I am flat-out hooked on Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle perfume, but I’m afraid it might be too heavy for warmer spring weather, so I’ve been sniffing around for a lighter, fresher spring fragrance. I call my search Spring Fragrance Quest. I’m on a mission to find something either citrusy or floral, or maybe even a combo of both, and this morning I headed over to the mall to check out Enchanted Orchid, the new fragrance by Bath & Body Works.
Enchanted Orchid’s pretty purple-pink packaging immediately caught my eye (those are Phalaenopsis orchids on the labels!). For some reason, the words Enchanted Orchid make me think of a magical plant creature with the power to hypnotize passers by. I guess I’m just weird like that…
Bath & Body Works Body Lotions ($10) and Eau de Toilettes ($19) are usually my faves, so I gave the Enchanted Orchid versions of both of them a good sniff. Right off the bat, I caught the whiffs of violets and gardenias. Enchanted Orchid’s fragrance notes include:
- Top: Pink grapefruit, wet greens, waterlily and crisp apple
- Mid: Calypso orchid, gardenia, delicate iris and violet petals
- Base: Vanilla orchid, heliotrope, creamy amber and skin musk
I would characterize it as a combo citrus-floral blend. I slathered lotion on my left arm and sprayed the Eau de Toilette on my right. Then I wandered around the store to let the Enchanted Orchid creature work its magic on my body chemistry. After 10 minutes, I gave both arms another strong sniff… First thing that came to mind: Play-Doh! None of the initial fruit and floral notes came through. No more violets, apples, nothing — all I smelled was vanilla, which inevitably reminded me of good ole’ fashioned Play-Doh.
Now, I can appreciate a good can of Play-Doh as much as the next toddler or tyke, but I don’t exactly want to cruise around smelling like a kindergarten art class, so I’m going to have to pass on Enchanted Orchid.
Spring Fragrance Quest continues!
Next up — the fragrance counter at Nordstrom! Do you have any spring fragrance recommendations for me? What should I check out next?
Purchase Enchanted Orchid body products online at Bath & Body Works nationwide.
It’s Friday, ya’ll! To top it off it’s an extra day (Leap Year), which for some reason makes today seem even better, like a special bonus prize. I got home late last night from dancing and am totally exhausted. The DJ played old school hip hop from the ’80s and ’90s, and I danced my booty off on the dance floor!
At some point the DJ transitioned into playing Barry White. I was too into my dancing zone to really notice at the time, but when I finally figured out what had happened, it was like a disco fantasy. All that was missing were my roller skates and feathered hairdo. ‘Twas awesome.
Face it: Barry White couldn’t get enough of your luuurve, baby.
There’s a price to pay for all my boogie-ing down last night: today I’ve got dark circles from hell, LOL.
Happy Leap Year, cuties, and happy, happy Friday! What do you have lined up for this weekend?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Hi Karen,
Have you smelt the original stella by stella McCartney?? I absolutely love it! Im not sure if you will find it too heavy for spring, I can never really tell because I do like strong fragrances.
Other than that as we have talked about before, I really think Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche is the perfect spring fragrance with the exaggerated citrus notes its so lovely and fresh it always makes me feel really happy and spring-like even when its bouncing down with rain and gale force winds like it is in England right now!!
Hi Holly,
Girlfriend, isn’t it really late there across the pond!? You’re such a night owl, I love it!
Anyway, I think we might be fragrance sisters. I have the O.G. Stella, along with a matching body lotion! It’s one of my fave date night fragrances for fall/winter.
I went by the Chanel counter the other day and paid a visit to Chance Eau Fraiche yet again! I should just bite the bullet and get it already.
Hi Karen,
Haha this is the life of a final year law student! I dont have time or silly things like sleep! I am currently putting together a claim against a doctor for a woman alleging medical negligence for her daughter’s burst apendix! fun fun fun (its a fake case for a moot im not being heartless haha!) I get all my best work done at silly times at night when there are no distractions like shops being open!
isn’t stella gorgeous! I actually bought a little rollerball edp for my handbag from sephora while I was in NY which is really handy!
You HAVE to get the Eau Fraiche you wont regret it, it really does make me feel happy when I put it on! I am just waiting for them to bring out a bath/body range with it!
I am due to get my staff delivery of samples of the new products which are coming out soon, I can’t wait, it will be a total surprise as ive not even seen the info which they send to the counter on the new products because my manager has lost it!
Im not sure if it is out in America yet but in the body excellence range we have just had in a body spray which refreshes the skin and also moisturises and firms at the same time which I love! It kinda smells a bit like Estee Lauder Pleasures, really light and floral, I think im going to have to put it on my spring/summer must have list!
Karen-
When I first read your blog I was like “Oh no, not the Enchanted Orchid!” For some reason, Bath and Body Works florals smell like dirt on me. So I was really glad to know that I’m not the only one who can’t take BBW Florals. Their fruity ones are the bomb though: My fav is Midnight Pomegranate. It’s the shiz plus the black packaging is rockin. For a nice floral try Marc Jacobs Daisy. Beauty mags are trippin’ over the Daisy perfume ring. Oh, and the Fafi Quad 1 is my new best friend.
Oohhhh, there’s nothing better than dark circles well-earned! LOL!
My sweetie once brought me a fragrance from Tiffany’s called Tiffany Sheer which is a sort of dry floral scent, and I always wear it in the spring! It has since been discontinued, but Vera Wang’s original fragrance is similar, have you tried it? Also, I do love the Guerlain Champs Elysees and (although it may be a little TOO floral for some) I’ve been really loving Valentino’s Rockin’ Rose to get me in a spring frame of mind!
Holly, I SO want to hear about those samples! 🙂
Happy leap day/year, y’all!
i love coco mademoiselle, too(wearing it right now)!
my fave spring/summer (cuz in L.A. they’re one season) fragrances are dyptique’s do son and bvlgari’s green tea. but my all time fave is l’eau d’issey.
from b&bw, i love their velvet tuberose for colder weather and white japanese cherry blossom for warmer days.
I’m plugging Victoria’s Secret again because I spent some long hours in there today, but I love their Super Model perfume:
Fragrance type: fruity floral
Top notes: Chinese berry
Middle notes: peach blossom
Low notes: creamy sandalwood
Last spring/summer I rocked Ralph Lauren Hot:
Notes: Mandarin, Almond Blossom, Cinnamon, Jasmine, Orchid, Maplewood, Honeysuckle, Mocha, Fig, Milk Notes, Sandalwood, Amber, Musk, Vanilla.
I also love Nina by Nina Ricci. It comes in the cutest apple-shaped bottle and smells like a basket of fruit. http://www.nina-parfum.com/ASP/FS.asp?LNG=US&DIR=em:P-nina_frag
I agree with everyone above… Chanel’s Chance Eau Fraiche is great for spring. Marc Jacobs is a great floral as well.
I couldnt resist the Bath and Body works Orchid shower gel but usually their fragrances fade way fast on me. The tuberose & the honeysuckle shower gels rule too.
BWAHAHAHHAAA Omg Karen, thank you!! I was walking around today with my boyfriend at the mall and we were at the GAP store, well there was a B&Bworks right next door and as we were walking in and leaving I kept going hmm I smell playdoh. He thought I was crazy but I was like I friggen smell flowery playdoh!! So yes, I’m not crazy!
BTW, I adooooore CoCo mademoiselle. Got that scent in an eau de parfum when I went to paris forever and a half ago and I still have half the bottle. I can’t part with it 🙁 I know ya feel me.
Keep us updated on the spring scent hunt!…My current fav is Pure Turquoise by Ralph Lauren. Yummie
Vanila, you say? It’s a species of orchid after all.. maybe they just took a few liberties with the packaging :p
This isn’t new but definitely one of my fav’s and very light…Infusion d’iris by Prada. So soft and sweet and Hanae Mori is sort of sweet and sort of bam. You decide. Here’s an oldy but goody that I use a lot and it’s majorly soft. Red Door Revealed. Twenty bucks and I smell like heaven in it.
Hi Holly,
I like to work late at night too! I agree, it totally cuts out the distraction. I go through phases when I stay up late to work…it comes and goes. Anyway, congrats on almost being done with your studies. Hopefully you’ll be done soon and graduation will feel like it just snuck up on you. 🙂
Yah, I know I should just stop denying the inevitable and just cut to the chase and get some Eau Fraiche! But there are so many lovely perfumes to smell on the way…I am all about the process!
The Body Excellence range sounds really great. I love Pleasures (I used to wear that ten years ago) so it sounds like I’d dig it! Thanks for the heads up. Anyway, hope your weekend is going well and that you are having fun and studying hard!
Hi Tania,
I’ve never smelled the Midnight Pomegranate…I love BB&B’s fruit and green/grassy smells. My favorites are Green Clover and Aloe, and Passion Fruit. I’ve smelled Daisy before. I like it a lot but for some reason it’s just too sweet on my skin.
And doesn’t that Fafi Quad rock? What’s your favorite shade?
Hi Glosslizard,
I think I’ve smelled Vera Wang’s original before…I remember doing a comparison smell between her scents and liking the purple one, Sheer Veil. This was a few years ago though and my “nose” is always changing so I’ll have to revisit.
I agree, Champs Elysees is yummy. That’s an old school fave of mine…totally reminds me of 1999, being fresh out of school and working at a law firm, LOL!
Whatcha got lined up for this Saturday? Anything fun?
Hi Live Fabulously,
Aren’t you lucky to live in So Cal? The weather down there is fab. I like BB&B’s White Japanese Cherry Blossom too – I went through a few tubes last spring!
I’ve never smelled that Dyptique fragrance so I hope I can find it! Thank you for the recommendations.
Hi Amanda P,
You know, I love some of the VC fragrances. I wore Heavenly for years. It’s been a while since I’ve worn Ralph Lauren (I used to love Romance in 2000) so I’ll have to check out the Hot Fragrance, cause I like Honeysuckle notes.
Michael Kors has one called “Hawaii”, have you smelled it? Funny thing it, it really does smell like Hawaii….
Hi Courtney,
Thanks for the recommendations! I like the shower gels too, especially for spring and summer. Have you ever used the Sweet Pea scent? It’s the pink one. It’s very fresh and clean.
Hi Breezy,
I think the Play-Doh effect happens to lots of people when there’s vanilla involved. I am very particular about vanilla notes. If they’re too dominant then often times I can’t wear the gragrance.
I will def give Pure Turquoise a sniff! Have a good Saturday!
Hi Sal,
I’m guessing that it doesn’t smell so vanill-y on everyone…it’s gotta register as floral on othes, not just on me. I was hoping it would work for me because I really liked the packaging! I wanted to look at those pretty flowers in the morning while I got ready for work!
Hi Chamayne,
Hanae Mori is very pretty! It comes out incredibly sugary on me. I wore it once and wanted to gnaw my arm off because it smelled good enough to eat. I’ve never smelled Red Door Revealed! Hopefully I can get my hands on a bottle to give it a good sniff. Thanks for the fragrance recs and have a wonderful Saturday!
Good morning, Miss Karen!
I just woke up (my darlingest husband having truly indulged me this morning by running interference with the kids) so I’m in a happy, mellow state! I just got Barry singin’ too, hee hee! I can’t hear that song anymore without thinking about the episode of the Simpsons with Barry where he’s saying “leave all the snakes alone!” Love it!
BTW, I noticed that now Saks has their beauty thang going, and they’re including samples of Annick Goutal Petite Cherie and a Saks exclusive scent called Chloé. Have you tried either of those?
Ah, no plans today, just gonna see what happens! 🙂
Hi Karen,
I have the love and hate relationship with B&BW. Although some of their body washes are good and moisturizing, most their lotions and perfumes give me headache. The only scent that I like from them is “Sensual Amber” because it smells very feminine.
Did you try Elizabeth Arden’s Mediterranean? I’m not a fan of EA at all (Red Door, anyone?) but this perfume is so nice. It smells like vacation in Italy in a bottle. Very cheery, sunny, and crisp.
So K…being the allergy burdened girl that I am…I have to say that I also have super sensitive skin…and I had to stop using B&BW products like forever ago because their lotions tend to give me splotchy skin for some reason. I do however love the japanese cherry blossom scent…I have the antibacterial handsoap in it.
And I totally rocked Champs-elysees when I was like 16/17…which would have been circa 96/97…I was in love with it at the time.
So an FYI, the Island Hawaii scent was a limited edition…just like the Island Fiji before it. I think there is a new one coming called Island Capri if my memory serves me correctly. Personally though I love the original Island…which would also be a good choice.
Last year my spring go to was Ferragamo’s Incanto Dream…and I think I may have to go back to it this spring as well.
Product Description
Inspired by the joyful bliss created in one’s imagination, Incanto Dream is colorful and full of fantasy. A wave of fruity, sparkling freshness.
Top: Mango, apple and blackcurrant
Middle: Peony and freesia
Base: Sandalwood and musk
hi karen! you’re lucky u live up in norcal where they have a dyptique BOUTIQUE in sf. i love that place.
Hi Glosslizard,
Dont worry I will let you know all about the new Chanel the moment it drops through my door 🙂
Im hoping its makeup and not just skincare, I usually end up just giving all the skincare to my mum because its all anti ageing and would just make me break out!
Hi Live Fabulously,
Oh yah, that store’s located in Maiden Lane. I went there once on my lunch break a few years ago and I remember it being scent HEAVEN! Next time I’m in Union Square I’m going to pop by and look for that scent. 🙂
Thanks for the info Megan! Now I am kinda kicking myself for not getting that bottle of Hawaii when I had the chance, sigh.
Incanto Dream sounds yummy. I will put that one on the list.
Bummer about your B&BW allergies! I had to stop using the Victoria’s Secret Garden ones for the same reasons. They’d give me splotchy skin and huge hives. Thank ye gods for Zyrtec!
Hi Dao,
Oh, I like Sensual Amber too. It’s a very sexy scent! Definitely a date night must.
I love EA Mediterranean! On me it’s very citrusy…my chemistry brings out strong lemon notes. And you’re so right, it does smell like vacation in a bottle. I’ve never been to Italy though, but I’ve love to go. (Have you been?) For now Mediterranean will have to do 🙂
Hi Glosslizard,
Yes, I have smelled both and I love Petite Cherie. I rocked that circa 1999 when I lived in SF. (Isn’t it amazing how fragrances, like songs, can take you back to a certain period of your life?). Anyway, Petite Cherie smells like pears. Really, pears! Some people find it too sugary sweet, but at the time it moved me. I don’t think I could wear it right now without remembering that time in my life though (it was a rough year), so I don’t wear it any more. You might like it though, if you like sweet fruity scents.
I hope you had a good day. I went to the Shu Uemura store in San Francisco and it was a lot of fun. 🙂
You could probably still find Hawaii online since it was just last year. My absolute go to year round when my allergies were acting up since like 2002 was Ellen Tracy because it was really really light and I knew no matter how my allergies and sinuses were that i would be able to tolerate it… and then they discontinued it at the beginning of 2006.I bought a bottle right after it was dinscontinued, but last spring I was down to the end of my bottle and I went online. There were a few online places selling it and it was still on ebay. So I bought the biggest bottle I could find. 🙂 Now I ration it…and save it primarily for the days when my sinuses are congested…or also on the rare rare rare occasion that I have a hangover. 🙂 The bad part is that at my last dentist appointment my dentist commented that he liked it because it was so light etc. and was asking what it was…then I of course had to tell the whole story and look crazy…
Karen,
Have you heard of Kai beauty products? They are sold at a lot of boutiques and their signature scent is flowery and wonderful. It totally reminds me of Hawaii.
Oooohhh, the Shu store! So lust-worthy… so deadly to the wallet!
Hi Megan,
LOL! I do that stuff all the time – too much backstory aka too much information. The funny thing is that I usually don’t quite catch myself until I’m about 3/4ths of the way through the story and I get to this point where I realize, “Hmmm, they just might think I’m crazy…”
I’ll do some googling! Wish me luck!
Hi Amanda,
I think I’ve seen them before at Pure Beauty but I’m not exactly sure. I was gonna go by there today to look for some conditioner so I’ll investigate the body lotion section to see if I can find it! 🙂
Hi Glosslizard,
It was great. Imagine the Neimans counter times 4. Lots of interesting, very pretty stuff, too, and it’s a very well laid out store!
LOL, you idea of an “enchanted orchid”…love your interpretation of the name, ha.
I too love citrus (and foody scents). I have more troubles with florals. I really like benefit’s maybe baby for spring. One of the (only) 4 or 5 perfumes I own. These others I’ve smelled at sephora and liked…I want something new too, just haven’t decided which:
march jacobs daisy
vera wang princess
fresh apricot and fig
good luck on the quest!
Hi,
It’s so amazing to me how fragrances seem to have different chemistry with each and every one of us. I was walking through the mall just yesterday on a mission; to find a new fragrance that would make me smell irresistable, preferably floral. And as if by magic, I smelled something heavenly (like jasmin, I would have guessed at the time) in the air, I followed my nose, ended up at the local B&BW and found out it was the Enchanted Orchid collection my nose had fallen for. And what’s more is, I tried on almost each product in this collection, and it turns out it smells heavenly on me (usually, nothing smells really great on me so I was really happy!). And there was not the slightest hint of Play-Doh.
A counterexample: I tried Vera Wang’s Princess on a piece of test paper at Sephora’s the day before yesterday (I know, it sounds like I have a day job trying out fragrances…but trust me, I don’t :P), and it smelled great on the paper. Once I tried it out on my own wrist, it pretty much smelled like rotten cucumber.
My point is; scents really seem to be like falling in love; the individual chemistry just should be there, I guess.
P.S. just stumbled on this blog and I’m really enjoying reading it, so thanks 🙂 There should definitely be more blogs on beauty products!!
Hi Amanda,
OHHH, I like Fresh fragrances – apricot and fig sounds yummy. I do like Vera Wang so I’ll give Princess a sniff.
Do you like Clinique’s Happy? That’s my ultimate citrus fragrance.
Hi The Giraffe,
LOL, I like your handle! Anyway, I’m kinda jealous that Enchanted Orchid works so well for you. I was so stoked about all of the notes and was bummed that I couldn’t pick up any jasmine (one of my favorite floral scents). It really is amazing how one’s skin and body chemistry can change a scent…
I’m glad you found the blog and that you enjoy it. Hope we get to talk again soon!
Hey Karen,
My boyfriend bought me Chanel Chance for Valentine’s Day and I was about to return it as the original scent gives me a headache, but it turns out that Chanel has come out with a new version, Chance Au Fraiche, and that’s what he had bought for me. I tried it and I love it. The clear bottle contains a mint green hued perfume and it smells great. Definitely a fresh scent to try for spring. Hope you enjoy it as much as I am.
Hi Oliveoyle625,
That’s so sweet that your honey bought you some Chanel for V-Day! He’s a keeper!
I agree with you – Eau Fraiche is fantastic. I really like it too! I don’t have it but I think I’ll eventually cave in and get that one (it’s destiny, I tell ya), but for the heck of it I’m going to sniff around to see if there’s anything else out there that also moves me for spring!