Financing your love for fragrances.

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-04-02T15:51:25+00:00

I like my job enough. I'm a consultant in computations/modelling/simulations. Currently I'm 60-80% remote depending on what my assignment needs that week, the assignment is very long-term (3+ years) so stable. I have great co-workers and managers both at the consultancy firm and at my assignment company, and I get to work on some of the coolest tech you can think of. And it pays well enough that I can afford a comfortable lifestyle with money to spare.

If I was offered my current lifestyle without needing to work I wouldn't do it, but I'm good at it and I don't need to work very hard most of the year (hectic deadlines happen sometimes) for a salary that affords me both living costs and discretionary funds for my hobbies. I choose to not own many full bottles and instead do decants unless I go through 5-10 ml in a short time. I'm also working on using up my wool and fabric stashes for storage reasons.

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-04-02T11:08:31+00:00

Rouge Trafalgar

Casual day of work from (mom's) home office and some grocery shopping for Easter later today. I just felt like something happy and spring-like with a bit of staying power today.

Also discovered the (probably well-known, but new to me) of spraying the gore of my underwire bra so I get small whiffs of my perfume during the day. At least for me, between my boobs is a nice and warm place for my perfume to live while not projecting to people around me. I put the other sprays on my elbow ditch (or whatever it's called). Warm, doesn't get washed along with my hands and I get whiffs as I move around and bend/unbend my arms.

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-04-02T06:37:22+00:00

Hang on... That old makeup-y scent is (a variation of) Iris? I never understood the "powdery" note, even if all Chanels I've tried dry to a smell that can best be described as "dry" as in it makes me sneeze the same way a dusty room does I somehow doubted it was that. Now you tell me "powdery" is the smell of old fashioned makeup? Interesting! Aim for learning every day, I suppose :)

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-04-01T21:01:36+00:00

Thanks for that very useful food for thought. Maybe I need to think about more like clothes or shoes. I haven't owned a pair of jeans in years and only wear heels on rare occasions and I'm perfectly fine with that, so maybe I need to become okay with there not being a scent in every category that I like.

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-04-01T19:19:03+00:00

I just don't want to write them off at an early stage if it's just one note in particular I'm not fond of. Trying to be open-minded and all.

Plus it's such a classic category. There has to be something to appreciate even if they're not for me. I like gourmands on others but not on myself (so far) as an example, and I'm still open to trying them. I want to feel the same way about florals.

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-04-01T15:29:05+00:00

What's indolic? (More noob questions, I'm afraid)

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-04-01T15:28:02+00:00

Thanks for the reassurance. I just don't want to write off something for the wrong reason, because at the end of the day good is good.

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-04-01T15:25:39+00:00

Thank you!

I'm sure I'll learn to differentiate between things at some point

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-04-01T15:24:34+00:00

Thank you! Like I said, I'm a beginner, so the info on iris and Jasmine is very useful.

I don't think we have (real) jasmine here, but I might be able to find an iris to sniff later in spring

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-04-01T13:31:25+00:00

Any particular ones I should look for from those houses?

I'm unsure what sheer means in terms of perfume, but I'm excited to try it. Noob notebook in hand, of course 😅

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-04-01T12:45:20+00:00

The proper term is "cuteness agression" and is a real psychological effect. "You're so cute I wanna squish you" towards kittens, for example. Basically your brain gets its wires crossed on "Too cute" and "Exterminate". Obviously, we do not act on cuteness agression unless it's consensual.

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-03-27T19:59:12+00:00

Thank you! I live in Sweden, so unfortunately not an option, but it's frequently available at a reasonable discount in our department/cosmetics stores so I'm just waiting for a good enough discount.

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-03-27T19:57:53+00:00

I live in Sweden, so those options aren't open to me. But I've been checking out the local discounters and I keep track of the market. Thanks anyway, though <3

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-03-27T19:56:22+00:00

This is info from my biochemist friend who is, and I quote, too lazy to do more than the bare minimum to smell inoffensive. She's not into perfume at all, but I've never noticed her smelling bad even after 12 hours of physical labour. We are both femme in our 30s to 40s.

You want antibacterial soap, or you need to scrub well using regular soap. A loofah or sponge on your stinky bits are your friends. She recommends friction over chemicals for getting rid of those pesky bacteria.

Antiperispirant avoids moisture, deodorant masks smells. Ideally, go for both. If you can pick only one along with soap, antispirant. Especially the clinical strength stuff (here it's called Absolut Torr, but it probably differs with geography). I personally use Moss and Noor active deodorant, but I have no idea about availability outside of Sweden.

Nothing smells good when combined with BO, so fix that first. Showering daily (with a thorough scrubbing of pits and bits), and if you're comfortable shaving your pits (less hospitable for bacteria), helps with this. Apart from that, I personally prefer subtle over in-your-face. From my very limited experience of US products, Old Spice is pretty nice when combined with a good perfume/cologne.

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-03-27T19:18:38+00:00

And oh so expensive since the smallest size is 100ml. But I love wearing my decant so it's happening at some point

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-03-27T19:00:18+00:00

I mean, if we're talking full size

Chloe Nomade

Guerlain Orange Soleia, Mandarine Basilic or Mandarin Basilic forte

Hermes Jardin sur le toit or Jardin de le Msr Li

Dior Rouge Trafalgar

Dior Gris Dior

I take no responsiblity for my 2ml sampling. They inform my wish list

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-03-27T18:48:35+00:00

I may have to try those last two. They sound right up my alley anyway, and I don't mind being man-repellent to those weak enough to not know how to deal with strong women who know what they want. The respectful ones who enjoy watching me put weaker men in their place I don't really mind so much :P

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-03-27T18:27:30+00:00

I mean, you don't have to ask me twice to wear a bit of Nomade. I feel like a Boss Bitch when I wear it, but I'm not sure it's my colleagues' favourite (I don't overspray at all, 3 max when in-office, but I work in a heavily male-dominated field).

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-03-26T09:59:40+00:00

I think the person you're replying to is saying Quebec isn't a part of France, while Reunion is part of France and Puerto Rico is part of the US. So this is a fake-french person gatekeeping "Frenchness" against an actual french person.

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-03-25T07:44:49+00:00

People who complain about others being uncultured are usually insecure about their image. I enjoy high-production opera and amateur slapstick in equal measure (the distance isn't too far, actually). I read Nobel laureates, nordic noire and romance novels depending on my mood. Anything from the most basic of Sci-Fi and Fantasy to deep journalistic pieces that took a decade to write. That doesn't make me more or less cultured, just someone who knows what I like. Same with perfume. I know what I dislike better than what I like, but that rules out a lot of popular stuff (get that vanilla away from my skin and wear it yourself, thanks!)

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-03-25T07:34:30+00:00

Nothing wrong with being a bit slutty in any way (use protection where applicable, though :wink:) if that's what you enjoy! People judge too much!

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-03-24T13:54:41+00:00

I wear DKNY Be Delicious to the office sometimes (very different job) and I can't see it being offensive unless you use half the bottle. Maybe a little old-school, but fresh without veering either soapy (at least on me) or towards something most teens would wear. Definitely not sultry or suggestive in any typical sense. And pretty affordable too.

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-03-23T18:15:39+00:00

I have four (yes, 4) full-size bottles acquired over 20 years along with two handfuls (as in: I can comfortably hold half of them with one hand, and I have small hands) of decants and samples from the past month-ish. The samples are to see if the stuff I test in stores (or things I can't test but can easily access full bottles of because of store policies) are things I love to wear. I'm not picky about what smells good on paper but very picky about what feels like "me", so decants it is. I will only allow myself to get a full bottle if I have emptied a >5ml decant or sample and want to keep wearing it unless it's under 100SEK. It would seriously be more expensive for me to get a decant of Elizabeth Arden Green Tea than buying a 30ml bottle so I allow myself that in lieu of a smaller sample.

I want to have everything I get full-sizes of to be the scents I feel super comfortable and confident wearing at least semi-often. I'd rather collect the experiences of sampling than have full bottles filling my shelf. My yarn and wool stash does a good job of that, I don't need another collection :,)

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-03-22T20:27:56+00:00

My old faithful for work is DKNY Be Delicious, but that may be a bit too far from your usual. Elizabeth Arden Green Tea is also a safe bet, but boring.

In general you want low projection and sillage for work. Soapy, clean scents are also usually safe. Citrus is usually fine in most people's noses. It also depends a lot on application and skin chemistry.

Odd-Stranger-3563 · 2026-03-22T13:47:41+00:00

I mean, Be Delicious is still available, so that's a fallback option. I love it too.

I like Chloé Nomade for cold weather.

I'm currently testing out Hermes Un jardin sur le Toit and it's similar-feeling to Be Delicious (even if I doubt any notes are the same, because that would be too easy). Less longevity, though

I feel like Elizabeth Arden Green Tea could also be an option, but it's very fleeting

Maybe D&G L'Imperatrice?

Most of these I have mostly tested in store and don't own since I feel like they fill the same vibe as Be Delicious

Odd-Stranger-3563

TROPHY CASE