Since I was a little girl, I’ve always felt like my outfit is incomplete without a spritz of perfume; it’s the little something extra that can take me from being down in the dumps to feeling like I’m on cloud nine! The act of walking out of the front door without one of my signature scents is comparable to a knight riding into battle with no armor — it just feels wrong. With so many different scents for different seasons — citrus for the summer, florals for the spring, and so on — it feels like you’re having to fork over your savings every couple of months.
What if I were to tell you that you don’t have to take out a bank loan every time you want to smell nice? A novelty concept, I know, but what if I told you that some of these perfumes could be found at your local grocery stores? Here are some of my favorite affordable perfumes!
dossier
One of my favorite perfume brands is Dossier. Their schtick is to take an incredibly well-known fragrance, for example, Love, Don’t Be Shy from Kilian, and reverse-engineer the notes to create a near-identical version of the scent. I own said dupe of the Kilian scent, Floral Marshmallow, and prefer it to the original. While not exactly cheap, $38.94 at Walmart is a better deal than a whopping $295 at Sephora. I also found that the dupe, compared to the original, had much better lasting power over the course of eight hours when applied to each of my wrists.
After wearing the original Kilian fragrance, I noticed that it lost much of its complexity throughout the day, and by the end of the eight hours, it was nothing more than a one-note wash of marshmallow that reminded me of the old Justice-brand body sprays.
Floral Marshmallow, on the other hand, retained the integrity of the scent’s notes of amber, honeysuckle, and bergamot. While the intensity of the fragrance did dissipate a bit, it wasn’t nearly to the degree of that done by Kilian’s version.
For staying power, I always like to apply something odorless and sticky, such as Vaseline or body cream, to the skin first, and then spray my perfume. That gives it something to stick to, kind of like primer under foundation. When I do this, I notice a significant difference in how long scents last.
mix:bar
Another favorite brand of mine is MIX:BAR. While it’s not a brand that creates dupes of famous scents, MIX:BAR allows its users to layer various scents in their collection to create a fragrance entirely of one’s own! Though the fragrances themselves aren’t incredibly complex or groundbreaking by any stretch, the flexibility that comes with the basic nature of the notes, such as vanilla and almond, is refreshing.
You can combine Sparkling Hibiscus and Pear Blossom for a perfectly summery scent, or Sugared Lavender and Honey Milk for a floral gourmand. The possibilities seem endless with this brand.
I will say for my sensitive-nosed girlies, though, that Vanilla Bourbon has given me a headache or two. However, if you’re the kind of girl who likes in-your-face scents, this brand is the way to go! The price point isn’t too bad, either. These days, it can feel like $20 for a perfume is a bargain.
At the end of the day, it’s important to wear what makes you feel the most confident. Even though we all love different scents, hopefully these suggestions can help you feel beautiful without doing damage to your bank account!
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