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Tonight I smell rather peculiar...

(41 Posts)
JoyBloggs Fri 01-Aug-14 20:40:15

... rather like a vase of dead flowers, because this morning I ran amok in three different shops trying all their testers of body sprays. I carried on until I ran out of bare flesh to squirt the stuff on, then came home empty-handed. I quite often go on long train journeys and all I wanted was something to spray on to cool me down and freshen me up on my travels. It had to be something cheap and cheerful, fresh and sort of 'clean-and-soapy-smelling' which was light and easy to carry around. They all seemed to have a really sickly flowery smell which sadly has lingered... (Holding-nose emoticon) There is one small area, two inches down from my left elbow, which smells quite nice but of course I haven't a clue now which flavour it was. And the middle finger of my right hand is still quite pleasingly fragrant (despite of course being washed several times), but no idea which concoction that was either... confused Must I repeat this entire tiresome exercise or can any fresh-smelling grans suggest a non-flowery spray?

NanKate Sat 09-Aug-14 10:09:54

Why is Nestle a bad company Nonnie ?

louisamay Sat 09-Aug-14 14:41:51

Eloethan - Ah, Helena Rubinstein Apple Blossom! How well I remember it, evokes such poignant memories of my youth.

grandma60 Sat 09-Aug-14 21:31:36

My son gave me Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir for Chistmas last year. I love it ,but when I wore it for day out with a friend a while ago, her chest became so tight she was struggling to breath. Luckily I had wet wipes to wash it off with. She has had problems with perfumes before but never as bad as that.

absentgrandma Mon 18-Aug-14 20:50:40

I used to love Blue Grass back in the day... well probably 50+ years ago. I bought some on Ebay a couple of years ago, despite DD telling me I was an eejit because Ebay perfume was decidedly dodgy... how did I come to have such a wet blanket for a daughtersad? Anyway, I thought it would bring back memories of my first teenage love as aromas are credited with being the strongest memory triggers. When it arrived it smelt nothing like my carefree youth, and I had to admit (but not to DD of course!) that I had my suspicions about it. I now read that perfume manufacturers often 're-design' their scent over the years. Have any Blue Grass aficionados noticed a different perfume from the one they remember from the late fifties? Can't say I dislike it, but I always thought it was a light smell, and this one is a bit cloying... and dare I say it .....old lady-ish !!

numberplease Mon 18-Aug-14 23:16:17

Haven`t bought Blue Grass for a long time, so can`t give an opinion, but I was terribly disappointed when I went back in time and bought some Evening in Paris, it`s still in a very dark blue bottle, but smelt nothing like I remembered it.

shysal Tue 19-Aug-14 08:18:07

I am still wearing Blue Grass, and buy it on Ebay. It all started in my teens when I wanted to impress a certain boy whose older sister wore it. I can't say whether the scent has changed, because I just can't smell it any more! I am trying some of the suggestions on here, but still undecided.

Gagagran Tue 19-Aug-14 09:22:55

Jo Malone for me - lime basil and mandarin is my long time everyday one. I also like pomegranate noir for evenings and have discovered, and love, her grapefruit one which I now alternate with the lime basil and mandarin.

They are pricey but seem to last and if your family know what you like you often get them as gifts.

Treebee Tue 19-Aug-14 10:05:53

I used to wear Blue Grass but it smells like fly spray to me now.
My favourite scent is Stella, light and smells of roses.
Didn't realise Nestle had half ownership of the Body Shop. I like their products but resist going in due to pushy salesmanship. I boycott Nestle where I can because of their baby milk policies, so I'll be giving Body Shop a swerve from now on.

upsydaisy Tue 19-Aug-14 10:07:14

Gagagran I like the Jo Malone lime basil and mandarin, though have only ever had the body lotion (a gift from an employer one Christmas). But hey, you need a bank loan to buy Jo Malone, though Next did some copies which were really nice.

Sooo at the complete other end of the scale - I am currently loving Story of Flower which is a copy of Kenzo Flowers. It was given to my daughter as a birthday present (cheapskate who gave it her - I've seen it for just £1 for a 50ml bottle!!) but its currently just £3.89 on Amazon. My daughter who didn't know it was cheap perfume didn't like it so she gave it me. She said it smelled like an old lady perfume hmm will suit me fine then! For such a cheap perfume and a copy at that, its lovely. Lasts ages and smells really nice. Whether it smells like the real thing I've not a clue as I've never smelled it but this one is really nice. Other than that I love Hugo Boss Deep Red.

JoyBloggs Thu 21-Aug-14 20:35:54

Thank you everyone for all your suggestions! I'm looking forward to going on a 'spraying and sniffing' spree... Just had a very busy few weeks so have not yet had time for such an outing, but look forward to it in September. It was interesting to read so many comments about Blue Grass - that was my first ever real perfume as a teenager and I loved it.

JoyBloggs Thu 21-Aug-14 20:46:36

Icyalittle No you definitely wouldn't have wanted to be sitting next to me! It did teach me a lesson and I wont go quite so crazy on my next sniffing trip... smile

JoyBloggs Thu 21-Aug-14 21:08:18

Aka The felt pen is a fun idea but I'm a bit worried about scrubbing it all off, maybe a smudge-proof eyeliner is the answer! And I always go to great lengths to avoid the make-up/perfume sales ladies (they wouldn't know where to begin to try and sort me out!) but perhaps, on this occasion only... grin

tcherry Thu 21-Aug-14 21:53:39

joy just musk is really nice

absentgrandma Thu 21-Aug-14 22:05:55

I don't think I'll go for Blue Grass again, just goes to show trying to recapture one's youth isn't always a good idea. I've just bought Eliz. Arden's True Love online after reading some good reviews on the perfume site I've just found.Someone likened it to Estee Lauder's White Linen which is a longtime favourite of mine..... we will wait and seehmm

Lona Fri 22-Aug-14 08:18:12

I went to John Lewis yesterday with £55 worth of vouchers, to treat myself to some new perfume.
I came out smelling like a tart rose!
I bought some Ralph Lauren which I've had before, and loved. It's quite sweet, but there's something about it.

I wasn't impressed with some of the assistants though, too busy for customers hmm