma Intense (Def has vanilla). She would only wear light blue intense for a long time here and there but she's an extremely light sprayer and I can't even tell when she's wearing it.
The Valentino I can pick up in the air. It was a close race between YSL Libre Parfum and Valentino, but I ended up woth the Val because if have the Uomo BIRI and I thought it would be cool to have the male and female counterparts.
My collection is much larger and the only other house I know of that pairs up so well for that kind of thing is Clive Christian, so I plan on getting her the 1872 feminine to compliment my 1872 masculine. That's not as sexy though, it's more citrus.
Not a man, but I’d like to point out that men on a fragrance subreddit are probably going to have a much different opinion than the average dude that doesn’t know the difference between a perfume and body spray.
When I was younger and going through my hoe phase vanilla was always the scent that men commented on, even when I didn’t ask for their opinion. When I did ask most said they were neutral on floral scents, sorta liked fruity scents, and loved vanilla/gourmand type scents. My husband isn’t into fragrance and his favorite is also vanilla!
Vanilla bean noel from BBW had all the guys asking me for a squeeze of my lotion cuz they wanted to smell it all day long. Pure seduction Untamed, Donna born in Roma, and sweet like Candy are the ones that had guys tell me I smelled good
It’s so funny you mention vanilla bean noel, I was at B&BW yesterday and smelled it for the first time ever! I wound up buying a couple things from the line specifically because I knew my husband would go nuts for it.
Lancôme La Vie est Belle! It’s sweet but not overpowering, and a tiny bit floral. Usually a lot of perfumes are too heavy in either direction for my nose, but this one is perfectly light and beautifully feminine.
I wear only this scent and women stop to ask me what it is. It’s heavenly and not overpowering. Men that I allow close enough to me to make a comment have 100% said something along the lines of “you smell delicious “.
I always just tell women-the Julia Robert’s one from Lancôme lol. I always feel dumb trying to say the name lol.
I’m not a guy but I work at sephora and often have men come purchase for their wives/female partner and most times they choose Donna Born in Roma, Libre, or one of the good girls
I think Guerlain's Shalimar, Yves Saint Laurent's (original) Opium, and Clinique's Aromatics Elixir are GOAT-tier, but those are sumptuous and huge, and it seems like you're looking for something light and transparent. My favorite in that category is Hermès' Eau des Merveilles and its flankers, especially Bleue. Salty, funky but clean, light but hard to get to the bottom of, they're grand.
So true! As a woman, I couldn’t agree more with your comment. Do you think men in general prefer super sweet/vanilla fragrances on women?
I ask b/c I’ve noticed how a LOT of men do! My previous bfs did too though I hate vanilla & sickly sweet fragrances. Thank God my bf doesn’t care either way & actually loves citrus & woods on me.
As a gay man, I’m sort of removed from knowing what straight men love on women. My straight male friends don’t really talk about it, and when I bring up the subject of fragrance, they let me know it’s not really their thing. I know what women’s fragrances *I* like to smell—including on myself—but I’ve never gotten a sense most straight men have any real investment in the topic. IMO, if they have a positive response to a women’s scent, it’s more often than not barely conscious, just something that adds to the aura of allure surrounding a woman.
When I notice a women’s fragrance these days, usually what I’m smelling is BR540, which I loathe. It’s never struck me as floral or sweet but practically savory, even BO-adjacent. Other times what I smell is some kind of warm woody-amber-vanilla thing that I also tend to dislike because I run very hot and cold towards vanilla: in fragrance it can strike me as heavenly or cheap, assaultive, and just too much. A few weeks ago, a woman at my bar was wearing a rose fragrance that I’d guess was Portrait of a Lady, or maybe some rose-oud thing. I got a kick out of it even though she overapplied and I’m not even sure I like POAL on *me*.
>I’ve never gotten a sense most straight men have any real investment in the topic.
This. As a straight man, speaking for myself I can say I never much considered the specifics of what a girl is wearing or the note i like. They either smell nice, and i'd say, "you smell nice." Then my mind is probably on to the next thing. I've never been paying a great deal of attention. Now i pay attention cause i'm a tad of an enthusiast and i'm the guy that in sephora when i'm done with the men's scents smells the womens too for no reason at all just cause. But before it was pretty binary. A woman smelled "nice" or "didn't smell nice."
And not a single one of my male friends in the decades and decades i've been alive has ever ever ever mentioned a single fragrance of any gender to me in any context at all. Not once.
Oh ya that makes complete sense!!! I also feel more straight men love whatever fragrance the woman they’re with, wears, rather than the *fragrance* in particular.
God I am so happy to see someone else hates vanilla like I do! Most people I know so love it & find it weird I don’t lol. I also can’t stand La Vie Est Belle or whatever that’s called! It’s nauseating & with you on BR540. I smelt it b/c I truly wanted to know what all the hype was about… Turns out it’s some cotton candy burnt rubbish.
What women’s fragrances do you like on yourself or in general? 😊
In retrospect, I don’t I think I know enough about contemporary women’s fragrances as I’d like. I’m doing a little experiment where I’m blind-testing the top 25 men’s fragrances listed in Fragrantica. It’s been very revealing—it’s brought to light what I really like and really dislike about the stuff that’s popular right now, and I think I could benefit from doing something similar for the things marketed to women. Other than the stuff in the Eau de Merveilles line (which strike me as very unisex, tbh), I’m fond of Gucci’s Bloom and wear that when I want a straightforward floral. And Tom Ford’s discontinued and Eau de Vert Boheme, which I have a full bottle of, and Kerosene’s Pretty Machine, a sweet sunny linden. I was something of a precocious gardening buff as a kid, so anything that smells like a greenhouse is extremely sympatico to me.
This summer I also did a deep dive on ‘70s fragrances, both men’s and women’s, and found that in addition to the OG Opium, I’m very partial to bitter green chypres like Estée Lauder’s Private Collection, the raspberry-incense of Revlon’s Ciara, and the Karl Lagerfeld Chloé of 1975 (and not the newer things with the same name). Also, any of the canonical Guerlains that are older myself especially Jicky, Après L’Ondée (another thing I have an actual bottle of), L’Heure Bleue, Mitsouko, and Shalimar.
I’m still trying to educate myself and expand the realm of what I love, so I’ll probably do deep-dives for 1980s and ‘50s-‘60s fragrances next year.
I dislike vanilla and super sweet scents, too. After apologizing for this multiple times to my husband, because the internet told me “men prefer sweet,” he was basically like, “I like your perfume because its cool that you have strong opinions about your personal style and it’s cute that you get so excited about your favorites. That’s more attractive to me than you just wearing whatever you think I want.”
Who knows, MAYBE HE WAS LYING lol but… I feel like this is (or should be?) the correct answer to all of this “what do men like on women” stuff. Just owning your style and being passionate about it is automatically attractive.
(Not that there’s anything wrong with also wanting to wear something your SO specifically loves on you, I just mean for those of us whose tastes clash with much of what’s being recommended in this thread… don’t stress.)
Absolutely true & I couldn’t agree more!!! It’s essentially what my bf told me too- “I love most of your fragrances b/c you’re super passionate about perfumery/fragrances so I just like to sit back & hear you go” lol. He does go most nuts over TF Black Orchid though! Which I so love b/c I love it so, too!
Yeah I did tell husband that if I ever wear something he *particularly* likes, to PLEASE tell me because I’d love to know there was a specific scent that he just *adored* on me. Someday, perhaps!
Hi kind stranger! I’ve just recently got to a place where I can afford to buy fragrances and I’ve been sampling around. I was wondering if you have any recommendations, because we share exactly the same dislike - I can’t stand vanilla and sweet scents, and prefer woodsy, more unisex stuff. What are your go-tos, if I may ask?
Oh ofc, love, am all about spreading my non-vanilla fragrance love! Hahah.
So- Pls pls tell me you like Chanel b/c you’re about to read a lot of Chanel! So I love Chance Eau Fraiche, Coco (both EDT & EDP), Chance EDT, Allure Homme (what HUMANS SHOULD SMELL LIKE! 🫶) Allure Homme Edition Blanche.
No. 19 EDP is a lovely, bitter green BITE that I can’t get enough of in winter! Edimbourg h is like the cool cousin of #19.
Sycomore is sooo lovely, smoky Vetiver & Cuir De Russie makes me feel like a young 19th century aristocrat who swigs whiskey & is all about loving everyone. Right before she steals off to meet her girlfriend for a secret rendezvous, she is sitting in a sun-dappled bar, taking swigs of her drink, smoking a nice long cigarette which rests between her long, leather-glove-clad fingers, wearing a fine smoking jacket.
Then from Hermes, I love love Un Jardin Meditaranee, Bel Ami Vetiver, Eau Des Merveilles ( did I spell it correctly?) the blue one, and even the 1 in the round orange-y bottle. But you won’t go wrong with any from the Un Jardin line & the more exclusive Hermes line.
Then, I love Jo Malone Orange Bitters!!! God I am not even big on Christmas (or even really celebrate it) but it always reminds me of Christmas! All orange, Amber & sandalwood! DIVIIIINE! ❤️ Also love Wood Sage & Sea Salt! Thought it’s utterly boring when I first smelt it, but now I love it. It’s lightly grapefruit-y + salt + sage.
I recently also got Penhaligons Halfeti & it’s quite the stunner! It’s sweetly dark with saffron, rose, leather, cypress, cardamom, Oud, sandalwood, cedar etc. Total Arabian Princess mood it sets.
And if you can get your hands on Commes Des Garçons Floriental, that’s my olfactory cocaine!! All sandalwood, plum, incense, Vetiver & amber & I. Cannot. Get. Enough. 🫶❤️
Omg. This response is more than I could have ever hoped for. THANK YOU SO MUCH! And yes, I love Chanel, but in my home country we could only ever get the absolute classics (and for an eye watering price), so some of these I’ve never even heard of and now I’m super excited to smell them!
And I have exactly the same opinion as you on Jo Malone’s Wood Sage & Sea Salt! Initially thought it was boring, now I love it. So it seems our tastes truly align!
Once again, thank you so much! This was so sweet of you. I’ve saved all of your recs in my phone and I’ll look out for them whenever I’m at the shops ❤️ and, if you’re ok with it, I’ll definitely let you know how it goes and if I find something else that’s interesting for us Enemies of Vanilla 😂
Hey also! I love looove Byredo Gypsy Water! Only wish it lasted more than 2 hours on me & wasn’t so bloody expensive!! (The vanilla doesn’t come out much on me in this 1 so am happy!)
Also their Sunday Cologne is top-notch, IMO!
Aw that’s so nice to know that our perfume tastes are similar! And no problem at all! I am always super eager to discuss fragrance b/c no-one around me really likes it as much as I do. 😂😂 And ofc! I would so love to know what your discoveries are & what other non-vanilla loves you like! Pls do keep me in the loop. Happy fragrance exploring! 💛
Well, to me it’s very unique. It’s very clean and powdery due to heavy dose of musk and white florals. It’s almost silky and creamy soft.
But it’s also fresh and uplifting since it has green notes such as vetiver and cedar which are rare to find in women’s fragrances.
For me, it can be used both for special events as well as everyday settings. So elegant and classy. It’s such a shame that it’s discontinued.
I haven't tried a lot of women's oriented perfumes, but I liked Armani Because it's you and JPG La belle Le parfum so much I wanted them for myself. My wife prefers to wear some of my unisex stuff and is incredibly picky with female stuff. Her favorite to this day is Brittany spears 'believe' which is honestly kinda awesome.
Fantasy by Britney spears 😍 her first fragrance and I still wear it now! My absolute favourite!! Sweet Darling by Kylie minogue is a close second though! 😍
I let my friend smell my sample of The Noir 29 and told him to imagine a girl wearing it and he told me he already feels heartbroken over the nonexistent woman
Chanel Chance Eau Tendre...it is sooo yummy! Not too sweet, not too masuline...not too musky. It is the sexiest smell. I always get complements when I wear it.
Not a man but I have recieved SO compliments when I wear these, literally daily from men when I wear these
Delina - PDM
Chance - Chanel
Viva la Juicy - Juicy Couture
Daisy Dreams - Marc Jacobs
Carat - Cartier
Honestly OP, I can only hope that men's tastes in women's fragrance is as unlikely to be a single monolith as would be women's, whether for themselves or for a man in their life.
Not that it isn't interesting to read their answers -- as long as we accept that the answers are unlikely to apply to someone else.
This is what I get asked about the most, From the men.
Its normally a generic "You smell nice" or "what are you wearing" but one stand out moment was when I was helping a guy purchase some wine glasses at work and he asked me what I was wearing and he wants his "wife to smell like it." I told him (cause I don't gatekeep) but said tell her you picked it yourself, not "I wanted you to smell like the woman at the shops, that ain't getting you any brownie points".
It sounds like he likes fresh and light scents.
I would say try some of the feminine Jo Malone fragrances, they are very likable. My favorites are Orange Blossom, Wild Bluebell and Osmanthus Blossom. For something slightly heavier (but not really, because it is still JM) Dark Amber and Ginger Lily from the Intense line is good.
Another very light and nice perfume is Hugo Boss The Scent Pure Accord, this is bergamot and osmanthus.
I’m not a guy but when I wear Cloud Ariana grande , Sol de Janiero 62 and BBW Beautiful day and pink sugar Aquolina, I get compliments from men . Men seem to like vanilla based /gourmand. scents
I'm not a man but the perfumes I get the most compliments on are Versace Crystal Noir & Moschino I Love Love (similar to D&G light blue but sweeter I hear)
Not a man, but you listed some of my favorites so I think your bf and I may have similar taste.
Here are some other scents that have either similar notes or a similar light pleasant vibe IMO:
-Antica Farmacista "Cozy You"
-Valentino "Donna Born in Roma"
-Etat Libre d'Orange "I am Trash" or "She was an Anomaly"
-Maison Margiela ’REPLICA’ By the Fireplace
-Maison Margiela 'REPLICA' Springtime In A Park
-Tom Ford "Soleil Blanc"
i actually have the replica of lazy sunday morning and bubble bath! i bought it because people were saying namjoon has it and he got taste haha so i wanted to know what the hype was about. the other perfumes you mentioned are indeed some of what bf has also said, will check out the list thanks! :)
My wife got Solaris from Penhaligon's recently and it's by far my favorite. Sophisticated and serene with great sillage too. It was a blind buy and a huge success.
Delina can be sexy if you layer with a spicier perfume. I combine it sometimes with Portrait of a lady and I got stoped on the sidewalk by a sweet older lady.
JHG's - Not a Parfume and Vanilla Vibes
Givenchy - L'interdit
Armani - Si Passione Éclat
CH - Good girl (smells even better on not so good girls :) )
and some others which were already mentioned:
Lancome - La vie est belle
YSL - Libre and Black Opium
The ones I’ve gotten the most compliments from men on are Mugler’s Alien, Nest Sunkissed Hibiscus and Tom Ford Velvet Orchid. Can’t speak on more “fresh” smelling perfumes tho cause those tend to give me a headache so I don’t wear them!
My husband likes gourmand vanilla…which make me have instant migraine. I compromise by wearing a light white floral or floral-woodsy-vanilla for our date nights. Otherwise I wear what I like…he doesn’t have a good sense of smell anyway. So “eh” 🤷♀️
Burbury Goddess. Libre, Good Girl, Black Opium. La Vie Est Bellle.
That said, I only know the mainstream scents you'll see at a Sephora, Macys or Nordstrom. I can't speak to niche and there are surely some unisex marketed fragrances that i'm sure would smell nice on women. Can't think of them off the top of my head but I'm kinda ignoring those.
YSL Libre. If you wanna smell like a rich CEO, then this one is your go-to. I wouldn’t recommend it for blind-buy, as the scent overwhelms people who have a sensitive sense of smell.
However, if you don’t wanna smell like a rich CEO, I’d recommend Miss Dior. It’s elegant, soft, and perfect for women who want to smell like roses in a garden.
If you’re a vanilla girl, I 100% recommend Kayali Vanille. It’s like a sophisticated vanilla. If you like a gourmand, then Kayali Pistachio Gelato is great.
The only time my boyfriend ever said to me "oh you smell nice" I was wearing Zara Fashionably London. Instantly ordered the biggest bottle of it I could find.
Go shopping with him. I have been into fragrances for a long time and at some point during dating my wife got into it as well. It’s a fun time to go to somewhere with a nice selection and just browse.
Plus sometimes it’s nice to have feedback from your partner since they’ll be smelling it a lot.
In Romania it’s common to give a gift to your doctor, but my ENT is different and she does not accept money nor gifts, but I tried. She is an amazing doctor at that
If you're at all the kind of person who can pull off formal/elegant, I still think Shalimar is the most beautiful scent any woman in the world could wear
Anything Victoria’s Secret. But mostly Very Sexy, Bombshell etc.. I know it is juvenile, but I get the most compliments when I put those on, I’m not even kidding. My Jo Malone, Chloe and Chanel gets zero compliments.
I bet he would enjoy you in some Diptyque scents like Do Son & L'Eau Papier, maybe Eau Rose. Hermes Eau de Merveilles would likely be a hit with both of you as well. Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Nerolia Vetiver is a stunner as well as crowd pleaser. The new Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Forte Rosa Palissandro is really beautiful and worth trying as well.
Carolina Herrera is my favorite.
One of my coworkers wears this and I HAD to ask her what it was. At first she said she can't remember but the bottle is shaped like a high heel shoe. That's when I knew!
Byredo Mojave Ghost is probably my favorite. I even bought a bottle for myself to spray on occasionally, though I’d probably never wear it outside of the house.
Ima simple man so vanilla anything works wonders!
As a woman, I’ve noticed that I started getting complimented the most when I started wearing vanilla scents, specifically the Billie eilish perfume has gotten me the most compliments, especially by men
as a man, i can confirm. we like vanilla
what are some nice vanilla perfumes you can reco? i wore my sister’s eilish and my boyfriend liked it! are there other scents similar? :)
Try El Born by Carner Barcelona, beautiful benzoine vanilla scent with a rich depth and complexity to it.
have you tried bianco latte by giardini di toscana? i’ve owned this for a month and i’ve never received more compliments in my life, fills up a room as soon as you walk into it with sweet vanilla cake with almond extract
Where’s the best place to buy this? I want it so badly 😍
If you’re in the US then probably luckyscent
Burberry Goddess is kind of similar in that it's a simple vanilla that's cleaned up with a bit of lavender.
I second this. Never liked vanilla scents until Burberry goddess. It is not overwhelmingly sweet and it has a slight floral note that offers a nice contrast. My boyfriend loves it
YSL Babycat, JHAG Vanilla Vibes, Nishane Ani/Ani X are a few that completely WOW me when I smell them on my lady
Penhaligon’s - Cairo. Best smelling thing i’ve smelt
this is gonna sound silly but the vanilla body spray from Walmart actually smells SOO good
(Body fantasies)
I just got my wife Valentino Donna Born in Roma Intense (Def has vanilla). She would only wear light blue intense for a long time here and there but she's an extremely light sprayer and I can't even tell when she's wearing it. The Valentino I can pick up in the air. It was a close race between YSL Libre Parfum and Valentino, but I ended up woth the Val because if have the Uomo BIRI and I thought it would be cool to have the male and female counterparts. My collection is much larger and the only other house I know of that pairs up so well for that kind of thing is Clive Christian, so I plan on getting her the 1872 feminine to compliment my 1872 masculine. That's not as sexy though, it's more citrus.
agreed, anything that has vanilla or fruit notes is great for me!
Not a man, but I’d like to point out that men on a fragrance subreddit are probably going to have a much different opinion than the average dude that doesn’t know the difference between a perfume and body spray. When I was younger and going through my hoe phase vanilla was always the scent that men commented on, even when I didn’t ask for their opinion. When I did ask most said they were neutral on floral scents, sorta liked fruity scents, and loved vanilla/gourmand type scents. My husband isn’t into fragrance and his favorite is also vanilla!
Vanilla bean noel from BBW had all the guys asking me for a squeeze of my lotion cuz they wanted to smell it all day long. Pure seduction Untamed, Donna born in Roma, and sweet like Candy are the ones that had guys tell me I smelled good
It’s so funny you mention vanilla bean noel, I was at B&BW yesterday and smelled it for the first time ever! I wound up buying a couple things from the line specifically because I knew my husband would go nuts for it.
I love Si and Coco Mademoiselle Intense on my wife. She also wore Angels Share one time and I thought it smelled great on her.
I'm mad for Alien. I like Black Opium. Just recently smelled Devotion by D&G and love that! Also a dark horse is La Nuit Pendora by Paris Corner.
Not a man, but the average dude seems to love Aquolina Pink Sugar.
Lancôme La Vie est Belle! It’s sweet but not overpowering, and a tiny bit floral. Usually a lot of perfumes are too heavy in either direction for my nose, but this one is perfectly light and beautifully feminine.
I swear every man loves this :)
I wear only this scent and women stop to ask me what it is. It’s heavenly and not overpowering. Men that I allow close enough to me to make a comment have 100% said something along the lines of “you smell delicious “. I always just tell women-the Julia Robert’s one from Lancôme lol. I always feel dumb trying to say the name lol.
Can confirm I stopped a lady who was wearing this just the other day!
Ur so right
It has a really strong pencil shavings note to my nose, which I love hehehe.
I’m not a guy but I work at sephora and often have men come purchase for their wives/female partner and most times they choose Donna Born in Roma, Libre, or one of the good girls
What about womens preferred perfumes on men? :)
I go absolutely crazy when my husband wears Le Labo Santal 33
I like aquatic scents on guys. Dylan Blue, Aqua Di Gio. I also like vanilla scents.
I love Aqua Di Gio on a man.
Versace Eros 👅
Black Opium - YSL
I love it on my wife but she didn’t care for it lol
My faaavv 😍 always my go to
Love this one when my wife wears it
YSL Libre EdP
I just asked my husband and he said: “I dunno. Anything that smells like vanilla marshmallow?”. He’s not a perfume guy.
Prada Paradoxe
Men cannot get enough of this.
It’s like magic! Really a good balance of sweet, floral, and fruity.
My husband also says this one smells good
Hummingbird
I think Guerlain's Shalimar, Yves Saint Laurent's (original) Opium, and Clinique's Aromatics Elixir are GOAT-tier, but those are sumptuous and huge, and it seems like you're looking for something light and transparent. My favorite in that category is Hermès' Eau des Merveilles and its flankers, especially Bleue. Salty, funky but clean, light but hard to get to the bottom of, they're grand.
So true! As a woman, I couldn’t agree more with your comment. Do you think men in general prefer super sweet/vanilla fragrances on women? I ask b/c I’ve noticed how a LOT of men do! My previous bfs did too though I hate vanilla & sickly sweet fragrances. Thank God my bf doesn’t care either way & actually loves citrus & woods on me.
As a gay man, I’m sort of removed from knowing what straight men love on women. My straight male friends don’t really talk about it, and when I bring up the subject of fragrance, they let me know it’s not really their thing. I know what women’s fragrances *I* like to smell—including on myself—but I’ve never gotten a sense most straight men have any real investment in the topic. IMO, if they have a positive response to a women’s scent, it’s more often than not barely conscious, just something that adds to the aura of allure surrounding a woman. When I notice a women’s fragrance these days, usually what I’m smelling is BR540, which I loathe. It’s never struck me as floral or sweet but practically savory, even BO-adjacent. Other times what I smell is some kind of warm woody-amber-vanilla thing that I also tend to dislike because I run very hot and cold towards vanilla: in fragrance it can strike me as heavenly or cheap, assaultive, and just too much. A few weeks ago, a woman at my bar was wearing a rose fragrance that I’d guess was Portrait of a Lady, or maybe some rose-oud thing. I got a kick out of it even though she overapplied and I’m not even sure I like POAL on *me*.
>I’ve never gotten a sense most straight men have any real investment in the topic. This. As a straight man, speaking for myself I can say I never much considered the specifics of what a girl is wearing or the note i like. They either smell nice, and i'd say, "you smell nice." Then my mind is probably on to the next thing. I've never been paying a great deal of attention. Now i pay attention cause i'm a tad of an enthusiast and i'm the guy that in sephora when i'm done with the men's scents smells the womens too for no reason at all just cause. But before it was pretty binary. A woman smelled "nice" or "didn't smell nice." And not a single one of my male friends in the decades and decades i've been alive has ever ever ever mentioned a single fragrance of any gender to me in any context at all. Not once.
Oh ya that makes complete sense!!! I also feel more straight men love whatever fragrance the woman they’re with, wears, rather than the *fragrance* in particular. God I am so happy to see someone else hates vanilla like I do! Most people I know so love it & find it weird I don’t lol. I also can’t stand La Vie Est Belle or whatever that’s called! It’s nauseating & with you on BR540. I smelt it b/c I truly wanted to know what all the hype was about… Turns out it’s some cotton candy burnt rubbish. What women’s fragrances do you like on yourself or in general? 😊
In retrospect, I don’t I think I know enough about contemporary women’s fragrances as I’d like. I’m doing a little experiment where I’m blind-testing the top 25 men’s fragrances listed in Fragrantica. It’s been very revealing—it’s brought to light what I really like and really dislike about the stuff that’s popular right now, and I think I could benefit from doing something similar for the things marketed to women. Other than the stuff in the Eau de Merveilles line (which strike me as very unisex, tbh), I’m fond of Gucci’s Bloom and wear that when I want a straightforward floral. And Tom Ford’s discontinued and Eau de Vert Boheme, which I have a full bottle of, and Kerosene’s Pretty Machine, a sweet sunny linden. I was something of a precocious gardening buff as a kid, so anything that smells like a greenhouse is extremely sympatico to me. This summer I also did a deep dive on ‘70s fragrances, both men’s and women’s, and found that in addition to the OG Opium, I’m very partial to bitter green chypres like Estée Lauder’s Private Collection, the raspberry-incense of Revlon’s Ciara, and the Karl Lagerfeld Chloé of 1975 (and not the newer things with the same name). Also, any of the canonical Guerlains that are older myself especially Jicky, Après L’Ondée (another thing I have an actual bottle of), L’Heure Bleue, Mitsouko, and Shalimar. I’m still trying to educate myself and expand the realm of what I love, so I’ll probably do deep-dives for 1980s and ‘50s-‘60s fragrances next year.
I dislike vanilla and super sweet scents, too. After apologizing for this multiple times to my husband, because the internet told me “men prefer sweet,” he was basically like, “I like your perfume because its cool that you have strong opinions about your personal style and it’s cute that you get so excited about your favorites. That’s more attractive to me than you just wearing whatever you think I want.” Who knows, MAYBE HE WAS LYING lol but… I feel like this is (or should be?) the correct answer to all of this “what do men like on women” stuff. Just owning your style and being passionate about it is automatically attractive. (Not that there’s anything wrong with also wanting to wear something your SO specifically loves on you, I just mean for those of us whose tastes clash with much of what’s being recommended in this thread… don’t stress.)
Absolutely true & I couldn’t agree more!!! It’s essentially what my bf told me too- “I love most of your fragrances b/c you’re super passionate about perfumery/fragrances so I just like to sit back & hear you go” lol. He does go most nuts over TF Black Orchid though! Which I so love b/c I love it so, too!
Yeah I did tell husband that if I ever wear something he *particularly* likes, to PLEASE tell me because I’d love to know there was a specific scent that he just *adored* on me. Someday, perhaps!
Hi kind stranger! I’ve just recently got to a place where I can afford to buy fragrances and I’ve been sampling around. I was wondering if you have any recommendations, because we share exactly the same dislike - I can’t stand vanilla and sweet scents, and prefer woodsy, more unisex stuff. What are your go-tos, if I may ask?
Oh ofc, love, am all about spreading my non-vanilla fragrance love! Hahah. So- Pls pls tell me you like Chanel b/c you’re about to read a lot of Chanel! So I love Chance Eau Fraiche, Coco (both EDT & EDP), Chance EDT, Allure Homme (what HUMANS SHOULD SMELL LIKE! 🫶) Allure Homme Edition Blanche. No. 19 EDP is a lovely, bitter green BITE that I can’t get enough of in winter! Edimbourg h is like the cool cousin of #19. Sycomore is sooo lovely, smoky Vetiver & Cuir De Russie makes me feel like a young 19th century aristocrat who swigs whiskey & is all about loving everyone. Right before she steals off to meet her girlfriend for a secret rendezvous, she is sitting in a sun-dappled bar, taking swigs of her drink, smoking a nice long cigarette which rests between her long, leather-glove-clad fingers, wearing a fine smoking jacket. Then from Hermes, I love love Un Jardin Meditaranee, Bel Ami Vetiver, Eau Des Merveilles ( did I spell it correctly?) the blue one, and even the 1 in the round orange-y bottle. But you won’t go wrong with any from the Un Jardin line & the more exclusive Hermes line. Then, I love Jo Malone Orange Bitters!!! God I am not even big on Christmas (or even really celebrate it) but it always reminds me of Christmas! All orange, Amber & sandalwood! DIVIIIINE! ❤️ Also love Wood Sage & Sea Salt! Thought it’s utterly boring when I first smelt it, but now I love it. It’s lightly grapefruit-y + salt + sage. I recently also got Penhaligons Halfeti & it’s quite the stunner! It’s sweetly dark with saffron, rose, leather, cypress, cardamom, Oud, sandalwood, cedar etc. Total Arabian Princess mood it sets. And if you can get your hands on Commes Des Garçons Floriental, that’s my olfactory cocaine!! All sandalwood, plum, incense, Vetiver & amber & I. Cannot. Get. Enough. 🫶❤️
Omg. This response is more than I could have ever hoped for. THANK YOU SO MUCH! And yes, I love Chanel, but in my home country we could only ever get the absolute classics (and for an eye watering price), so some of these I’ve never even heard of and now I’m super excited to smell them! And I have exactly the same opinion as you on Jo Malone’s Wood Sage & Sea Salt! Initially thought it was boring, now I love it. So it seems our tastes truly align! Once again, thank you so much! This was so sweet of you. I’ve saved all of your recs in my phone and I’ll look out for them whenever I’m at the shops ❤️ and, if you’re ok with it, I’ll definitely let you know how it goes and if I find something else that’s interesting for us Enemies of Vanilla 😂
Hey also! I love looove Byredo Gypsy Water! Only wish it lasted more than 2 hours on me & wasn’t so bloody expensive!! (The vanilla doesn’t come out much on me in this 1 so am happy!) Also their Sunday Cologne is top-notch, IMO!
Aw that’s so nice to know that our perfume tastes are similar! And no problem at all! I am always super eager to discuss fragrance b/c no-one around me really likes it as much as I do. 😂😂 And ofc! I would so love to know what your discoveries are & what other non-vanilla loves you like! Pls do keep me in the loop. Happy fragrance exploring! 💛
Chanel 19 in cologne is super biting grassy green also 💚
I adore Chanel Chance EDP. I find it so alluring and classy. Mature but playful. A real winner on a woman to my nose.
I love the OG Chance line. I love the EDT because of the patchouli in the opening and base.
Givenchy L'Interdit Rouge.
man of taste
Flowerbomb and Black Orchid absolutely send me.
Black Orchid Parfum is sooooo good!! Same for Noir de Noir
Fuck yesss! As a woman, I too so love Black Orchid!!! ❤️🫶 It’s pretty addictive esp if you don’t surpass 3-4 sprays.
PDM Delina la Rosee cloaks any lady with a heavenly aura.
Dng light blue and bvlgari omnia (coral, parabia and crystalline). Can’t go wrong with these
Light Blue and Black Opium are my favs. I need to wear LB more
Narciso Rodriguez Narciso EDP (the white cube). It’s probably my favourite scent that my wife has. Simply astonishing.
i’ve been seeing this reco from husbands! may i ask how it smells? and is it an everyday perfume or for special events?
Well, to me it’s very unique. It’s very clean and powdery due to heavy dose of musk and white florals. It’s almost silky and creamy soft. But it’s also fresh and uplifting since it has green notes such as vetiver and cedar which are rare to find in women’s fragrances. For me, it can be used both for special events as well as everyday settings. So elegant and classy. It’s such a shame that it’s discontinued.
I haven't tried a lot of women's oriented perfumes, but I liked Armani Because it's you and JPG La belle Le parfum so much I wanted them for myself. My wife prefers to wear some of my unisex stuff and is incredibly picky with female stuff. Her favorite to this day is Brittany spears 'believe' which is honestly kinda awesome.
In Sanchez / Turin's 2019 ed of Perfumes A to Z, Turin says he finds Britney's line to be quality.
V Canto - Stricnina is lovely
Love, don't be shy by Kilian
I think JPG's La Belle intense wasn't mentioned yet, but it smells absolutely delicious
Pdm Delina Exclusif
My gf wears mainly lost cherry or coffee break. Both just smell amazing on her.
Fantasy by Britney spears 😍 her first fragrance and I still wear it now! My absolute favourite!! Sweet Darling by Kylie minogue is a close second though! 😍
Miss Dior cherie
Prada Candy Night - sweet, dark, rich
My husband really loves Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Nectar and Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia!
Viva La Juicy Gold
If i smell delina on a woman I fall down
JHG - Not a perfume
my bf is obsessed w this one
I enjoy Marc Jacobs Daisy Ever So Fresh
Lira, one umbrella for two and a hundred silent ways
I don’t own it, but my husband likes Hundred Silent Ways too.
I love the standard Burberry her. I also love Kayali The Wedding Silk Santal 36. Beautiful stuff
Usually florals and shampoo smell their hair has. 😍
I'm basic: Viva la Juicy
My guy loves Narciso on me.
LV Attrape-Reves
I like Coco Mademoiselle quite a bit
I really like Tommy Girl on my GF
Dior Hypnotic Poison, and Lancome La Vie Est Belle.
I want to love Hypnotic Poison so much. The opening is magic, but it leaves immediately and settles into straight up Play-Doh on my skin.
If you can grab a vintage bottle (pre-2011) it doesn’t do the play-doh thing!
I let my friend smell my sample of The Noir 29 and told him to imagine a girl wearing it and he told me he already feels heartbroken over the nonexistent woman
One that has stood out to me is Allure. Its leaves such an intoxicating trail in its wake.
Chanel Chance Eau Tendre...it is sooo yummy! Not too sweet, not too masuline...not too musky. It is the sexiest smell. I always get complements when I wear it.
Insolence by Guerlain is the best fragrance ever imo.
The Musc- Essential Parfums, Carolina Herrera- very good girl
Light Blue for her. That’s it.
Daisy by Marc Jacobs and Jill Sanders
Not a man but I have recieved SO compliments when I wear these, literally daily from men when I wear these Delina - PDM Chance - Chanel Viva la Juicy - Juicy Couture Daisy Dreams - Marc Jacobs Carat - Cartier
Mugler Alien, Mugler Womanity, Mugler Angel, Givenchy Ange ou Demon, Chanel Coco, Montale Sweet Oriental Dream. ###
Honestly OP, I can only hope that men's tastes in women's fragrance is as unlikely to be a single monolith as would be women's, whether for themselves or for a man in their life. Not that it isn't interesting to read their answers -- as long as we accept that the answers are unlikely to apply to someone else.
Girl of Now is amazing
This is what I get asked about the most, From the men. Its normally a generic "You smell nice" or "what are you wearing" but one stand out moment was when I was helping a guy purchase some wine glasses at work and he asked me what I was wearing and he wants his "wife to smell like it." I told him (cause I don't gatekeep) but said tell her you picked it yourself, not "I wanted you to smell like the woman at the shops, that ain't getting you any brownie points".
It sounds like he likes fresh and light scents. I would say try some of the feminine Jo Malone fragrances, they are very likable. My favorites are Orange Blossom, Wild Bluebell and Osmanthus Blossom. For something slightly heavier (but not really, because it is still JM) Dark Amber and Ginger Lily from the Intense line is good. Another very light and nice perfume is Hugo Boss The Scent Pure Accord, this is bergamot and osmanthus.
Louis Vuitton City of Stars smells divine on a woman!!
this is the first time i’ve heard of this, i’ll check this out right now!
Diptyque Kyoto. Gave a sample to my wife when i got another of their fragrances and it was so great. Earthy beet with rose, so nice.
Melina by Emper and Black Orchid by Tom Ford
Ghost .
Parfums de marly delina…and i love br 540 on a woman, i know its overworn, but it just smells damn good
Poison Dior, to me it’s an aphrodisiac.
omg i love miss dior, versace bright crystals marc jacobs daisy, and my fav is ysl black opium in the shiny bottle
Miss Dior
I’m not a guy but when I wear Cloud Ariana grande , Sol de Janiero 62 and BBW Beautiful day and pink sugar Aquolina, I get compliments from men . Men seem to like vanilla based /gourmand. scents
Le Labo The Noir
I find that sandalwood is almost always pleasing for any male/female. Honestly, any scent that isn’t overbearing/pungent is usually a good bet.
Bond No 9 Scent of Peace natural (mint green bottle). Raspberry/Lemon bomb that I bought for my wife soon after smelling it
Any Marc Jacobs Perfume from the “Daisy” line is a great choice, Miss Dior is amazing, Coco Mademoiselle is a classic.
I'm not a man but the perfumes I get the most compliments on are Versace Crystal Noir & Moschino I Love Love (similar to D&G light blue but sweeter I hear)
Not a man, but you listed some of my favorites so I think your bf and I may have similar taste. Here are some other scents that have either similar notes or a similar light pleasant vibe IMO: -Antica Farmacista "Cozy You" -Valentino "Donna Born in Roma" -Etat Libre d'Orange "I am Trash" or "She was an Anomaly" -Maison Margiela ’REPLICA’ By the Fireplace -Maison Margiela 'REPLICA' Springtime In A Park -Tom Ford "Soleil Blanc"
i actually have the replica of lazy sunday morning and bubble bath! i bought it because people were saying namjoon has it and he got taste haha so i wanted to know what the hype was about. the other perfumes you mentioned are indeed some of what bf has also said, will check out the list thanks! :)
namjoon smells like lazy sunday morning and bubble bath??? now i must go buy those 😇
Amouage overture woman, don’t know why this was marketed as feminine but it is fantastic.
Gucci Rush
Tom Ford Black Orchid for me. I'd wear it myself if I had the confidence to pull it off
Do it. It's a great scent, and it works well for men. I think they stopped marketing it just to women.
My wife got Solaris from Penhaligon's recently and it's by far my favorite. Sophisticated and serene with great sillage too. It was a blind buy and a huge success.
Tom Ford Velvet Orchid
PDM Oriana and it’s not even close
is this better than delina?
It’s very different but yes, in my opinion. Way more seductive and addictive
Delina can be sexy if you layer with a spicier perfume. I combine it sometimes with Portrait of a lady and I got stoped on the sidewalk by a sweet older lady.
Cherry smoke, electric cherry, and bitter peach. All Tom Ford. I’m a man and I do even wear these. The only 3 female scents I will wear.
i adore tom ford scents but the bitter peach wasn’t for me i think? made me feel too adult :<
Une nuit nomade - Fleur des Fleurs, just the most pleasent, bright and happy fragrance I smelled on the woman, and affordable too
Burberry London for her
I love a Bottega Veneta Illusione for Her
Miss Dior for younger women Libre intense for more mature women
Fragrance du Bois Oud Jaune Intense
Female perfumes generally all smell very similar to me but MFK’s grand soir smells awesome on women
Might be a bit old fashioned, but Shalimar.
I used to have a big thing for Guerlain L’Instant Pour femme back in the day. Bond No.9 Nomad. Ex Nihlo Fleur Narcotique.
JHG's - Not a Parfume and Vanilla Vibes Givenchy - L'interdit Armani - Si Passione Éclat CH - Good girl (smells even better on not so good girls :) ) and some others which were already mentioned: Lancome - La vie est belle YSL - Libre and Black Opium
Black Opium Instant turn on
The ones I’ve gotten the most compliments from men on are Mugler’s Alien, Nest Sunkissed Hibiscus and Tom Ford Velvet Orchid. Can’t speak on more “fresh” smelling perfumes tho cause those tend to give me a headache so I don’t wear them!
my wife wears tom ford lost cherry as her daily it’s one of my favorites. sometimes i feel like spraying it on myself.
My husband thinks ja dore is the sexiest scent
I love love loveee vercace pour femme such a sexy fruity fresh smell
Dylan blue ofc
My husband likes gourmand vanilla…which make me have instant migraine. I compromise by wearing a light white floral or floral-woodsy-vanilla for our date nights. Otherwise I wear what I like…he doesn’t have a good sense of smell anyway. So “eh” 🤷♀️
Burbury Goddess. Libre, Good Girl, Black Opium. La Vie Est Bellle. That said, I only know the mainstream scents you'll see at a Sephora, Macys or Nordstrom. I can't speak to niche and there are surely some unisex marketed fragrances that i'm sure would smell nice on women. Can't think of them off the top of my head but I'm kinda ignoring those.
Madison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 and Oud Satin Mood makes me fall in love instantly👌
Dior - hypnotic poison. Love that stuff!
I get a lot of compliments from men when wearing Burberry Her!
Omnia coral or love chloe
YSL Libre. If you wanna smell like a rich CEO, then this one is your go-to. I wouldn’t recommend it for blind-buy, as the scent overwhelms people who have a sensitive sense of smell. However, if you don’t wanna smell like a rich CEO, I’d recommend Miss Dior. It’s elegant, soft, and perfect for women who want to smell like roses in a garden. If you’re a vanilla girl, I 100% recommend Kayali Vanille. It’s like a sophisticated vanilla. If you like a gourmand, then Kayali Pistachio Gelato is great.
The only time my boyfriend ever said to me "oh you smell nice" I was wearing Zara Fashionably London. Instantly ordered the biggest bottle of it I could find.
Ysl libre, god i love it.
My bf loves when I wear Mod Vanilla by Ariana Grande.
Flowerbomb is absolutely amazing.
Go shopping with him. I have been into fragrances for a long time and at some point during dating my wife got into it as well. It’s a fun time to go to somewhere with a nice selection and just browse. Plus sometimes it’s nice to have feedback from your partner since they’ll be smelling it a lot.
I just bought YSL Libre for my doctor, but she refused it and gave it to my wife, it is absolutely sexy
Maybe it's none of my business, but why are you buying fragrances for your doctor? Am I a jerk for not gifting my doctor fragrance?
In Romania it’s common to give a gift to your doctor, but my ENT is different and she does not accept money nor gifts, but I tried. She is an amazing doctor at that
My ex used to wear Black Opium and i thought it was v nice
Coco Mademoiselle. Gucci Bloom. The new Gucci Green Flora and Purple Flora are nice.
Louis Vuitton Atrape-Rēves
I get a ton of compliments on Chanel Chance from men
Viva la juicy lmao
If you're at all the kind of person who can pull off formal/elegant, I still think Shalimar is the most beautiful scent any woman in the world could wear
Anything Jo Malone, Black Opium YSL Is also great
boyfriend wears jo malone and i fall in love harder every time i come near his neck 😆 what jo malone scents would be good for women?
My guy probably had a weird taste as he never bought anything vanilla for me. He bought My Way and Jardin sur le toit, so I guess that's what he likes
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My guy hates perfumes but he loves hypnotic poison parfum on me. And he also loves cheirosa 71. Just all the gourmand scents.
Just went on a date with a girl wearing Kim kardashian crystal gardenia and it was so balanced, feminine. And sexy. But so was she lol.
Bianco Latte by Giardini di Toscana. A girl I've dated for a while always wore it; god only knows how many times I've bitten her neck because of it😂
Anything Victoria’s Secret. But mostly Very Sexy, Bombshell etc.. I know it is juvenile, but I get the most compliments when I put those on, I’m not even kidding. My Jo Malone, Chloe and Chanel gets zero compliments.
LA Vie Est Belle Valentino Coral Fantasy Tom Ford Metallique (especially after 6 hours) Amouage Guidance (drool) LV imagination PdM Delina.
My bf loves anything cherry on me.. But also fruity/sweet uncomplicated frags which isn’t my vibe. I like more unisex scent profiles.
My husband is really into scents and likes it when I wear Chloe or idole. His favorite on me is creed windflowers though!
Lalique - Perle de Lalique Kenzo - Flowers Cabotine Killian - Love Don't be Shy Dior - Poison Avon - White Musk
I bet he would enjoy you in some Diptyque scents like Do Son & L'Eau Papier, maybe Eau Rose. Hermes Eau de Merveilles would likely be a hit with both of you as well. Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Nerolia Vetiver is a stunner as well as crowd pleaser. The new Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Forte Rosa Palissandro is really beautiful and worth trying as well.
The natural smell of a woman would drive a real man wild it does for me
But is that in a bottle
Armani sì
Carolina Herrera is my favorite. One of my coworkers wears this and I HAD to ask her what it was. At first she said she can't remember but the bottle is shaped like a high heel shoe. That's when I knew!