Smell like me
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Actually Good Things is a weekly newsletter with curated product recs from a shopping editor. I know what to buy, and I can tell you exactly why.
This week—while tinkering with Uber Eats to see how quickly I can get ice cream delivered and bonding with my husband over our shared amusement for Bachelor in Paradise—I’m itemizing my personal scent.
People tell me I smell good. Like, a lot—it’s one of my things.
My earliest memories of smelling good comprised Bath & Body Works Japanese Cherry Blossom and Victoria’s Secret Love Spell (we all smelled alike in girlhood, a time before “basic” was an insult). Gap Dream was a grade-school staple, but Grass by Gap was a lesser-known banger (IYKYK). Sometimes, it was Abercrombie Fierce—not from the bottled fragrance but from fresh-from-the-mall duds.
My freshman year of college, it was Shanghai Butterfly by Nanette Lepore. I typically don’t fall for florals, but I was sold when a Nordstrom employee got me with the (very retro) spritz-on-a-cardboard-stick approach. She’s discontinued, but I keep an almost-empty bottle for decoration and occasional sniffing.
Then, for a long time, it was Britney Spears Fantasy, which launched in 2005 with notes described as featuring “a hint of cupcake.” (Just checked, and the last time I purchased a bottle was June 2012.) I still love her and think of her often.
I could go on in an endless ode to early-aughts mall culture, but I’ll get to the meat. These are actually good things I use now, in my grown-ass-woman era, to smell awesome.*
Juliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume
Musky and warm, earthy with a whisper of wood. This unisex fragrance is called “Not a Perfume” because the scent is a single molecule (Cetalox) that mimics ambergris. Instead of being merely a base note, as Cetalox is typically used, it’s the whole shebang.
Juliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume $34
Glossier You
Glossier (pronounced like dossier) You is very popular. Though my instincts tell me I should seek individuality, it’s just too good to pass up. Plus, without a proper top note and an adaptably mild finish, the skin-like, pheromone-enhancing fragrance is meant to smell like, well…you. The thumbprint carve-out on the bottle is a nice touch, too.
Most days, I mix Glossier You with Juliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume—three spritzes, tops, maybe four if I’m feeling fancy.
Glossier You $78
Phlur Father Figure
Phlur is a sort-of new brand that started in 2015 but relaunched in 2022 under Chriselle Lim. Despite the unnecessarily creepy names (see also: Missing Person), the affordable fragrances slap. Father Figure leans gourmand with creamy, figgy top notes and a hint of spice. Yummy—yet not too feminine.
Sunday Forever Smokeshow
This guy is on the leaderboard for receiving the most comments (“OMG, you smell so good!” and questions (“What are you wearing??”) when I’m out and about. It marries subtle woodiness with musk, not-too-sweet vanilla, and citrus by way of bergamot. It’s just really sexy, folks. You’re gonna have to trust me on this one.
Nécessaire The Body Lotion
I used to like an aromatic body moisturizer to really amp up my scent, but honestly, these days, unscented is just fine—leaving my spray-on smells free to be themselves. This tube from Nécessaire is creamy yet light and absorbent with a weighty cap that gives the whole thing a high-end feel.
Nécessaire The Body Lotion $30
Whew! Fragrance is challenging to write about, especially for someone who maybe-sorta thinks sommelier wine descriptions are, to some degree, B.S. Or, as acclaimed beauty writer Sali Hughes put it, writing about scents is hard because “you’re describing air.”
*Some products with affiliate links might earn me a small commission.
What I’ve written lately:
The Daily Beast | All the Longevity Products I’m Using, Inspired by Bryan Johnson
What I’m reading lately:
Culpability, a novel by Bruce Holsinger
Washington Post | Parents are burned out and lonely. Are our rigid rules making it worse?
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