u/Custardpuddingo

Hey guys, I'm desperately searching for the perfect baked goods/Christmas perfume and I feel like I keep getting disappointed, so I thought I’d list some perfumes I’ve tried so far in case someone here has similar taste and can point me in the right direction😭

What I’m looking for:

I basically want to smell edible. Like Christmas. -- Decadent. Very sweet, but with depth, warmth and coziness. I want something mouthwatering and comforting.

Think:

• butter cookies 🍪
• cake batter, cupcakes and baked cake straight out of the oven
• ice cream on a waffle cone 🍦
• creme brulee / vanilla custard 🍮
• burnt sugar almonds at a Christmas market
• tiramisu (maybe)

A bit of woodsiness or smokiness is totally welcome since I do want some depth and maturity, but it shouldn’t overpower the gourmand part.

I don’t really want heavy Arabic-style orientals or overly floral perfumes, especially lavender (roses are negotiable lol). Fruity notes are fine as long as they stay subtle or fade over time.

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Now a little review. If people are interested, I’d also be happy to make a separate in-depth review post.

Perfumes I liked (more or less):

• Mancera Amore Caffè: probably one of the closest so far to what I’m looking for. It smells like tiramisu with rum to me. Sweet coffee, slightly boozy, edible. The coffee blends into the sweeter notes instead of being super dark or bitter.

• Xerjoff Lira: now this one confused me SO much. The first time I smelled it, it smelled like beautiful lemon pound cake. I literally kept sniffing my wrist on the train — yes, it probably looked weird. Cakey, warm, well-rounded vanilla.

• --> The second time however, it wasn’t like this at all. The scent turned into some chemical accident. I tried it again on another day and it still smelled odd.

• YSL Libre Le Parfum: not really what I’m searching for, but I still preferred this over the original Libre because it was sweeter and warmer. It gives elegant woman energy more than bakery gourmand though.

• MINE Vagnilia & MOU: I actually enjoyed it, although it was VERY sweet and almost too sugary.

• I also vaguely remember trying something from Maison Tahité years ago, but I can’t remember which one. I think they were pretty nice though.

Perfumes that didn’t work for me (reviews below are honest and occasionally a little harsh😭 Please don’t take it personally if your favorite is on this list — fragrance is subjective and this is just my experience):

• Billie Eilish Eilish No. 1: way too minty on me somehow. I know people call this a warm vanilla, but on my skin it felt cold instead of creamy.

• Victoria’s Secret Bare Vanilla: definitely warm and comforting. A cozy sweet vanilla for layering or casual wear. My issue is mostly that after a while it becomes too heavy and synthetic and almost starts bothering me. It’s also pretty flat with little complexity, but that’s understandable for an inexpensive body mist.

• Ariana Grande MOD Vanilla: very sweet, but also lacked depth and complexity.

• Sabrina Carpenter perfumes: same issue for me honestly. Very sugary, but they smelled too synthetic and “young”. Cute, but not what I’m looking for.

• Zara Gourmand Coffee: too dark and bitter. Smelled like straight black coffee with sweetness added on top.

• Burberry Goddess: the lavender was WAY too strong for me. Pretty perfume, but not cozy enough.

• YSL Libre: objectively a good perfume, but not what I want on myself. Too floral, no Christmas/Café vibes, more like office-siren.

• Lattafa Eclaire: I’m sorry but I genuinely do not understand the hype🥲 On me, this smelled like rubber tires and melted plastic. I tried it multiple times hoping I’d change my mind. But it seems like other people have had this issue too.

• Kayali Vanilla 28: too spicy/oriental while somehow also smelling plain at the same time. It actually gave me a headache and I had to scrub it off.

• Dolce & Gabbana Devotion + Devotion Intense: both smelled oddly synthetic to me, especially in the opening. It reminded me of room spray because of the citrus.

I’ve also tried quite a few perfumes from Dubai/Arab dupe houses and unfortunately most of them were a no for me. A lot of them had this very synthetic underlying smell that I genuinely can’t describe properly, but once I notice it, I can’t ignore it anymore. Brands like Lattafa, Khamrah etc. also tend to give me headaches

If anyone can relate to some of this and has recommendations for good baked goods / Christmas-y fragrances, PLEASE help me.

Thank you for reading a this! 💫