This whole thing is really two-fold. The first part is that it is extremely rare for me to actually make it through an entire bottle of perfume. Since I started wearing "real" perfume when I was about 14, there have only been a couple that I have completely made it through. The second part is that there is a very small number of perfumes that once I've completed, I would ever actually really want to wear again. So this post is about the perfumes I either have repurchased more than once, or relatively new ones that I know I will be repurchasing as soon as they're gone.
1) Tommy Hilfiger-Tommy Girl: this was the first "real" perfume I ever used and I used it religiously all the way through seventh, eighth, ninth and part of tenth grade. Pretty impressive. This is partly because my mother used Chanel No. 5, which for me was too heavy, and that was the only perfume she used. I simply wasn't exposed to very much at that point in my life. I loved Tommy Girl well, but I outgrew it and although I repurchased it numerous times, it's not something I feel like I need to have now. It served its purpose.
I guess since I started with my first, I should just keep going in chronological order...
2) Chanel-Chance by Chanel: I first smelled this about half way through my sophomore year of high school, when a friend, Lily, pulled out the roller ball in the car on the way to rehearsal for some Marilyn Izdebski show (Annie?) and I smelled it while she was putting it on. I fell instantly in love and asked her if I could wear some too. I came home that day and my mom asked me what I was wearing and said she loved the way it smelled on me. (Very fortuitous, since I did, too) A few weeks later she bought me my first bottle for my birthday. I wore it every day until about half way through my first year of college, and went through quite a few bottles. I still keep a bottle of this at all times, it's the first perfume I had that was truly sophisticated and not too sweet or too girly. I can't tell you how many times I've repurchased, at least four, I think. And I still love it.
3) Chanel-Coco Mademoiselle: I discovered this one on my own. I was actually repurchasing Chance and happened to smell Coco Mademoiselle at the recommendation of the lady who was helping me. I loved it. At the time, it smelled like the perfect softly sexy, sophisticated date night perfume. (It still does, but I also wear it during the day). I love this scent, and my sister-in-law does too, I think it's her signature. I've repurchased this one maybe twice, I don't use it as often as some of my other perfumes, and as my perfume collection has expanded, the repurchasing has slowed down. I'm much more adventurous about trying a fragrance now than I was at 19 or 20. However, this is another one that I always seem to have in my collection, regardless of the other scents that rotate in or out.
4) Giorgio Armani-Acqua di Gio: I've had a love affair with this men's cologne since high school. My best guy friends, older brother and a few high school boyfriends all wore this. It is the least obtrusive of many of the other men's colognes I've experienced and it truly is a unisex scent. Finally about two years ago I bought myself a bottle, and my love affair turned into absolute obsession. It's pretty rare that I get stopped on the street and asked by strangers what I'm wearing or am told that I smell fantastic, but whenever I wear this scent I literally get stopped several times while wearing it. I even went on a few dates with this guy who also wore it and kinda made fun of me for wearing it, but then I wore it on a date and he looked at me and said "You smell incredible, what are you wearing?" Haha, best ever. I have repurchased once and am down to my last sort of third of the bottle, I will definitely be repurchasing again!
5) Bulgari-Omnia Crystalline: I found this probably my junior year of college and ended up having to repurchase very quickly. I love it. This is the cleanest, freshest scent I own and every time I wear it, I get compliments. This one is sort of funny though, girls don't seem to like it or notice it, it's one of those fragrances that guys seem to be drawn to. It's not sweet, it's not fluffy, sugary or girly. It's just clean. And I never get tired of it.
6) Benefit Cosmetics-Laugh with Me Lee Lee: I walked into Benefit one day junior year of college, with the intention of replacing an eye shadow and getting my eye brows waxed. They had just released this line of fragrances and of course I smelled them all. It just took one spray and I was hooked. I bought it as a gift for several friends, recommended it as a gift for several friends, and even bought it for my aunt because whenever I wore it she wanted to sit next to me. I've had to repurchase twice, but once was because I lost a bottle, so I don't know if that counts. This is playful and light, perfect for summer, beach days, date nights...whatever. And the little martini shaker bottle it comes in looks so darn cute on my dresser.
7) Dolce & Gabbana-#3 L'Imperatrice: I feel like this scent is really out of character for me, it's so sweet and floral, but I am absolutely in love. I will literally spray this all over my bed and sheets and myself before sleep because waking up with the smell on your sheets and in your hair is absolutely incredible. I love the softness of this and it's one of those smells that you could throw on right before a little nookie and have your man (or woman) be weak in the knees. I've repurchased twice, and used every last drop every time. It's almost time for a new bottle!
8) Giorgio Armani-Acqua di Gioia: this is my most recent perfume love find. I smelled it once right after it came out and bought it on the spot. In less than a year (seriously, so fast for me) I had all but demolished the bottle. I just repurchased a new one. This is definitely one of my all time favorites. If I could only have 5 perfumes, this would be one of them. And to me, this doesn't smell anything like its male counterpart, which is genius.
9) Coach-Poppy Flower: Scratch the first sentence of Acqua di Gioia. This is my most recent discovery. I'm not a huge fan of Coach Poppy, and kind of just ignored the brand's fragrances. Then one day in Sephora, someone else sprayed Poppy Flower and I almost died. I've only had it a few months (less than six) and I'm half way done with the bottle. I will definitely be repurchasing this perfume, I can already tell.
I highly recommend all of these. And am kind of surprised that given the size of my perfume collection, there's only nine that I've ever repurchased/will repurchase. These are definitely my most favorites, although there are other scents that I love, I just don't see my self ever needing to buy those again. This is a good mix of headier, date night type scents and fun, light, playful ones. Cheers!
