The Top Five (5) Perfumes in my Life

I love perfumes - it all started with the very first bottle I was given, back when I was sixteen. I love everything about perfume - how it makes someone smell more feminine, sensual and fresh; how pretty perfume bottles usually are, and how someone knows you are there even before they see you. I often get feedback that my perfume scent is "very strong", but most times, I cannot smell anything when I spray it, really. Best of all, scents bring back memories, whisking us back in time.

MY TOP FIVE FAVORITES

Photosource: http://fimgs.net/images/perfume/o.1542.jpg

1. Ghost's "Summer Moon"
This perfume and I had a very brief love affair, a love-at-first-sniff. Ironically I have never owned a bottle of this officially, but I was given many smaller bottles and packets of samplers by a friend who worked for a branded cosmetics company. It is a limited edition in 2003 - floral fruity fragrance with notes of musk, sandalwood, rose, lotus, peaches, mandarin orange, apple, marigold, freesia, apple, bergamot & lemon - nothing too sweet. It exuded a heady, exotic scent that brought its name alive.

The bottle is very beautiful too - shape of my beloved Lady Moon. This perfume was sold for a very brief period after the launch, and has since stopped gracing the shelves. Trust me, I have bugged all international contacts to hunt for it for me, but in futile efforts.

2. Anna Sui's "La Vie De Boheme"
This is my current daily poison of choice (well, almost), and another "love at first sniff" perfume depicting the Bohemian spirit and lifestyle. This is yet another exotically heady scent that brings out mysterious thoughts in one's mind upon smelling it - another floral concoction of Turkish rose, sparkling pear, berries, pitahaya accord, peony, dry woods, sandalwood, musk and black vanilla. Having a gorgeous bottle is a bonus to this beautiful scent.

3. Elizabeth Arden's "Red Door"
The Red Door is another scent to reckon with  - a powdery trail of elegance and glamor all contained in a bottle. Its scent is classically feminine, with notes of ylang-ylang, red rose, orchid, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, orange blossom, wild violet, freesia, honey, sandalwood and vetiver.

I prefer the previous bottle (heard its limited edition though) that looked literally like the red door that it is.

4. Christian Dior's "Poison"
Christian Dior is one of my favorite brands, if not best. This sensual, exotically powdery scent rouses images of richness, sophistication and a sense of mystery that only it could bring out. As this is a heavier scent, I use it for night functions usually. Consisting of notes of coriander, wildberries, orange honey, tuberose, and opopanar, giving the exotic scent a spicy overture. The bottle is adorable, I hold it like an apple in my hand.

5. Givenchy's "Ange ou Demon"
For this scent, I fell in love with the name and sleek bottle - ombre tones on a bottle that resembles teardrop diamond. The scent is warmly and sweet - nothing like ditzy sweet, but more of a feminine touch to a versatile fragrance. In fact, this scent is my favorite when having important meetings, because it has a very "I'm professional though I smell good" kind of tone to it.

Ange ou Demon contains notes of mandarin, white cumin, saffron, Maxillaria orchid, ylang-ylang, creamy rosewood, dense oak moss absolute, Tonka and vanilla.

These are my top five scents to play around with, and I love them all. Besides these, I do have an assortment of others that I use at times too, most of them are gifts. I spray perfume behind the ears, at the chest area, underarms and the front of my clothes. Sometimes I dab some at the wrists too.

6. Hugo Boss' "Intense"
One of the earlier scents I loved to sport, I don't seem to be able to find it in local shops lately. This is a warm, enigmatic flavor that contains notes of different flowers, spices, musk, patchouli and amber resin etc. I like how it suggests feminism yet stays warm and intense, a scent suitable for professional women; a very practical, non-frivolous flavor.

7. Gucci's "Envy Me"
A simple-looking bottle with the signature interlocking Gs monogram all over it, this marks the next favorite down my list. Its scent is very fresh and light, a concoction of floral, fruits, pink pepper, musk and woods notes all in one.

8. Anna Sui's "Love"
This scent should be my 8th favorite, having replenished it a few times. The pretty bottle and insanely sweet flavors (vanilla, pink pepper, musk and an assortment of many other flowers) makes this a rather romantic scent to sport, especially on a date.

The rest are all not in order of preference. I realize that I prefer stronger scents with exotic, enigmatic and sensual tinges to  them.

9. Anna Sui's "Secret Wish Magic Romance"
Another dreamy-looking bottle containing a freshly spiced up scent amongst sweetness, exuding notes of bergamot, lemon, sweet melon, coconut, musk etc.

10. Coach's "Poppy Flower Coach"
A non-descriptive bottle - not if you don't look carefully at the carefully inscribed cap. A fresh, floral scent that actually contains wet ivy and sugared raspberries notes amongst others! It is a lovely scent, suitable for most occasions.

11. Issey Miyake's "L'eau d'Issey"
This is a "clear as spring water" aquatic, with the creator wanting to emulate the spray of a waterfall, fragrance of flowers and forests in the springtime all into one scent. Besides a wide array of flowers and spices, I note that this contains cedar and carnation too, interesting. This is a gentle, feminine scent with an almost ethereal quality to it.

12. Elizabeth Arden's "Provocative Woman"
Another scent to reckon with - an exotic scent inspired by Catherine Zeta-Jones, a smoking hot scent with notes of spices, quince, water lotus, ginger lily, midnight orchid, papaya blossom, pink freesia, white sand, red amber and Hinoki wood.  A sweetly luscious scent that charms by day and enchants by night.

13. Estee Lauder's "Dazzling Gold"
Now this was the very first perfume given to me at sweet age of 16, a rather powerful burst of strong floral tones encumbering spicy overtures. The notes are orchid, lily, plumeria, sandalwood, vanilla and exotic tree sorts. I find this flavor too sharp for my liking.

14. Gucci by Gucci
A perfume that comes with a very classy-looking bottle complete with lock and chains, this perfume features some rather strong notes of wood and spices. The notes consist of exotic guava, Haitian Tiare flower, patchouli, musk and base.  It is a very practical scent, suitable for the sensible and sporty at heart.

15. Lolita Lempicka
Last but not least, a very adorable perfume that comes in a tiny apple-shaped bottle, nestled on a miniature coach. The flavor is spices combined with a light, hedonistic experience.

We have come to the end of my scents, giving the senses a break. Wish I could preserve some scents forever, but alas, they float away like the sands of time...