5 Women on Why They Wear Perfume

For all our perfume lovers out there: are you a signature scent or a more-is-more kind of person? Do you like strong and musky scents or light and sweet ones? We’re always curious to hear if people are perfume fans, and if so, if they’ve had a scent journey. A couple of us on Team LC don’t wear perfume too often, so we reached out to some of our friends and contributors to share their experience wearing their favorite scents. For a look at why Team LC and friends wear perfume, keep reading…

Tessa Scott, LaurenConrad.com Editor

Some of my earliest memories are of my grandmother’s perfume and my mom’s perfume on Sunday mornings; their scents are tied to my childhood memories of those days and when I came of age, I wanted my own sophisticated scent that I could call my own! My first perfume ever was Vera Wang Princess—a scent I wore for YEARS that now feels sweet and nostalgic to me whenever I smell it. It reminds me fondly of first dates and my high school dances. I later “graduated” to wearing Viva La Juicy {because Juicy Couture was life}. 

Once I started branching out and exploring more scents in college and now into adulthood, I’ve discovered that my favorites are warm, spicy, and a little bit floral or fruity. Lately I’ve been wearing Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel {with notes of orange, patchouli, and Turkish rose}, Dolce & Gabbana Garden {with notes of Frangipani flower, coconut, and ylang-ylang}, and Twilly d’Hermès {with notes of ginger, tuberose, and sandalwood}. A good scent makes me feel so much more confident and feminine, and feels like a little treat to myself as I smell hints of the perfume throughout my day.

Christina Jones, Photographer

To me, wearing perfume completes my look for the day. I especially love spraying my favorite fragrance, Marc Jacobs Daisy and going out on a date night with my husband or even a regular day of work. My go-to scents have floral notes and smell super sweet. Wearing perfume makes me feel feminine, sexy and confident.

Priscilla Vega, Founder of PR Vega

I recently smelled the desert air and it instantly took me back to my youth. I grew up in the Mojave Desert but I don’t think I fully realized the distinct smell of the desert until I moved away. The crisp cold air, the wind swirling the dirt around, the burning sun and the glowing sunsets. It all has a very specific smell. I can close my eyes and smell it now. When I go out, I love a subtle scent that reminds me of home. A hint of sandalwood, maybe some sage with something sweet and unexpected. I personally love Le Labo’s Santal 33, then I rely on my laundry detergent {Jenni Kayne’s Laundress} and my deodorant {Corpus Cedar Flora} for that effortless hint of sweetness. 

Leslie Bruce, Author

My relationship with perfume started off a bit rocky. As a teenager, I subscribed to the idea that more is better and soon alienated key people from my life purely because I was abusing their sense of smell. My mother being one.

However, I quickly discovered that I was a “signature scent” kind of girl—a fragrance monogamist, if you will. Over the course of my life, I’ve had three truly defining relationships: Tommy Girl, Ralph Lauren Romance and Tom Ford Black Orchid. I guarantee that just about every “elder millennial” {a term I don’t love} will have a distinct, hyper specific memory to at least one of these perfumes. For me, particular scents are bookmarks in my life—my current preference is earthy, woodsy and just a touch citrusy —and catching their aroma can immediately transport me back to a place and time. I love the rich nostalgia a smell can offer. Recently, I made the decision to begin a new chapter. I celebrated a milestone birthday and saw my way through some major life events, and it was time to embrace this new beginning with a new signature scent. My husband took me on a little getaway, and I stumbled on a perfume I absolutely adore at the hotel gift shop: Vilhem Parfumerie’s Morning Chess. It’s a unique, but subtle fragrance—leather, patchouli and bergamot—that immediately makes you feel cozy. Like anything, it’s most important that what we wear makes us feel good.

Kyrena Dudley, LaurenConrad.com Editor

When I was younger, I loved perfume, and lots of it. More often than not, you’d catch me in my mom’s closet spraying the assortment of scents she had {never forget Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely!} and playing dress up with her clothes. When I started building up my own perfume collection, well, I went a little crazy. I had far too many to list, and I never really stuck with a signature scent until I got a little older. At that point, I decided to significantly pare down my collection and focus on one: Jo Malone’s Nectarine Blossom & Honey. It was fresh, sweet, and I would apply it liberally to make sure that everyone could smell it. I wore that scent for a few years until I went to Japan and came across a perfume oil from a brand named The Perfume Oil Factory. The Lotus No.7 scent was floral, very soft, and quite light. I tried to use it as sparingly as possible, to the point where I still have it now {6 years strong!} because I wasn’t sure where I could purchase it in the United States.

As much as I adored that scent, over the last year or so, I felt my tastes change. When I discovered Le Long Fond from Maison Louie Marie, I knew I found a scent that matched a new stage of my life. I loved the notes of hinoki, patchouli, and cedarwood. Because it is a perfume oil, it’s definitely not as strong if you’re not physically close to me, but I think I like it that way. It feels personal, almost like a secret. I also love the Nuxe Body Oil. It’s very different from Le Long Fond, but the notes of orange blossom, magnolia, and vanilla instantly bring me back to summer beach days and my carefree times in France. I couldn’t love it more.

What perfume do you like to wear? How has it changed over the years?

Share your perfume journey with us in the comments below!

XO Team LC

Photos: Christina Jones, Priscilla Vega, Kyrena Dudley, Tessa Scott, Leslie Bruce

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