Something smells like expensive French perfume....

[Alchemist]

I'm looking for BPAL oils that give the impression of expensive, elegant French perfumes. Are there any suggestions ?

[Indigo78]

Bon Vivant smells a lot like Yves Saint Laurent's Yvresse (formerly Champagne, before the whole no-naming-perfume-after-our-city thing). It's a little less dry, with fresh strawberries beneath the champagne note. But to me, the overall feel is very similar.

[Mrs.Black]

Some of the oils in the latest crop of Dark Delicacies exclusives smell very Chanel-ish to me. Diabolical Offspring and Psychological Horror are very similar to Chanel n 5 (with the first one emphasising more the powdery aspect) and Gothic Horror reminds me, if more distantly, of Coco.

[jizatt]

I had heard Ozymandias smelled like Chanel No. 5 - I know it was beautiful and dry, but I havent smelled the other so...

[Ahania]

I don't know what makes a perfume smell French, but Masquerade smells very sophisticated and classy to me.

[voodoocatwoman]

I think that Vixen is a dead ringer for Shalimar.

[Geminirubyshoes]

My friends and I say that Follow me Boy smells like wealthy french ladies if that is any help to you

[thelaurenator]

Get your hands on some Snake Charmer if possible. Smells like an expensive French oriental. Personally, I like Coco by Chanel better so I didn't need both.

 

Belle Epoque smells french to me, as does the Salon Lucretia.

[donnatron]

A couple weeks ago I was wearing Spellbound and my coworker commented on my "beautiful perfume" and asked if it was French. That's a nose chemistry thing, though.

 

Because I'm a nerd I just spent a few minutes reading about the history of perfume and scanning through articles for mentions of France. French perfumes are highly floral and herbal in nature. There can be a musky base but probably more along the lines of a dark musk, red musk (possibly, depending on how it reacts on your skin) or civet. Just from what I read here are a few suggestions. They're more along the line of pre-Industrial Revolution France.

 

Marie A blend of sinuous violet and elegant tea rose: the chosen scent of France's Demigoddess of Debauch: Marie Antoinette.

Kind of a "duh," I guess.

 

Twilight Lavender and jasmine, with a touch of glowing honeysuckle.

Elegant and womanly with a classical bent.

 

Belle Epoque Sweet opium, Lily of the Valley, vanilla, mandarin and red sandalwood.

Another kind of "Duh" one. The vanilla in this is warm and non-foodyish enough to give this a sensual vibe without making it modern.

 

Veil White sandalwood, lilac, gardenia, violet, orris, lavender and ylang ylang.

Soft and a bit powdery. Very cool and distant feeling.

 

You may also want to look at the Wanderlust section. A lot of the perfumes, particularly those inspired by cities in Europe, probably suit your quest.

[childdoll]

Catherine has a very French perfume smell too me. Strong, dark rose smell. It's a bit too overpowering for me, but my mom and my immediate reactions were "French perfume". But you have to like roses if you get this one. Edited August 14, 2009 by childdoll

[mamoyer]

The Salon and Retail-only Salon fragrances usually remind me of French perfumes, like Annick Goutals.

 

The Torture Queen reminds me a lot of Chanel no.19 or Dior Escale à Pondichèry with its fresh greenness. It's sweeter IMO than no.19 though.

 

Is there a certain brand of french perfume you're thinking of? There are a lot of perfume houses that make a wide variety of perfumes! HTH!

[Monster]

The Salon and Retail-only Salon fragrances usually remind me of French perfumes, like Annick Goutals.

 

Yup! The Salon scents smell the most "expensive" to me.

 

I'm not sure what sort of notes you like but, Carceri D'Invenzione (in The Salon) is the most decadant perfume I've come across.

The notes include redwood, red sandalwood, black pepper, blonde tobacco and frankincense. It's one of my personal favorites

[ancilla_morte]

Privilege. SOO underrated since it's from the Paris Hilton series It's extremely Haute and rich-person smelling but its also sweet, fresh and addictive.

[sqwook]

My favorite smells-like-it-was-expensive perfumes from the Salon are Bat-woman and Death and Life Completed.

[parrot_suspect]

you might want to look for fragrances that list amber as one of the notes...that often lends a powdery, "vintage" feel to the drydown.

Here are a few that, to me, smell like they could be from Guerlain, Chanel, Rochas, etc.:

 

Haunted smells like Shalimar.

Unseelie (discontinued) smells like L'Heure Bleue.

Ozymandias, Diabolical Offspring and Psych Horror are a bit reminiscent of Chanel No. 5 and other classic, aldehydic fragrances.

Baghdad smells like Caron Nuit de Noel.

Several Salon fragrances have an elegant feel to them, including Lucretia, And There Was a Great Cry in Egypt (that one smells like Vol de Nuit to me), Death and Life Completed and Philosopher in Meditation.

[mooncityminx]

I second the suggestion of Vixen. She is sophisticated and sexy as hell. Reminds me somewhat of Coco, but not in a clone type way. Ozymandias was too powdery for me, personally. But my chemistry tends to amp powdery smells.