I’ve been experimenting with perfumes this summer, so I have a lot of perfume empties to sort through. I must admit that perfumetok has opened my eyes to the overwhelming yet fascinating world of perfumes. Honestly, I’ve been hesitant to experiment because I have migraines triggered by scents. Most of my past experiences have been using perfumes that work for other people’s body chemistry and not mine and trying to figure out why we didn’t smell the same. So glad I realized the gourmands (think vanilla, caramel, cotton candy, chocolate, almonds, coffee, and honey) works better with my body chemistry.
While I still am working on understanding all the vocabulary – sillage, projection, undertones, etc. – I have tried a few different scents that I enjoy. I do want to note that everyone’s body chemistry is different, so what smells great on me might not work form (it’s the reason I dislike it when folks rate perfumes based on what worked for their body chemistry). So, take my comments with a grain of salt until you try it for yourself. Here are some of the perfume empties that I have from this summer.
This post contains affiliate links (read my disclaimer). Thanks for helping me adult!
TOCCA STELLA
Top Notes: Blood Orange, Bitter Orange, Watery Notes
I bought the Tocca discovery set from Sephora with a gift card. The set includes samples for most of the scents from the brand. The first scent I reached for was Stella. I heard so many wonderful things about this scent, and they were right. It is the perfect summer citrus. The blood orange is more subtle than the bitter orange, and it just works. I wish this post was a scratch and sniff so you can indulge in the scent with me.
LE MONDE GOURMAND NOIR DISTILLE
Top Notes: Amber, Vanilla, Coconut, Whiskey
Noir Distille was a blind purchase because I was looking for Lait De Coco in stores and couldn’t find it. This was the closest vanilla in the La Monde Gourmand brand at Urban Outfitters, and I decided to try it. This was a win for me. It smells like whiskey amber, and I love everything about it. To me, I think it will shine in the fall/winter months because of the smoky scent that it has. I used it before I went to bed every night, which is why it was finished in a month.
KAYALI MUSK 12
Key Notes: Gardenia, Jasmine Absolute, Orange flower, Tuberose infusion, Tahitian vanilla
This scent by itself does not work with my body chemistry. The beautiful thing about Kayali’s perfumes is they are great for layering. When I mixed Musk 12 with Deja vu White Flower 57, it smelled heavenly. Will I be buying a full size of this scent? No, because I don’t like it by itself.
MIX:BAR COCONUT PALM
Key Notes: Coconut, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Woody Notes, Musk, Salt, Seaweed
TikTok has been raving about the Mix:Bar brand at Target and how inexpensive yet delicious their scents smell. I would agree with this. I was looking for a coconut scent for summer. I really wanted to try this scent, but I can’t find it anywhere. So, I decided to try Coconut Palm I was in Target. I absolutely love this scent! I really enjoy the woody notes included with the coconut, and I just couldn’t get enough. I went through two bottles this summer.
KAYALI DEJA VU WHITE FLOWER 57
Key Notes: Gardenia, Jasmine Absolute, Orange flower, Tuberose infusion, Tahitian vanilla
When I tried Deja vu White Flower 57 for the first time, I must admit I didn’t care for it. I decided to give it another chance, and fell in love with the scent. It’s very feminine and floral, and whenever I wear it makes me feel very pretty and feminine. I almost want to be a damsel in distress with this scent. I layered this with Musk, and it really is just the perfect mixture of beautiful floral.
TOCCA GIA
Top Notes: Tangerine and Pink Pepper
The combination of the top notes in Gia does not make sense to me. Like, what in the world is pink pepper, and what is the scent? Whatever it is, it smells heavenly with the rest of the notes. This scent is very sexy and seductive. Every time I wear it, I get a ton of compliments.
KAYALI EDEN JUICY APPLE 01
Top Notes: Juicy Red Apple, Blackcurrant, Pink Grapefruit, Lychee
Kayali can have all my money, ok?! Eden Juicy Apple smells exactly like it sounds – a juicy apple. And I wasn’t expecting it. I’ve smelled apple fragrances before, which all smell synthetic. Every time I wear it, all I want to do is go apple picking and frolic in fields of freshly piled leaves that I can jump it. I can’t wait to wear out this scent this fall.
LE MONDE GOURMAND CITRON GLACE
Key Notes: Gardenia, Jasmine Absolute, Orange flower, Tuberose infusion, Tahitian vanilla
Initially, when I tried Citron Glace, I did not like how it smelled. It’s a little too sweet and not enough citrus, in my opinion. Once I let it sit on my skin, it grew on me. The best way I can describe this scent is it smells like yellow rock candy tastes. Citron Glace does not last long without aid – adding vaseline to your skin before spritzing. While this is not my favorite scent, applying it before going to the gym helps me not smell as funky when I’m sweating. I will not purchase this again because I don’t use it enough to warrant it, and I almost always forget to apply it before heading to the gym.
TOCCA FLORENCE
Key Notes: Pear, Apple, Bergamot, Grapefruit Leaf
The Tocca Discovery set has many scents that I absolutely love. Florence is definitely top 3! When I read the top notes, I honestly wasn’t sure that I would like it. But baby, it’s heavenly. The pear is a subtle yet unique scent that brought all the boys to my yard. I got so many compliments on this scent. Sadly, I didn’t get to finish it because I dropped it and it shattered, and I haven’t repurchased it. But I might add it to the list for my fall scent.
KAYALI VANILLA 28
Key Notes: Vanilla Orchid, Tonka Absolute, Amber Woods, Musk, Brown Sugar
Everybody and they momma has recommended and raved about this scent. Vanilla 28 is popular because it smells like true vanilla, and I always get the most compliments whenever I wear it. I also love the subtleness of this scent that lingers and catches me by surprise when I realize that I can still smell it 8 hours later. The subtleness makes it perfect for layering. And this scent deserves all the awards, mmk!! This is about to get worn out this fall and winter.
TOCCA SIMONE
Top Notes: Watermelon, Apple, Lemon
When I think of taking a bite of fresh watermelon, I taste it before I can smell it. If fresh watermelon had a scent, I envision it smelling like Simone. It’s such a scrumptious summer scent. My two scents for the summer were this and Stella. I mean, you can’t go wrong with either.
WHAT PERFUME EMPTIES WILL YOU BE REPURCHASING?
