(all notes borrowed from Fragrantica or the website of the perfume)
Tuscan Blood Orange by Pacifica
I love this perfume so much and was devastated when I ran out of it. I wore it during 9th grade and felt like hot shit. If I could get it again, I would, it's rather one-note, but the note is good, so it's not a problem.
Cool Water by Davidoff For Women
My first boy perfume. Yes, it says for women. But it is a boy perfume TO ME. It started me on a journey through androgynous-if-not-masculine aquatics you'll find elsewhere in this list.
Eau des Merveilles Bleue by Hermès
My stepmom's boyfriend gave me this for free, and I adore it so far. It's so expensive I'm afraid to use it, so now, away from it, I can't recall the exact scent, only the difficult herbal coolness. What's easier is the bottle. It makes me think of sand castles on European beaches, slanted, ready to fall. The glass is spattered with stars and blue seeps into the edges like wet-on-wet watercolor. Whoever designed it was a genius, at least as much as the person who actually made the perfume.
Acqua di Gioia Giorgio Armani
My signature. It doesn't last more than five seconds, but I love it anyway. I think part of it was the commercial with Emily Didonato, who I was fascinated with for reasons I couldn't articulate yet. There was the rain glazing the teal leaves, her wet hair, the ocean roaring. As a landlubber in a part of the world that doesn't get a ton of rain, I was sold. It seemed less gender than other perfumes in my cabinet, not that I mind feminine perfumes, but I always had an attraction to cool, androgynous, white-button up aesthetics. Acqua di Gioia fits that well, with the watery smell and bits of sweetness. I wonder if I'd like the cologne?
Happy by Clinique
Maybe I got a dud, but this perfume smells like isopropyl and orange peel. At first, anyway. I thought I didn't like florals, but the olfactory relief once the top notes fade is gorgeous and not at all soapy. It's delicate and romantic. But god, I'm not sure if it's worth it.
Trésor Midnight Rose by Lancôme
It's so sweet. A nice sweetness, but you can get tired of it, especially because it lasts forever. I think I liked the idea of the perfume and the bottle more than the perfume itself. I wore it during my Francophile phase, took pictures of it on a fluffy bedspread for my Instagram (never posted), but never actually drained the bottle. It definitely is heavy, the title is suitable, but it needs less sugar.
Chance Eau Vive by Chanel
I don't remember what this smells like, only that I liked it and emptied the sample. I remember a fruitiness, though that could be Bombshell, later in this list and also coming in a tiny sample.
White Citrus by Bath & Body Works
Exactly what it says on the tin, which is why I love it. I don't really smell the middle or bottom notes, but that's not why I'm here. It's very 2000s-2010s Bath and Body Works, and I mean that as a compliment.
Bombshell by Victoria's Secret
Using this regularly in high school and feeling like a bad bitch. Fruity and sweet, if I recall correctly, one of the few VS perfumes I actually liked.