Apparently I am very much into bergamot-forward fragrances as evidenced by my collection. Any recommendations or favorites for summertime? I currently have:
Bal D’Afrique
Mistpouffer
Bynomads - Oud Kyphi
Sharing this now because I feel like I’ve completed a “phase one” of this hobby and want to pause before buying more (she tells herself…) I am extremely lucky that my job takes me around the world. While it can be intense schedule-wise, I always try to make time to explore the local spots.
Top shelf: heavier scents that I reserve for a night out. From left to right:
Phronema, St. Moses of Ethiopia - Powdery iris extravaganza with a lovely blackberry drydown
Amouage, Guidance 46 - Picked up from Nordstrom during their last sale. I love this scent like most but it’s very heavy on me.
Diptyque, Volutes - Definitely my most masculine leaning scent but I love the depth of an ambers tobacco so much I don’t care.
Bynomads, Oud Kyphi - Recent pickup from a small line in São Paulo, Brazil. Another amber, with vanilla drydown. Very long lasting!
Stora Skuggan, Mistpouffer - My only blind buy. I don’t regret this one but I’m struggling to find an opportunity to wear it, I think it’ll be better in the colder seasons.
Second shelf, left to right:
(Kinda hidden) All Saints, Sunset Riot - I bought this as my daily scent before I got into this hobby. A nice fruity freshness that’s pretty inoffensive but kind of a classic for me
Juliette has a Gun, Moscow Mule - Also one I bought years ago. I liked it when I first sampled it but I pretty much hate it now.
Maison Matine, Poom Poom - I think this is the scent that got me into this hobby. I bought this one because I adored the scent, then I started researching fragrances and realized the depth of the hobby. A great everyday scent like Sunset Riot, but it doesn’t last more than an hour on me.
Byredo, Mojave Ghost EDP - I bought this at Dover Street Market in Tokyo before I got into the hobby. My entry point into Byredo - would like to get a sample set to see how I feel about others.
Diptyque, Lazulio - I’ve posted elsewhere on Reddit about my undying love for this fragrance. Had buyers remorse at first, went back to see if I should exchange and the sales rep convinced me to keep it and I’m so happy he did.
Le Labo The Matcha 29 - First in store experience purchase after i decided this was my new hobby. I had read so much about Santal 33 and had to smell for myself but ended up liking this gal way more.
Phebo, Ginga - Copying a previous review I posted on the Niche subreddit, this was from a recent pickup in São Paulo, from one of brazils most prominent fragrance brands. Ginga is mango all the way but I’m going to assume they were going for a ginger effect here because that’s ALL I get up front. But really it’s the sharpness of ginger balanced with the softness of mango and a hint of floral.
Fugazzi, Vanilla Haze - had a sample of this and had intended to buy when I happened upon it eventually. Randomly found a high end fragrance store near some errands I had to run so I dropped in. I wasn’t dressed particularly nice, but not disheveled either, but I went in and asked the sales rep if they had any Zoologist since I’d never tried any before. She replied “you might want to try a department store for that.” Was she big-dogging me? Did she misunderstand me? I wanted to assume best intent so I decide not to spar. Started talking while exhibiting some semblance of knowledge and she started to engage with me more. Anyway, that’s how I ended up with this one.
Bynomads, K-Musk - The other pickup from this line after that São Paulo trip. I felt I needed it since I don’t think they ship to the US.
Granado, Époque Tropical - Granado is another of Brazils more prominent brands. Fruity and musky but only lasts no more than an hour.
Phebo - Lichee y Pimienta - Another copy from my other review I posted after that Brazil trip. Hits hard with the lychee up front but then the pepper comes in shortly after. Also feels like you might need to over spray for any form of longevity.
Ok I really need to stop now
So I’ve been glamping with a group of folks this week and brought a couple of my Diptyque samples in tow (fleur de peau and philosykos).
When I first smelled fleur de peau in store I was not as compelled by it as its popularity would indicate, but still a lovely scent. I like philosykos more but decided to save a full bottle purchase for when I run out of others first.
What I’ve noticed on this trip is that any time I used FDP I would get multiple compliments, including from my husband who never comments on this stuff (he’s more of a “you always smell good to me” even when I stink type).
This brought up an interesting exercise for me. I absolutely soak up the dopamine hit of compliments but my instinct is that I shouldn’t be buying fragrances for that purpose at the expense of my enjoyment of it. I certainly buy based on what I like while also enjoying the experiment of it all (seeing what elicits a reaction amongst others)…but I wonder if that’s another pillar of a collection (other people’s enjoyment vs my own? )My initial thought is no, but man do I love when people comment.
Tl;dr - Do I buy Fleur de Peau because other people seem to like it?
(I’m probably both answering my own question here AND giving myself an excuse to justify more shopping but hey I’m interested in other folks’ perspectives!)
Out taking my mom out for Mother’s Day brunch, the hostess sat us down at our table and began pouring us water. “Someone at this table smells amazing. Like something earthy, musky but fruity.”
Clocked it! I just got back from a trip to Brazil where I admittedly went crazy. Brazil has an incredible fragrance culture but anything imported is subject to very high import taxes, so I only bought local/native brands. The scents are Époque Tropicale by Granado and K-Musk by a newer brand called Bynomads.
K-Musk Notes:
Top notes: Fig Leaf, Carrot, Yuzu
Middle notes: Cashmere Wood, Neroli, Ginger, Tumeric, Ambrette
Base notes: Palo Santo, Neroli, Tonka Bean, Sandalwood, Suede
I will be chasing this high forever.
Here for work, but taking advantage of the 4 hr time difference to get some exploration done in the morning. I have a couple extra days so if anyone has any other suggestions, send them over! (Edit: added what I spent in USD)
Granado - Époque Tropical - So bright and citrusy with a touch of floral. The mandarin comes in strong, but feels like you need to spray a lot of this for any form of longevity as it softens after an hour or 2.
Granado - Various - I only had a chance to sample a few of these but I got them as gifts. The Coleção comes with 5x 10ml travel sprays with Folia, Expedição, Boemia, Nostalgia and Époque Tropical. The other gift set, Trio Elixer, comes with Neroli, Sãndalo, and Ambar. While I didn’t want to open the gifts up for this particular post, I will say that the cool thing about these scents is that while they have familiar ingredients, they all feel local and endemic to the tropical environment.
I spent $158 total USD at Granado (the Époque Tropical and 3 gift sets.)
Phebo - Lichia e Pimenta - This is such a unique scent. Hits hard with the lychee up front but then the pepper comes in shortly after. Also feels like you might need to over spray for any form of longevity. ($59 USD)
Phebo - Ginga - I can’t believe my luck that I went on a day when it was a BOGO free (the Google Translate exchange I had with the store rep indicated it is because they are coming out with new packaging). Ginga is mango all the way but I’m going to assume they were going for a ginger effect here because that’s ALL I get up front. But really it’s the sharpness of ginger balanced with the softness of mango and a hint of floral. Another one that feels like it needs to be sprayed a bunch for any particular staying power but I love the scent. ($59 USD)
Bynomads - Oud Kyphi - There is no way I would’ve known about this house if it wasn’t for my Brazilian colleague who mentioned her friends line and where it was sold (if you’re here/local, it’s at Pinga in Paulista area). But wow what a special smell - it appears it’s a brand new (2026) release including 6 total scents. I ended up with Oud Kyphi for its richness, depth, and sophistication to start, and I’m glad I did because it’s projection and staying power was felt all throughout the day. A sweet/spicy blend that later evolves into a soft vanilla after a few hours. Leaning a bit more masculine and evening appropriate but not overwhelming enough to just be for special occasions. ($180 USD)
I’m still new at this hobby so forgive the lack of sophistication here, but I guess if there’s one thing I learned with this haul, is that I like a peppery note!
This past week I had a work trip in Vegas. In the hour-ish of free time I had, I made my way over to the Wynn shops as they have a Dyptique and a Le Labo right next to each other.
I should note that I’m just beginning my fragrance collection and this is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to really delve into both storefront experiences and actually test out their varieties. Here’s what I treated myself to:
Le Labo - Thé Matcha 26. Felt like I could’ve bought at least one other fragrance here but I landed on this one. While my palette is still developing, I didn’t really pick up matcha in this one, but I love the fresh, woody air.
Dyptique - Lazulio. This felt like a risky buy for me as a noob. I went in looking for a daytime, spring/summer scent and this was the third one suggested to me. It’s a heavy tart rhubarb to start with but after 10 mins on it evolves into a much softer, warm woody scent. Really cool.
Dyptique - Volutes. I really love a tobacco scent and don’t have one yet. This one feels sultry and as a woman it leaned a bit masculine but it makes me feel powerful and confident. I’m going to guess that it’s the sweetness of the honey that balances out the strength of the tobacco that guided me in this direction. Definitely more of an evening scent
Really wish I had the time to go to the Guerlain Boutique at the Bellagio but I love this hobby because there’s always something to experience out there. But I’m up to 6 in the collection now and I’m going to sit with these for a while!