Lip Service 💋 #7: The Fragrance Edit
Your crash course in fragrance terms, trends, and my personal scent lineup.
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Alright, let’s talk fragrance — a world that’s equal parts intoxicating and overwhelming. It’s deeply personal (your skin, your mood, your vibe), yet wildly oversaturated (trust me, there are more perfumes than emotions). For me, scent has always been my secret confidence weapon — something that makes me feel pulled-together even when I’m barely hanging on. I’ve been swirling in this world since I was 12, spritzing my very first bottle of Jo Malone. If you’re new to fragrance, I know how daunting it can feel without years of trial and error under your belt. So consider this your friendly, nose-first guide into the chaos.
So, without further ado, I’m breaking down the main fragrance terms to (hopefully) make your buying process just a little simpler and far less stressful.
💡 The Beauty Breakdown: Your Fragrance Glossary
General Terms to Know:
Sillage: The trail your fragrance leaves behind when you walk by — like your scent signature. High sillage? People smell you before they see you. Low sillage? A soft whisper only for those who get close.
Top Notes: The opening act. What you smell first — bright, bold, fleeting (usually gone in 15-30 minutes). Like a flirty hello.
Heart (Middle) Notes: The core of the fragrance once the top notes settle. Richer, rounder, and usually what defines your scent.
Base Notes: The anchor. Linger on skin for hours, sometimes days. Think woods, ambers, musks — the cozy cashmere scarf of your perfume.
Dry Down: The final, fully-settled version of your fragrance after it blends with your skin.
Projection: How far your fragrance radiates. Different from sillage (the trail you leave); projection is how much you fill the room in real time.
Flanker: A remix of a popular fragrance — same DNA, new twist. Think of it as the resort collection to a designer’s core line.
Nose: The perfumer. The artist behind the blend.
Accord: When multiple notes combine so seamlessly they create a new “imaginary” scent (like lemon, sugar, and water becoming lemonade).
Skin Chemistry: Your personal wildcard. How your body’s pH, oils, and temperature alter how fragrance develops on you.
Fragrance Families:
Gourmand: Sweet enough to eat — vanilla, caramel, coffee, chocolate. Delicious without being dessert.
Floral: Roses, jasmine, peonies, tuberose. Ranges from fresh and innocent to full-blown bombshell.
Floriental: Florals over warm spices and creamy vanillas. Rich, mysterious, and wrapped in silk.
Amber (formerly “Oriental”): Warm, spicy, sensual. Amber, incense, resins, and heavy-hitters.
Woody: Earthy, grounded, cozy. Sandalwood, cedar, patchouli. The expensive library of scent.
Fougère: French for “fern” — a classic masculine structure: lavender, oakmoss, coumarin, woods. Clean but complex.
Chypre: Bright citrus top, floral or fruity heart, mossy base. Chic, elegant, grown-up. The little black dress of fragrance.
Aquatic: Fresh and breezy — sea air, rain, linen sheets. Your editorial beach shoot.
Green: Grass, herbs, stems, leaves. Uplifting, sharp, crisp.
Citrus (Hesperidic): Lemon, bergamot, grapefruit. Instant mood-lift, though typically short-lived.
Leather: Suede, handbags, vintage cars. Smooth, smoky, a little dangerous.
Animalic: Musks, civet, castoreum — animal-derived depth (now mostly synthetic). Sensual when done right, odd and vaguely fecal when done wrong.
💄 The Gloss Report: Market Trends
Since COVID, beauty’s self-care boom has been squeezed dry — but fragrance? Fully thriving. What once lived in a niche corner is now a cultural obsession. Sales are surging, launches are constant, and the demand keeps climbing.
Body mists — those early-2000s staples — are enjoying a surprising glow-up. Now repackaged as "fragrance mists," they're elevated with better ingredients, more sophisticated notes, and packaging designed for grown-up vanities (but still TikTok-friendly).
Indie and niche houses have flourished as consumers crave uniqueness over mass-market sameness. The idea of one “signature scent” is fading fast — we’re in full fragrance wardrobe era. Skin scents, hair mists, home sprays — fragrance has evolved from a product into a personal ritual.
Another big shift? Fragrance has become deeply mood-driven and far less gendered. Warm gourmands, creamy musks, milky woods, and soft “your skin but better” notes are everywhere. Online fragrance communities and viral TikTok moments have only fueled the blind-buy frenzy (for better or worse).
In short: we're all spritzing more, experimenting freely, and treating fragrance like the accessory it’s always deserved to be.
✨ Beauty Rx: My Personal Favorites
All thoughts, opinions, and cheeky commentary are entirely my own. Every product and service featured here was purchased with my own money—no sponsorships, no freebies, just honest-to-glow reviews.
Date Night: My current date night go-to? Mizensir Très Chère. This one’s an absolute stunner — a soft floral gourmand built around lush orange blossom. Picture warm summer air, sweet but never cloying, with a marshmallow-like softness that lingers gracefully around you. The woody-amber dry down grounds it just enough to feel polished and sophisticated, while still invitingly warm. It’s like a smile and a wink across the room — bottled. Perfect for evenings when you want just the right touch of intrigue and when you want to feel effortlessly captivating.
On me:
Sillage: 5ft Scent bubble
Wear time: 6hrs
Note Snapshot (according to their website):
Top Notes: Orange Tree Blossom Extract
Heart Notes: Woody-amber accord, Floral Accord, Jasmine Sambac
Base Notes: Bourbon Vanilla Absolute, Musk, Australian Sandalwood Essential Oil
Cold Weather Staple: I will never not love BDK Gris Charnel. This has been my fall/winter signature since senior year of college — and while it carries plenty of sentimental weight, it fully earns its place on scent alone. This is an Amber that is warm, spicy, and effortlessly chic, it wraps you up like the world’s most elegant cashmere blanket. Imagine the best chai latte you’ve ever had — creamy cardamom warmth, a touch of figgy sweetness, and sandalwood adding that cozy, milky depth. This is the difference between feeling soft, glowing, and content on a winter day… vs cold, grey, and mildly depressed.
On me:
Sillage: 3ft Scent bubble
Wear time: 6hrs
Note Snapshot (according to their website):
Top Notes: Fig, Black tea, Cardemom
Heart Notes: Iris, Vetiver Bourbon
Base Notes: Sandalwood, Tonka Bean
Warm Weather Staple: Ex Nihilo Lust in Paradise is my go-to for warmer days — light enough for the heat, but still feels special. This is a floral that is bright, juicy, and just a little flirty. It opens with pink pepper, which allegedly gives it a soft sparkle… though, if I’m being honest, I’m still not entirely sure what pink pepper is supposed to smell like. No complaints from me! The peony and lychee bring in that fresh, breezy sweetness that feels like wearing a flowy white dress on a perfect sun-dappled spring afternoon. Musk and cedar round it out so it never veers too sweet — clean, polished, and quietly addictive. If Gris Charnel is my cashmere, Lust in Paradise is my silk slip.
On me:
Sillage: 3ft Scent bubble
Wear time: 8hrs
Note Snapshot (according to their website):
Top: Pink Pepper
Heart: Peony, Lychee
Base: Musk, Cedar, Amber
Work Scent: Tamburins Pumpkini is my current desk-side companion. I couldn’t sit here and list out the notes if I tried — nothing stands out individually, and that’s exactly the point. It’s soft, creamy, and smooth in a way that feels like your skin just naturally smells this good. Airy enough not to suffocate your coworkers, but still comforting and present. The kind of fragrance that makes people lean in and say, “you smell really good, but I can’t place it.” Mission accomplished.
On me:
Sillage: 1ft Scent bubble
Wear time: 3hrs
Note Snapshot (according to their website):
Top: Pumpkin, Coconut, Clove
Heart: Cinnamon, Tuberose
Base: Sandalwood, Musk, Vetiver
💋 Final Touch
What’s your current signature? Drop a comment if you want any in-depth reviews — I love a good fragrance chat.
Until next time: keep your skin dewy and your lips unapologetically glossy.
TTFN,
💋✨ Lauren
Disclaimer: All opinions expressed in Lip Service are my own and do not reflect the views of my employer or any affiliated brands. My insights are based on personal experience, research, and a lifelong obsession with beauty—no corporate influence, just real talk. Also, I’m not a dermatologist—so while I love sharing skincare tips and product recs, always consult a professional for personalized advice.