Instead of doing a perfume roundup this month for the scents I’ve tested, I thought I’d do a little organization, instead. While I have been rather disappointed by a great number of the new releases I’ve tried, there are still plenty of scents I missed out on over the years, and for which I am now pining. Here’s my current wishlist, divvied up into several different categories.

Top 10: Definite Wishlist

Annick Goutal — Rose Absolue

1984 | May rose, Turkish rose, Bulgarian rose, Damascus rose, Egyptian rose, Moroccan rose

I’m a rose lover, and this is one of the ultimates. Rose, rose, and even more rose.

Annick Goutal — Rose Pompon EDP

2018
Bulgarian rose, Taïf rose, peony, blackcurrant, raspberry, pink pepper, cedar, patchouli, white musk

Fruity rose with a some sophistication about it…and actually I just bought it. Hudson’s Bay is having a 10% off any $75+ beauty order this weekend, so I took advantage and it will be part of my upcoming birthday gift! (It’s quite different from the EDT, by the way. Test both. I didn’t like the EDT, as I found it a bit sharp and overly sweet.)

Annick Goutal — Vanille Exquise

2004 | Isabelle Doyen, Camille Goutal
vanilla sur-absolute from the Marquisas Islands, angelica, almond, benzoin, gaiac wood, white musk

A divinely dry, complicated vanilla.

Berdoues — Vânira Moorea

2016 | Alexandra Monet
Tahitian vanilla, orange, petitgrain

This is a unique vanilla in that it’s not all sweet and warm and fluffy. It’s a crisp, green vanilla. Weird vanilla, and I’m fascinated by it.

Britney Spears — Fantasy Intimate

2015
lychee, violet leaf, lemon, ozone, lily-of-the-valley, jasmine, brown sugar, genet, vanilla, heliotrope, benzoin, white musk

So easy to love, and in a pretty bottle, as well. The longevity on me is superior to that of most other Britney scents I’ve tried. I still love Private Show the best, but that doesn’t last well on my skin.

Burberry — My Burberry Black

2016 | Francis Kurkdjian
jasmine, candied rose, peach nectar, amber, patchouli

I am flip-flopping over this one, a bit. While I love the original My Burberry (a modern classic, if you ask me) and wear it often, this flanker is rosier and deeper, at least in the opening. It’s just heavenly. But in the drydown, it kinda just…smells like My Burberry again. I mean that’s good and bad…at least the flanker makes sense, but do I really need it?

Donna Karan — Nectar Love

2017
grapefruit, mandarin, nectarine, freesia, solar notes, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, mirabelle plum, beeswax, cedar, vanilla, musk, neroli

I usually have a hard time with honey in scents, but this beeswax-y perfume from Donna Karan (a brand whose fragrances I rarely like, to boot) is just my cup of tea. I want a bottle, stat.

Robert Piguet — Baghari

2006 | Aurelien Guichard (original 1950 Francis Fabron)
aldehydes, rose, jasmine, amber, vanilla

This is old school awesome. aldehydes, florals, amber. Wonderful. I can’t work out why Chanel Nº5 is the queen, and this is often overlooked.

Viktor & Rolf — Flowerbomb Extrême

2006
bergamot, tea, orange blossom, jasmine, freesia, rose, osmanthus, orchid, patchouli, benzoin, vanilla, musk, amber

I don’t know why I’m obsessing about Flowerbomb. I paid it no mind until recently. The tea note is driving me nuts. I can’t find the Extrême version to test, but I might get it over the original. (In case you’re wondering, I have tried two other Flowerbomb flankers, Flowerbomb Bloom and Flowerbomb Nectar—neither has tea, nor is to my taste.)

Yves Saint Laurent — Opium EDT (2009)

2009 | Antoine Maisondieu (original 1977 Jean Amic, Jean-Louis Sieuzac)
bergamot, mandarin, carnation, jasmine, patchouli, amber, vanilla

So sue me, I like this better (for me) than the original Opium (1977). Not really the same scent, but it’s beautiful and wearable and more modern. Bonus: the husband thought it was sexy as hell.

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Top 10: Wishy-Washy Wishlist

Byredo — La Tulipe

2010 | Jerome Epinette, Ben Gorham
rhubarb, cyclamen, freesia, tulip, greenery, blond wood, vetiver

Ugh, I love this so much. It’s literally like sticking your nose into a hyperreal tulip. (Do these have a scent? I don’t think so. But La Tulipe is how they should smell.) And yet, I don’t know how much I’d really wear it, considering how much it costs. Maybe the Luckyscent sample is all I need.

Chanel — Nº5 EDP, 2018 Red Edition

1986 | Jacques Polge
aldehydes, neroli, ylang-ylang, peach, bergamot, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, iris, rose, sandalwood, vetiver, moss, patchouli, vanilla

I was so excited when I saw this new red version of the classic Nº5 bottle from Chanel, and quite disappointed when I realized it’s just a red-colored edition of Nº5 parfum, Nº5 eau de parfum, and Nº5 L’Eau (which I already have). Sigh. Well, I might get the EDP just to have it…maybe Nº5 will grow on me. But only if I have PC Optimum points to spend at Shoppers Drug Mart, and I have nothing else to get. The bottle is really a stunner.

Czech & Speake — Dark Rose

2009 (re-released in 2018)
may chang, Taïf rose, saffron, lily, oud, musk, cedar

They finally just re-released this, after discontinuing it for a couple of years due to being unable to obtain all of the necessary ingredients. Shipping to Canada is £30. I’ll wait until I get to go to England, or have someone from there, with checked luggage, visit me.

Dolce & Gabbana — Dolce Garden

2016 | Violaine Collas
mandarin, magnolia, neroli, frangipani, ylang-ylang, coconut, vanilla, almond milk, wood notes

I don’t generally care for Dolce & Gabbana, for multiple reasons, but this is one of the few of their scents that has wowed me. If you can stomach the ridiculous bottle, this is quite a gorgeous, summery tropical scent. I might pick it up next summer—probably at a discounter.

Grossmith — Shem-el-Nessim

2009 | Trevor Nicholl (original 1906)
bergamot, neroli, geranium, rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, orris, musk, patchouli, cedar, sandalwood, heliotrope, vanilla

This will probably just be on my wishlist forever since I don’t want to justify spending that much on 50 mL of perfume. But holy wow is it a beauty. It’s like Guerlain L’Heure Bleue‘s cheerier sister.

Moschino — Cheap & Chic So Real

2017
raspberry and blackerry sorbet, magnolia, pink peony, oakmoss, musk, Ambroxan

Delicious! I may not need it, especially since I already have the original Cheap & Chic I Love Love, but that bottle is awesome.

Salvatore Ferragamo — Amo

2018 | Marie Salamagne
Campari, blackcurrant, rosemary, jasmine, mate, rhubarb, Tahitian vanilla, Ambroxan, sandalwood

I didn’t care for this the first two times I tried it—in fact, it barely made an impression on me, at all. But the third time’s the charm, I guess. I loved it the third time! I will try to test it again just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. And then I’ll probably wait a bit, since Ferragamo scents seem to get a bit cheaper at the discounters, given time.

Serge Lutens — La Fille de Berlin

2013 | Christopher Sheldrake
rose, geranium, palmarosa, patchouli, moss, honey

I’m waffling on this one. I’m not sure I enjoy it enough to buy it. It’s a beautiful spicy rose, but not quite as unique nor as breathtaking as I would have hoped. On the other hand, the Sephora sale is coming up, and this may come back in stock…

Shay & Blue — Salt Caramel

2014 | Julie Massé
liquid caramel, sea salt, Tonka bean, bourbon vanilla, sandalwood

Got this in a Luckyscent sample order. It’s delectable!

Van Cleef & Arpels — Collection Extraordinaire: Orchidée Vanille

2009 | Randa Hammami
mandarin, lychee, bitter almond, dark chocolate, Bulgarian rose, violet, vanilla, cedar, Tonka bean, white musk

This is a knockout vanilla gourmand…on paper. On my skin, it somehow didn’t seem that great and the longevity wasn’t impressive, either. At this price, for me, it needs to perform superbly. Maybe I’ll retest it in cooler weather, though. It really did smell amazing on the test card.

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Top 10: Blind-Buy Wishlist

These are scents for which I’ve been unable to find testers (or to obtain reasonably-priced samples), so they’d be blind-buys.

Boucheron — Trouble Eau Légère

2005 | bergamot, lotus, amber, vanilla

The notes just sound good, don’t they? I’ve also yet to own a Boucheron, if you don’t count my husband’s Jaïpur Homme.

Cacharel — Eden

1994 | Jean Guichard
citrus, waterlily, tuberose, mimosa, jasmine, rose, lily-of-the-valley, pineapple, melon, patchouli, cedar, sandalwood, Tonka bean

This one is an oldie and apparently very polarizing. Seems like you either love it or hate it. One day, I’m gonna get a bottle…

Dsquared² — She Wood

2008 | Daphne Bugey
lemon, neroli, jasmine, violet, heliotrope, musk, cedar, vetiver, amber

I found the tester for the masculine version, He Wood (of course), at Hudson’s Bay. Sadly, She Wood was nowhere to be seen. I guess I should have asked! But He Wood smelled fab. I think She Wood will be a safe blind-buy for me, since I already enjoy a few other Dsquared² scents. Daphne Bugey has also been a successful nose for me.

Escada — Magnetism

2003 | Steve Demercado, Pierre Bourdon
pineapple, blackcurrant, melon, red berries, cassia, lychee, magnolia, iris, green notes, freesia, basil, jasmine, caraway, heliotrope, lily-of-the-valley, rose, almond blossom, sandalwood, amber, patchouli, musk, benzoin, caramel, vetiver, vanilla

There are so many notes in this, it sounds disastrous. But it’s well-loved…I’ve never liked the Escada summer editions (too fruity, too synthetic) but I’ve yet to try other Escadas. I’m intrigued!

Givenchy — Ange ou Demon Le Secret Elixir

2011
lemon, green tea, neroli, jasmine, orange blossom, frangipani, vanilla, patchouli, cedar, white musk

The original Ange ou Demon is just all right for me; the notes in this sound much more intriguing.

Jil Sander — Jil (2009)

2009 | Olivier Polge, Bruno Jovanovic
pink pepper, mandarin, lavender, lily, iris, heliotrope, vanilla, musk, ambergris

Heard good things about this. I’m keen to try my first Jil Sander, as well—I never see them in stores here.

Lalique — Satine

2013 | Nathalie Lorson
jasmine, heliotrope, gardenia, Tonka bean, vanilla, pink pepper, sandalwood, vetiver, patchouli

As with Jil Sander: nice-sounding notes, good reviews, new-to-me brand.

Mariah Carey — M

2007 | Carlos Benaim, Loc Dong
marshmallow, marine notes, tiare, gardenia, amber, patchouli, incense

I tried my first Mariah scent, Dreams, recently. It’s all right but nothing that special. Worth the discounter’s price. M, on the other hand, gets good reviews and the combination of marshmallow, tiare, and incense just sounds so very odd! Horrible bottle, though.

Molinard — Habanita EDP

2012 (original 1921)
mastic, petitgrain, geranium, ylang-ylang, heliotrope, vetiver, jasmine, mimosa, rose, nutmeg, cedar, musk, amber, patchouli, sandalwood, oakmoss, vanilla

A classic. I’ve never tried it. Color me intrigued. Very cool bottle.

Rochas — Man

1999 | Maurice Roucel
bergamot, lavender, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, musk, vanilla, sandalwood, amber, coffee

This has actually been on my wishlist for a very long time. It’s supposed to be a great, unisex coffee fragrance. The bottle is kind of fug but what can you do—it’s a cheapie!

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Have you tried any of my wishlist items? What’s on your current wishlist?

Happy Friday, and Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!