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Scent Sample Sunday: Crowd Pleasers

I have a few fragrances that I think of as “crowd pleasers.” My “crowd” these days are usually my husband and teenaged son, who are patient testers of wrists extended with the request to sniff and tell me what they think. They prefer what my son calls “laid-back” scents: straightforward, more on the subtle side, nothing too strong (tuberose, I’m looking at you!) or challenging. And I have some very pleasing fragrances that fit the bill: some by Jo Malone, some by Lili Bermuda, some by Penhaligon’s, even one by Montale when applied lightly (Intense Cafe).

The crowd-pleaser I wore today is Berdoues Grand Crus Vanira Moorea. The only notes listed on Fragrantica are:  petitgrain, brazilian orange and madagascar vanilla. I’m sure there’s more going on with it, but those are the notes one smells the most. It opens with that citrusy sparkle and moves quickly into vanilla territory. I’ve noticed that many men seem to like the vanilla note in women’s fragrances if it is prominent enough for them to notice. Some commenters find Vanira Moorea sweet, but I don’t — at least not enough to think of it as vanilla gourmand. It always draws nods of approval from my “crowd” when I wear it. It’s a comfortable, comforting scent without being heavy or cloying.

CaFleureBon‘s Gail Gross wrote a lovely review of Vanira Moorea, around the theme of the South Pacific:

This new cologne, created by perfumer Alexandra Monet and introduced in July 2016, is at once vivid, saturated and crisp. With the initial spritz the slightly bitter, leafy petitgrain lifts the vanilla right off the ground. As the cologne drifts and swirls though the air, bright sparks of sweetness are carried on a green, misty essence of twigs and leaves.  This unisex, effervescent refreshment lasts for about an hour before the fragrance melts and settles onto the skin with a sensuality reminiscent of oranges and sunshine.

I think it is this sunny, cheerful warmth that makes this fragrance a true crowd-pleaser. Which fragrances of yours would you put in that category?

 

9 thoughts on “Scent Sample Sunday: Crowd Pleasers”

  1. I have a full bottle of Vanira Moorea floating around the house as I gifted it to my daughter last Christmas…I find that all of the Berdoues are easy going and lovely…Assam of India is another Berdoues that comes to mind as sunny and cheerful.

    Many of Jeffrey Dame’s (Dame Perfumery) creations are crowd pleasers. When I wear them to work I always get lots of compliments- Black Flower Mexican Vanilla, New Musk for Man, Citrus Man, Earth Mother and Bergamot, Jasmine and Labdanum are the ones that pop into my head at the moment.

    Sometimes you just need a “no brainer” to grab and go 🙂 Something easy going and uncomplicated, right?

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    • And I agree that the Jo Malones fit that bill as well…my daughters love the brand and we have quite a few full bottles and travel sizes of those floating around the house as well.

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      • Forgot to respond to your question! One daughter has the large bottle of Peony & Blush Suede, another the large bottle of Ginger Biscuit and my son has travel sprays of Lime Basil Mandarin, Wood Sage and Sea Salt, Orange Bitters and Basil and Neroli…..I happen to love the Orange Blossom (drained a bottle a few years ago) and French Lime Blossom (almost finished my FB)….but we also like Pomegranate Noire, Velvet Rose and Oud, Dark Amber and Gingerlily and many many others!

        I don’t think I have tried any of the Jo Loves but I could be wrong because I have done an extensive amount of sampling in the past few years 🙂

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      • And while we are on the subject of cheerful sunny scent I am going to highly recommend for that category St. Clair Scents First Cut….bergamot, lavender absolute, mimosa and honeyed hay ….it is absolutely gorgeous….I really like her other two offerings as well (Gardener’s Gloves with tomato leaf, greens and sueded leather and Frost named after the poet which smells like smoke, wood, strawberry jammy roses and honeysuckle nectar on my skin)….I highly recommend all three and would love to own them in full bottle size.

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  2. I think many of perfumes that I like and wear are too complex for others to like – unless they are just being polite, then they would compliment just on the fact that they can smell it in general, not necessarily because they actually liked the scent. I also think that some people might think it’s rude to mention somebody’s perfume.
    One perfume that I noticed was getting disproportionate number of compliments was Tom Ford Violet Blond. Unfortunately, all I have is a couple of ml left in my decant, and I won’t be hunting that discontinued beauty after it’s gone.
    I was one of those people for whom Vanira Moorea was too sweet to wear. But I can see how it might work for others.

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  3. I think the reaction to Vanira Moorea depends in part on how well the citrus notes come through on one’s skin. To me, that citrusy opening is what makes VM different, and less sweet on me. I don’t normally like very sweet fragrances or gourmands, I usually gravitate to greens or florals, though I’m working to expand my horizons, so the petitgrain in VM appeals to me.

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