Best Perfume in Paris

[ladyjicky]

Ok, I am new so you don't know what a perfume fan I am. I love the new refit of Guerlain's on the champs elysee and I do like the Annick Goutal shop in Place Vendome.
What other places I wonder that I do not know about - and can kick myself for missing out on??
LOL

[GitteK]

Shiseido in Palais Royal should be one of THE perfume spots.

www.salons-shiseido.com/francais/html/index.htm

And it should be the only place where you can buy Serge Lutens perfumes - him being THE parfumeur of the city, they say ? I haven't been there myself - but it has been on my list for some time now. Must give it try next year.

I LOVE TO HEAR THAT YOU ARE A PERFUME FAN !! Me too - I NEVER go out the door without perfume. My "staple" perfume which I must ALWAYS have in the house is (of course) Chanel no. 5. Then I love Kenzo's "Eau", which is fresh and business-like.

Also an old classic like Ninna Ricci "L'Air du Temps" is still nice and charming.

My birthday wishing list includes Dolce & Gabbana "The One" and Issye Miyake "L'eau d'Issey".

[ladyjicky]

Gitte, I have been to Shiseido at the Palais Royal. Not a huge fan of his scents but the new Guerlain is fantastic . Huge makeover (much needed) . So a No. 5 fan. Classic and L'air du Temps too!! You just have to sniff Mitsouko and Shalimar at Guerlain Gitte - they sound like "you". I adore Jicky and Mitsouko.

[Shoesy]

Though I don't wear perfume since it tends to give me a headache and sometimes makes me itchy, I used to own Shalimar and really loved its vanilla fragrance.

[Happygoin]

I got out of the habit of wearing perfume on a daily basis but, when I got out, I love Shalimar and also Issey Miyake's L'eau d'Issey that I bought at Sephora on the CE a few years ago. I think Shalimar is trés feminine and romantic. The Issey is very light, almost citrusy.

[Roniece]

Bonjour from a remiss and absent Parisbound!! Can I just add that when I was in France our tour group visited Grasse.... and the perfumery called Fragonad(?) wonderful fragrances... and I purchased a 50ml parfum of Beauty of the Night... just delightful to wear and I get lots of comments too!
Of course my 'staple' fragrance is Oscar de la Renta... I have worn this every day for the last 5 years... each time I try and change it always draws me back to wearing it... just a lovely fragrance and very me!

Roniece

[GitteK]

WELCOME BACK, Parisbound !! Great to see you !!

[sistereurope]

Yes, welcome back Parisbound! (And welcome again ladyjicky - thanks for the intro!!)
I bought some GREAT perfume at L'Artisan Perfumer when I was in Paris in the Spring of 2005. I bought mine at the shop in the Maris (near St Paul) I had the best time - the salesman was a real hoot. I was with my husband but we weren't married yet - the salesman kept saying "ooh, try this one, it's for the MARRIAGE", and winking at me, making me laugh (and making my not quite convinced husband all nervous).
Anyway, the perfumes are lovely. Here's the site in English:

www.artisanparfumeur.com/uk/index2.html


I wear perfume every day. I also like that eau d'Issey happy! But my husband finally gave me my birthday gift of the new Hanae Mori fragrance - actually he gave me some every day so I have the whole line! That was sweet - and the fragrance is nice too!!

[Anne]

I am from the old school as far as perfume is concerned : I believe in the one-in-a-lifetime perfume, provided of course that one has found the perfume that she really loves .
I found my perfume twenty years ago and I simply cannot imagine having another one : "Jardins de Bagatelle", from Guerlain .

[GitteK]

anne - I used to agree, but I have read somewhere that your body chemistry changes over the years, so that the same perfume does not keep smelling unchangedly great on you all through your life.

Also your own nose will get so used to it, that you automatically tend to overdose. Your nose "needs a break" from time to time, so to speak.

But this said - I too cannot imagine not having my "no. 5". All the other scents are just for "fun".

[trechic]

Ohh,Gitte - I could smell my Mom, when you mentiioned Nina Ricci's "L' Air du Temps"! I have also stopped wearing perfume on a daily basis - but when I did or do - for 25+ years I wore Ralph Lauren (original in the red glass) in the summer - very clean, very fresh...and for winters and evening Yves St. Laurent "Opium". That is my scent. I get compliments all the time when I wear it. I recently have been wearing Hermes "Amazone", which I decided to try upon one of my gay male friends mentioning it was his favorite female scent. I like it but have not gotten a single compliment on it...so I think it will be back to "Opium"!

[Jody]

I'm not a total perfume addict but I do use it everyday. Like Anne, I'm mostly a one of a kind person...depending on the decade I'm in!

In college I loved a fragrance called "Snob", I think it was by Le Galion. You probably could only find it in the Smithsonian nowadays

I've always loved #5 and still use it on occasion.

My all time favorite though is Ma Griffe by Carven. It's very hard to find in the US and when I see it I stock up.

I always stock up on R&G Gingembre when I'm in Paris, I love that for everyday use. My first stop after we arrive has always been Cité Pharmacie , on rue du Four, to replenish. Probably will have to pass this year, no way am I packing those 12 oz bottles in checked luggage. I once was bringing some Penhaglion Bluebell home in my carryon and somehow the seal broke and I stunk up the whole plane! It is a lovely scent but not wafting thru the ventilation system of a huge plane>

[GitteK]

Could "Ma Griffe" have been one of my first perfumes ever, when I was a young girl, in the mid-70'ies ? That and "White Linen" from Estée Lauder. Oh, demarais, we are getting ooold.....

Opium ! Yeah, I remember that too from the 80'ies - but it's really heavy stuff, best for evening wear or for a fur-clad ladies' tea-and-cake on a cold winter afternoon at "1728".

BTW, Hermès have just launched a new one (remade an old one, perhaps ?) KELLY Calèche - which is quite good. Tried it in Galeries Lafayette this September, but the shop assistant was so unbelievably snobbish that I didn't want to buy anything from her at all stoopid b**tch.......

[Jody]

I jsut remembered another I loved and haven't seen for ages...Cabochard by Gres. I'll have to look for it again

[sistereurope]

I guess that I'm just fickle. I like variety so I switch up ALL the time...
(I'm talking perfume, not men ;D)

[luckyluc]

In matter of perfume my taste are not share with a lot of people since I really prefer "capiteux" perfume that most people find to strong. In the haute-parfumerie my favorite maker is by far Caron. Their boutique at 90 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré is sure to transport anyone into an other world.

There is always a large bottle of "Coup de fouet" and a small one of "Poivre" in my bathroom, and I put a small, small drop of it on my hands before going to bed and before closing my eyes I am transport in the boutique, expensive but still a cheap way to travel.

[sistereurope]

That's very true luc - everytime I used my perfume from L'artisan I was transported to the Marais...sigh....

[luvparee]

My favorite stop in Paris is Catherine on rue Castiglione. It is a duty free shop and they also do all the paperwork for a VAT refund if you spend over the amount required. Your refund shows up on your charge card a couple of months later. They speak English, know their products well, are very friendly, and will spend lots of time with you. They are also very generous with samples! The shop is small so I try to get there either early in the day or late in the afternoon.

I LOVE perfume and try to bring back at least one scent that has not hit the US yet.

During my first trip to Paris in 1969, I went to Catherine (having read about the store in Suzy Gershman's book) and purchased "Franka Berger" which was a French scent, and it turned out to be my all time favorite ever! Every time I wore it, I was complimented by both females and males! It just had such a great smell!! I wore it very sparingly (even though I loved it!) and still had "fumes" in the bottle. I again went to Catherine during my 2002 trip and they told me that Franka Berger was no longer in business!! As I still had the bottle at home, I took it with me to Paris last summer. I had the gals at Catherine use their "noses" to try to replicate it with some other perfume and they came up with "Lady Caron" I believe. It was nice, but not my Franka Berger!

So, to end this long story, I recently did a "Google" search for Franka Berger one afternoon when completely bored at work and to my great joy, "Enchante" in Canada came up and they had it in stock!!! I ordered the smallest bottle I could to make sure it was the same and it was!!! I love wearing it again and am now going to purchase the largest bottle I can from Enchante and have it to wear whenever I want.

I love when stuff like this happens!!! I get somewhat obsessive about certain things and will move Heaven and earth to find stuff -- and sometimes it pays off!

I also am transported to Paris everytime I wear my "Paris" perfume! Coco Mademoisselle is also a favorite. I don't just wear one perfume -- I wear what calls to me each morning.

What a fun thread!

[Happygoin]

Yes, funny how sensory the nose is...I'm always transported back to my teenage years and my first serious boyfriend whenever I smell Brut...it was THE thing back then. And my LaRoche Posay hand cream takes me right back to a specific trip to Paris last fall.

[luckyluc]

Yes smell are memory. Twelve years after her passover I still buy my mother perfume and spray it in our linen closet, so each time I get open the door, she is there opening her arms to me.