My Favorite Perfumes

With a simple spritz of the juice, perfume unlocks powerful memories, enhances atmosphere, clings to experiences, and unfurls different scent narratives. It’s one of my favorite parts of "getting ready" - the mist a finishing touch after picking out your outfit and makeup, helping to establish what kind of person you feel like or want to channel.

As somebody very driven by the idea of capturing a moment, learning that wearing a specific perfume can, in effect, bottle up meaningful moments, sensations - every time you smell it, was a revelation.

I am in no way an expert when it comes to the more technical side of fragrances, but I have such a great admiration and love of perfumes, and wanted to share some of my favorites! While writing this post, I did quite a bit of research on fragrances and the ones I like, and discovered I’m usually drawn towards fruity, warm, and sweet scents.

This experience has made me want to learn even more, so if you have any book or scent recommendations please let me know! I also took another shot at learning how to use watercolors, so I could attempt to accurately portray the translucent perfume bottles. While the paintings definitely aren’t perfect, I really like how they turned out!


Lancôme La Vie Est Belle *
Elegant, and feminine - La Vie est Belle has iris, patchouli, and gourmand notes. There is a floral and musky quality to the fragrance, but I also feel like there is a warmth and complexity I can’t quite put my finger on that unfurls over time on the skin. Personally, this scent feels inherently elegant and glamorous - with an Old Hollywood sophistication. I think in my perfume wardrobe, this is the one I wear the most - maybe because I would never describe myself as sophisticated, I’m trying to overcompensate with this fragrance!

Marc Jacobs Daisy
The perfect scent to wear picnicking in the fresh spring air - picking strawberries and flowers for a heart shaped basket. A hopeful, breezy perfume with strawberry, gardenia, and musk as key ingredients. One of my first perfumes as a teenager, it feels very youthful and nostalgic - but I’m just as smitten with the daydreaming scent as I was when I first discovered it. I also am a sucker for the bottle - with plastic daisies perched on the cap, giving it a 60s Mod feel.

Miu Miu L'eau Rosée
Arrestingly bright and fresh, L'eau Rosée has sharp citrus dancing a pas de deux with dewy lily-of-the-valley. The crystal clear bottle features a Miu Miu trademark: a matelassé pattern encasing the blush pink juice contained within. I really love this one - the mingling of crisp and blossoming notes make me think of a spring morning - when you open the window, inviting chill air and floral smells to dwell inside. (Also, shout out to the first Miu Miu perfume as well!)

Prada Candy
Prada Candy is a vanilla caramel melting in your mouth. Warm, sweet, a little sultry, and a dazzling amber hue - this perfume practically glows. I feel like this is a fitting scent for the beginning of fall, with the last of the sun's rays leaving a sun-kissed luminosity.

Yves Saint Laurent Parisienne
Sugared cranberries, blueberries, and hints of floral make up Yves Saint Laurent’s Parisenne - the effect is a sparkling, slightly tart perfume. Personally, this is a distinctly winter scent - the fragrance painting a picture of a snow globe winter scene; complete with faux fur coats, softly falling snow, and a trip to the ballet. Maybe the connection to winter with this particular fragrance for me lies in my childhood obsession with The Nutcracker - not knowing what a "Sugar Plum" tasted like, I always associated it with winter fruits like cranberries. Did you know a sugar plum isn’t a fruit at all, but instead a very difficult to make candy (somewhat similar to Jordan almonds)? I didn’t!

Honorable Mention: Vera Wang Princess
Seeing advertisements of Zoe Kravitz, with a titled crown perched on her head, and Vera Wang Princess sprawled across the image made a huge impression on me. I ripped out the ads (to thumbtack on my bedroom wall) from my issues of Teen Vogue, and Princess became my first perfume. A charming scent with white florals and apricot, I will admit this a very nostalgic choice for me. With happy, day dreaming memories attached to it, the fragrance with a faceted lilac heart bottle was a staple on my vanity for years.