I found a few scents that have become my signature fragrances for various moods and occasions in 2020. At the beginning of the year, I purchased a few perfumes while traveling or shopping online. They all vary in smell and brands, I managed to discover at least 5 that I will definitely buy again.

I like a mixture of fresh, clean smells that aren’t too overwhelming with a touch of femininity, but I also like unisex fragrances such as Calvin Klein CK-One. CK-One was one of the first “designer” perfume that I’d ever owned, as it was gifted to me for my 16th birthday and became a lasting favorite.

I love fragrances with a bit of rose, jasmine, orange blooms, lilies, tuberose, white musk, citrus, neroli, bergamot, pear, honeysuckle, or gardenia. I love floral purfumes with top notes in any of these scents. They usually work well with my body chemisty along with other clean fresh uncomplicated fragrances.

Before the age of 16, I wore whatever my mother and women of my family had on their dressers. Back then, they loved Elizabeth Taylors’ White Diamonds, Red Door and Sunflower by Elizabeth Arden, Clique Happy, with their number one favorite being J’adore by Dior. Like most women in the 1990s to early 2000s, they also collected various Avon perfumes such as Far Away. It wasn’t uncommon to go into a Caribbean woman’s bedroom and see a dresser filled with various scents. It seemed like a badge of honor to display a vast number of bottles perfectly arranged on a vanity or dresser table. 

While I might not go to the extreme like my mother or other family members who own upwards of 10 or more bottles of perfume at a time. I have come to cherish certain perfumes such as CK-One, but every few years I tend change my signature scent. When it comes to purchasing purfume I normally only have about 2-4 bottles at a time with the others being water-down body sprays. This year was the frist where I actaully own 6 high end fragrances all at once. While I do love purfume, I am the kind of girl who do not mind spending money on 1 or 2 good bottles. I am trying my best to make more grown-up choices regarding the perfumes I invest time and money into, while also looking at environmental factors, which has truly led me to buy fewer fragrances or opt for sample sizes only. 

Here are the top 5 fragrances I used this year.

Lancôme Idôle Eau de Parfum

I first purchased this in Dubai at Sephora the same day it launched in 2019. Idôle Eau de Parfum is perhaps one of my favorite perfumes that always receives the most compliments because it works well with my body chemistry. It’s probably the only perfume that garners the most questions from both men and women about the brand. Everytime I wear it someone askes, what I am wearing. It has all the smells I love, such as jasmine, rose, white musk, and vanilla, but it is not overpowering. It’s a modern smell that can be worn at any time of the year or day. For me, it was worth every penny. 

A 25ml/ 0.85 fl. oz. will cost about $59USD, 50ml/1.7 fl. oz. – $99USD, and 73ml/2.5 fl. oz. – $123USD

Clean Reserve Classic – Warm Cotton

This was first purchased on a whim while shopping online at Sephora. It was perhaps the best random purchase ever made. If Marie Kondo had a fragrance, this one would be it! This is a smell that I can wear to the gym or around the house. I often take it with me on trips, using it to spray my clothing and hotel linen. It is a very clean comforting smell that I often carry around with me to double as an air freshener. 

A 59ml/2 fl. oz. bottle of Classic – Warm Cotton will run about $74USD, while a 100ml/3.4 fl. oz. cost about $98USD. 

Gucci Bloom (Original)

Here is another floral perfume jam-packed with jasmine, tuberose, and other floral notes. For me this is best worn lightly. There are a series of Gucci Bloom perfumes in a range of scents that goes from subtle to boldly sensual. There is the original Gucci Bloom in the pink bottle, and the Gucci Bloom Aqua di Fiori with the green floral decals. Followed by the Gucci Bloom Nettare di Fiori with the black floral decals, and lastly, there is the Gucci Bloom Gocce di Fiori. Each have a unique lovely fragrance, but ultimately, I settled on the original bottle. I have completely used up my Gucci Bloom original; next time I would like to try Gucci Bloom Aqua di Fiori.

A 100ml/3.3 fl. oz. bottle of Gucci Bloom is worth $145USD

Les Infusion de Prada Fleur de Orange

Many may not go for this scent as it’s not as sweet as the others but has a subdued, dreamy citrus smell. This perfume was launched in 2018 and reminds me of long summer days walking to-and-from the beaches on my island where I had to pass by a crop of lemon trees in bloom. The top notes are mostly citrus with orange, jasmine, orange blossom, and neroli. In its own way, it smells clean and uncomplicated and its a smell that both men and women can wear. 

Prada also makes a few variations in the scent of Iris, Amande, Iris Cedre, Rose, Vetiver, Minosa, Oeillet. I have my eye on Amande next!

A 100ml/3.3 fl. oz. bottle Infusion de Prada Fleur de Orange is worth $157.60USD

Farina 1709 Eau de Cologne (Original)

Early this year I spoke about a trip I took to Cologne Germany, in that previous blog titled Travel: Colonge Germany (Part 1), I talked about purchasing a sample of Farina’s popular cologne and discussed the interesting history surroundung this cologne. According to the perfume maker, they were after a scent that reminded them of a spring morning in Italy of mountain narcissus orange bloom just after the rain. This is one of the oldest perfume listed here, which could be argued as being a watered-down version of Prada’s Les Infusion de Prada Fleur de Orange or vice versa, but it has a more genuine feeling and attempt at capturing time and a mood in a bottle. It’s a clean orange blooms smell that is just there when you need it. This is for the perfume lovers who do not want to invest in fragrances that are overly commercialized, and since this cologne has been around since 1709, we can be sure that it will not be discontinued anytime soon.

This perfume sample can range from 0.2lf for $8.20USD to $61.83USD for a 125ml/4.2 fl. oz.

I have come to the end of my list and the end of this year, having used all five fragrances interchangeably. My enjoyment and use of these perfumes were genuine, but the one last perfume I couldn’t add to this list was Lancôme’s La Vie Est Belle. I didn’t enjoy this one, I was given a large bottle, but I couldn’t stand to wear it as it gave me terrible headaches. For some reason, this one didn’t work well with me, but I guess that’s the way the perfume game goes. I cannot begin to review this scent without thinking about my headache, so I will leave it alone. 

I have started repurchasing a few of the items on this list, beginning with Lancôme Idôle Eau de Parfum. I invested in two large bottles a week ago. I would also like to try Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Chanel Number Five, and shockingly I am even entertaining KKW X Kris fragrance.  

If anyone would like to recommend a fragrance please do, I am always looking for new scents, but of course I will start off with sample sizes then work my way up.