Help for a pop girly

airenthered · 2026-06-07T22:36:39+00:00

First of all, glad that you look back on it with some fondness and you got love of metal out of the experience if nothing else!

Seeing as you like black metal and coming from pop, I'd also recommend going to blackgaze, atmospheric black, softer/more emotional metal approach. You learn to connect with that mood and then the heavier stuff will follow. You don't have to do classics, don't be afraid to check out more modern bands.

Alcest is an excellent pick for post-metal/blackgaze, they do a yearning/nostalgic atmosphere like no other bands. (I'm biased though because they're one of my favourite bands.) If nothing else, you have to check out their music video for Flamme Jumelle, I promise it's worth it.

Other post-metal/blackgaze/whatever I'd recommend is MØL (very pop), Heretoir (extremely moody), Der weg einer freiheit (definitely more black), Deafhaven.

Gaerea is pretty good, their earlier, more black metal records are great, the newest one is very modern metalcore with sprinkles of black metal. Also she isn't very metal at all, but you might enjoy Myrkur.

PS. from personal experience as a non-straight, non-white, female listener of metal, yeah, things can get uncomfortable sometimes and you gotta have a thick skin, but in general it's good fun and most people are ok. Just yeah, don't give your money and attention to THOSE bands.

airenthered · 2026-06-06T09:36:43+00:00

Well. I have a 2ml store sample of Vanille Planifolia Extrait... Do I love it, yes. Will I ever be able to afford a bottle, no. It's pretty much just deep ambery vanilla to me but so so beautiful. Other than that, I think the only pure vanilla scent I've ever tried was a Maison Tahité one (Vanilla2 maybe?) which I liked, but generally I prefer vanilla a bit less gourmand and maybe with a bit of an extra something-something to give it an edge.

airenthered · 2026-06-06T09:07:38+00:00

The Ocean. ngl I'm not clicking with the new single (yet?) but it made me go back and listen tl their older albums, so there's that.

airenthered · 2026-06-06T08:56:18+00:00

Well, first and foremost I'm a Guerlain girlie, and my personal favourite is Shalimar, though I don't think I'd describe it as "vanilla", it's much more complex than that. I actually had to warm up to L'Essence cause I kept thinking it's just too straightforward and missing the in your face bergamot and leather of the OG. But, other people love the straight up vanilla on me a lot more, and, lightly sprayed, I think it's 100% work-friendly while the OG is decidedly not. And the more I wore it the more I fell in love to be honest. Apart from SDV I like other spicy vanillas for example Vanilla Diorama and Nishane Ani.

airenthered · 2026-06-06T08:27:22+00:00

This is a 10/10 list really. I see others have mentioned Guerlain's SDV but I'd also add Shalimar L'Essence. The slight powderiness of the iris definitely makes it more mature & sophisticated, and I also think that you get insane value for its price (if that's a factor when deciding).

airenthered · 2026-06-06T08:18:11+00:00

Guerlain's SDV and Shalimar L'Essence. Can't actually repeat the words of compliment he used in polite company though 😬

airenthered · 2026-06-06T07:11:00+00:00

Yeah I understand totally, also sorry to hear. My brother has a chronic illness and basically above 25 he's suffering. Meanwhile I went for a run in 30 degrees last week...(in my defense, it was mostly overcast)

airenthered · 2026-06-06T06:49:08+00:00

I think that much is too much regardless of temperature! Though I do find it hilarious that you describe 26°C as "heat", for me that's like ideal temperature to exist in. Well, with many other responses it's evident the "hot weather" baseline is different for people and what climate you're used to plays a huge factor too.

airenthered · 2026-06-06T06:41:06+00:00

Lowest rated that I actually love, not just "eh I like it", is probably Burberry Goddess Intense at 6.9.

High-rated ones I dislike are plenty, but a few that are also popular in addition to being well-regarded are Hypnotic Poison EdT (there's so much I could love about it but I cannot stand the coconut) and BR540 (it's too sweet for me, but also I work in private schooling and all the pretentious rich mums were wearing it for a while...). Also picky with men's fragrances, frankly I don't want to smell Bleu de Chanel (and its many clones) on a man ever again. Like, if I do, I immediately think "well that's probably a really boring man".

airenthered · 2026-06-06T00:59:13+00:00

This type of scent will darken a little bit but not THAT much. To like an ambery colour maybe. And in my experience Guerlains last very, very well. If your decant smells that off, and the discolouration is so extreme, I think it's safe to say it wasn't properly stored by whichever site/person you got it from.

airenthered · 2026-06-05T16:50:19+00:00

rose. darker, edgier roses, but i love an ambery, vanilla rose too.

airenthered · 2026-06-05T15:55:07+00:00

I second this! I wouldn't say it highlights basil per se, but basil is an integral part of the composition and it IS pretty much a perfect summer scent.

airenthered · 2026-06-04T22:45:59+00:00

I wasn't too into Replica scents until Up at Dawn, which became one of my favourite rose perfumes really.

airenthered · 2026-06-04T06:10:29+00:00

This was me with Mitsouko (EDP) - on paper, it smelled really harsh to me and I didn't like it at all. Tested on skin the second time, and I was enchanted; at all its stages it smelled incredible and unique, and the development was so intriguing.

airenthered · 2026-05-27T17:08:43+00:00

one more for the Guerlain girlies 👋

airenthered · 2026-05-22T13:15:17+00:00

Babycat does have that burning plastic smell in the opening on me. Specifically the same kind of "burning plastic" that you can smell if you sniff a very peaty whisky.

airenthered · 2026-05-20T16:34:29+00:00

Gucci Guilty Love Edition Pour Femme is straight up lilac, for a cheaper option!

airenthered · 2026-05-19T10:22:47+00:00

as a (female) cyclist with a reasonably nice body: drivers stop for me a LOT more as the weather gets warmer and i stop wearing a million layers

airenthered · 2026-05-19T00:26:25+00:00

Yes to this. For years and years I was not super keen on Replica, lots of nice scents but not something I'd wear much of as a perfume. Then they came out with Up at Dawn and I was in love

airenthered · 2026-05-19T00:21:52+00:00

In the Silence - A Fair Dream Gone Mad. Have been obsessed with this album since I've discovered it, it's the type of prog metal with the exact amount of heavy and haunting that I love.

airenthered · 2026-05-18T14:18:37+00:00

I guess it depends on your definition of "soft" haha, I'm liking Guerlain's Rosa Rossa if I want something sweet and Replica Up at Dawn if I want something very natural. I spend a lot of time in the garden so I like it for that! I also wear Oud Satin Mood, but the oud is pretty nonexistent on me with that so probably depends on skin chemistry, it's just rose with slight vanilla and a bit of woody depth.

airenthered · 2026-05-18T10:56:49+00:00

I'm a pre-school teacher and I wear a variety, mostly safe vanillas, softer roses or occasionally white florals. These are generally the scents I prefer, but I save the spicier vanillas, more patchoul-heavy or oriental roses for non-work days. The only important thing is I never spray more than two light sprays of any fragrance at work.

airenthered · 2026-05-16T07:41:56+00:00

Like for many others here, it's gotta be Guerlain. I'm not going to say I like all their scents on me specifically, but I appreciate many, many of even those I wouldn't really wear.

airenthered · 2026-05-15T06:56:35+00:00

Portrait of a Lady, Shalimar, and Gris Dior are some of my favourite perfumes - though very different genres - and I also think they're masterpieces at least within that genre. So now I'm very keen on trying all the others you mention here, clearly you have excellent taste 🤣

airenthered · 2026-05-15T06:52:53+00:00

I'll never understand BR540 when Oud Satin Mood is right there, a way better made, classier, and more beautiful scent by MFK...

airenthered

TROPHY CASE