Rec me a perfume!

[lunabee34]

I think I'm going to ask for an order of perfume samples from Surrender to Chance for my birthday in a couple months, and I'm looking for some inspiration.

Rec me your favorite (non-BPAL) perfume. Or maybe tell me about a perfume you think is important that everyone ought to try. Or something that you've always wanted to try but never gotten the chance.

Thanks in advance, everyone!

Comments

[splix]

Ooh!

Some of my favorites, broken down by cold/warm weather:

Cold weather frags:

Avignon by Comme des Garcons
Messe di Minuit by Etro
Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens
Twilight by Sarah Jessica Parker
Eau Duelle by Diptyque
Paisley by Etro
Obsession by Calvin Klein
L'Origan by Coty
Tokyomilk Dark Bittersweet #83
Matins Calins by Comptoir sud Pacifique
Coco Noir by Chanel

Warm weather:
Covet by Sarah Jessica Parker
Vetiver by Diptyque
Jasmine Bergamot by L'Occitane
Elixir of Love by Caswell Massey
Cristalle by Chanel [actually smells a lot like Covet, so I'd just buy Covet and save a bundle]
Lalique by Lalique
Jessica McClintock by Jessica McClintock
Jardins de Bagatelle by Guerlain
Crabtree & Evelyn Eau Fraiche [discontinued *sob*]
Molton Brown Revitalizing AB&C eau fraiche
Penhaligon Ellenisia

I've always wanted to try Chanel Beige - I hear it's quiet but lovely. And I'm still looking for a perfect rose. I've tried Tea Rose by the Perfumer's Workshop, Demeter's, a Middle Eastern perfume I can't recall the brand name of, and Pacifica's Persian Rose and the Pacifica's the best so far but not quite there yet.

ETA: And I'm dying to get my hands on some unspoiled vintage Tuxedo by Ralph Lauren, Deneuve by Catherine Deneuve, and the original Colors by Benetton fragrance for women. They reformulated it and it doesn't smell at ALL like the original. :(

[teaotter]

Montale: Honey Aoud. I adore Montale in general, and this one in particular is completely amazing.

Aqaba: Sands of Aqaba. On my skin, this smells like someone crafted a fine single malt scotch out of spices and flowers. All the Aqaba fragrances I've tried have been beautifully composed and highly memorable.

[dejla]

Oh, Lord. I don't have just one!

Favorites:
Blue Grass
Daisy
Shalimar (I like the older version better but I can live with the newer one)
Jicky
Burberry Brit Summer
I wear the stronger ones in the winter and the lighter ones in the spring.

[jamethiel]

I am very much of the "Chypres and everything connected with them" school of perfume so my perfumes tend to be very... well, you either love them or you hate them.

That being said, I think everyone should try Mitsouko by Guerlain, Paloma Picasso. The non-classic I'm loving at the moment is Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille. It's a guy's scent but it's GORGEOUS.

[theora]

It feels a bit weird suggesting stuff to you, since you know much more about perfume than me ;). But the thing I'm most excited to try at the moment is Narciso Rodriguez For Her (the EDP version). You can watch a Youtube review of it here. (I've been watching lots of reviews by this reviewer lately, I find them oddly soothing.)

Also I meant to thank you for the pointer to Surrender to Chance. I'm putting together an order myself, which will include the above and a few other things.

[subsequent]

My favourite and all-around go-to is L'ambre Des Merveilles by Hermes, but to be honest, I like the majority of what Jean Claude Ellena created for that house. May be worth an investigation? :)

(Christine Nagel has just taken over, so some of their newer works are a little different, but I respect the quality of even the ones I'm not fond of)

[rydra_wong]

NOOOOO TOO MANY CHOICES CANNOT PICK. *g*

Personal favourites, that I wear a lot (please bear in mind that I am weird and so is my taste): vintage Diorella (and that probably is a historically important one that -- I won't say everyone should try, but it's significant and worth knowing, as well as so radiantly beautiful that the reformulation is a crime). Bal a Versailles. Comme Des Garcons Tea (from the "leaves" series: smells very like very smoky black tea and maté and slightly of roses and cedarwood; apart from vintage Diorella, the only perfume I've had someone spontaneously compliment me on in a public place). Dzing! Kingdom. My unholy home mix of Kingdom and Miel de Bois. Mandarine Mandarin. Onda (EDP).

Anything that might help narrow it down? Any current themes or notes or genres that you're exploring?