Gransnet forums

Ask a gran

Need a new perfume - fast.

(223 Posts)
kittylester Thu 13-Aug-20 18:41:03

We have Dgs4 (8) and dgd (7) here. Dgd was upset about his parent's divorcing 4 years ago. He loves his stepfather but sometimes has these wobbles.

I was hugging him and he suddenly said that I smell like an old lady.

I'm hoping it was perfume and nothing else!!

My current perfume is Aromatics by Clinique - suggestions please.

Huitson1958 Fri 14-Aug-20 23:55:10

Aromatics is definitely old lady!! Go for something younger and not the tried and tested ... as they say “ out of the mouth of babes” xxx

lemongrove Fri 14-Aug-20 23:36:18

If you do ask him Kitty I do hope he won’t say ‘wee’ ??
It was probably the perfume.
It’s strange how perfumes smell differently on each person, and also how keen or not a person’s sense of smell is.
I tend to like the really old perfumes from the 20’s and 30’s and 40’s ( Shalimar and Chanel etc) but of course if you had been around then using the perfumes they would have been
Even better, as today they are similar but lighter ‘notes’.
I have been trying out different perfumes as I get older, because our own body chemistry changes ( therefore the perfume changes when we put it on.)
A very nice one ( and cheap!) is Perceive by Avon.

Glenfinnan Fri 14-Aug-20 23:30:24

I’ve worn coco channel for years now....perhaps time for a change, but I love it!

Grandma24 Fri 14-Aug-20 22:55:09

Thing is kids say it is as it is. I was once at school and a child said Why have you got a moustache ?

BlueSky Fri 14-Aug-20 22:42:33

You should have asked your DGS what an 'old lady's smell' is! You might have been pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised by his answer! hmm

Bluegrass Fri 14-Aug-20 22:06:59

All good advice Kittylester about visiting a department store. However, my advice is don't buy on your first visit. Just use your time deciding what type of fragrance appeals to you now. Maybe the assistant will have some samples for you to try at home - it's worth asking. If not just try a couple and leave it on for a couple of hours to make sure you like it and that it lasts reasonably well. My reason for these suggestions is I made the mistake of buying a beautiful fragrance. When I applied it at home from my new bottle it smelled lovely but would utterly disappear within 5 minutes!

CanadianGran Fri 14-Aug-20 21:53:17

Some people are more sensitive to smell, especially some children. My middle son had an especially keen sense, and sometimes did not have the sensitivity to go along with it!

And reading up, yes there is such a thing as 'old people smell' but perhaps not noticeable to us. I remember my father having an ''invalid' odour, and when my children were small I could tell by their odour when they were ill.

There are many suggestions here for new perfumes, and it is fun to explore something new. I enjoy citrus/light floral top notes and vetiver/musk finish. Over the years I have had O by Lancome, Green Tea and White Tea by Elizabeth Arden. All lovely and light.

Tooyoungytobeagrandma Fri 14-Aug-20 21:38:50

Oh and I get the most compliments when I wear Pink from next pinched from my youngest dd ?

Tooyoungytobeagrandma Fri 14-Aug-20 21:35:28

Kitty Lester good job you weren't cuddling me Aromatics makes me vomit, I have to steer well clear of the clinique counter ?

ReadyMeals Fri 14-Aug-20 21:33:21

Well if he didn't mean the perfume, get your kidney and liver function checked. When they play up, sometimes the waste products that would normally go into your urine can come out of your skin pores, and smell faintly like incontinence.

Legs55 Fri 14-Aug-20 20:33:48

Chloe is my favourite daytime perfume, Chanel No 5 for special occasions, yes it can smell like "cat's pee" on some people.

For just everyday when I'm not going out or just popping to the local shop I use So... or Impulse

Chewbacca Fri 14-Aug-20 20:33:38

If you are a writer anywhere in North America, smelled is the correct spelling, as smelt is now exclusively a British English spelling but, just to confuse us further, it says that smelt and smelled are interchangeable in the UK. Stink? Stunk? Stank?

MissAdventure Fri 14-Aug-20 20:28:22

Which is it, then?
I'm happy to be told.

Callistemon Fri 14-Aug-20 20:27:34

I read somewhere that you should spray your perfume in front of you and walk through it before you get dressed.

It was in some rubbish novel I read once but the idea has always stayed with me.
At least your bedroom would smell lovely.

Chewbacca Fri 14-Aug-20 20:26:53

I have never smelt it before. Smelled?

Apparently that's one of the most commonly searched for spell checks on Google and it depends on whether you're in the USA or the UK as to which is "correct."

MissAdventure Fri 14-Aug-20 20:24:19

I've just ordered a tiny sample from Ebay.
I have never smelt it before. Smelled? smile

donna1964 Fri 14-Aug-20 20:17:22

There is nothing that has ever matched Clinique Aromatics...I just love it. You don't need much and it lasts for hours...you are meant to spray it over the top of your head and let it do its trick by travelling down to other areas of your body. Aromatics is my going out perfume and I always get stopped with compliments when wearing it. I don't think any Perfume goes out of fashion like some people say...its what ever suits you. My day perfume is Eternity by Calvin Klein.

sharon103 Fri 14-Aug-20 19:28:34

Maybe not the perfume. Washing powder/ liquid? Do you use fabric conditioner?
I only say this because on the odd occasion when I've been on the bus I've noticed that the clothes of elderly men have a distinctive 'old' smell to them. Not body odour.
Not meaning to offend. smile

Dorsetcupcake61 Fri 14-Aug-20 19:27:55

My current favourite is L'interdit by Givenchy. I do love Youth Dew! Also adored Coco by Chanel until someone I really didnt like started wearing it!
I got married on a very hot day in the mid 1980s. I wore Opium and my husband Kouros by Yves Saint Laurent, surprised we didnt knock the congregation out!

Chewbacca Fri 14-Aug-20 19:26:08

I only tried an Aromatics Elixir sample sized bottle once and just couldn't bear to wear it after a couple of hours. Gave me a headache. Having said that, sometimes, when out and about, a woman might pass me and the sheer intensity of her perfume seems to give me a headache. Less is more.

DonnaFHSheridan Fri 14-Aug-20 19:07:48

Also, I have a couple of So...? body mists from B&M and they are very good for the price. X

jerseygirl Fri 14-Aug-20 19:05:21

I think the problem with aromatics elixir is that women put on far too much. Its very heavy and you only need a small ammount. I definately wouldn't wear it during the day, its more a going out perfume.. Try Angel or the new Angel nova by thierry mugler. Its gorgeous and not too heavy but lasts all day.

Trisha57 Fri 14-Aug-20 19:03:40

Mon Guerlain by Guerlain (obviously!) always gets compliments when I wear it. And I wouldn't be without my Jean Paul Gualtier Classique.

DonnaFHSheridan Fri 14-Aug-20 18:58:33

YSL Black Opium is amazing. X

annsixty Fri 14-Aug-20 18:51:28

Nowt wrong with Bio-oil 123kitty