Some people collect stamps or vintage coins. Me? I have a perfume museum in my New York City apartment. With well over 200 scents to my name, I’ve developed quite the discerning nose during my decade as a beauty editor. Of course, I have my personal preferences: gourmands and citrus scents are my go-tos. But I’ve also learned to appreciate a well-crafted oud or floral blend. Through my spritzing and spraying, I’ve come to the conclusion that when I want to smell expensive, Guerlain is the clear frontrunner.
Every single fragrance from the brand has a secret sauce, if you will. Called Guerlainade, it blends vanilla, bergamot, tonka bean, iris, rose, and jasmine. In some scents, like the iconic Shalimar, it's very noticeable. But in others, like the new Les Eaux Collection, it’s only detectable if you know what you’re looking for. The nice part about this intentional throughline, though, is that it allows all the Guerlain scents to play nicely together. Because let’s be honest, no one has the self-restraint to wear just one perfume at a time. “Combine fragrance. Apply one to your pulse points, another to your hair, and an all-over scent; perhaps something behind the knees as well,” Guerlain perfumer Delphine Jelk tells me.
