Fragrance

I Didn't Expect to Love Every Perfume From This Designer Brand, But Here We Are

Shawna Hudson  Wed, 06 Dec 2023  Who What Wear

I have a bit of a picky nose when it comes to fragrances. In my early days as a beauty editor, I spent a lot of time sampling every perfume I could get my hands on to figure out my fragrance MO. The conclusion I came to was, yes, I'm very selective. While some designer scents were nice and I wouldn't mind catching a whiff of them while out, I often found that I wouldn't actually wear a lot of them myself. That all changed once I caught a sniff of a few key Tory Burch perfumes.

I was first drawn in by the scents Cosmic Wood and Divine Moon, two perfumes that are part of Burch's Essence of Dreams collection. If you weren't already convinced by the name of the collection, yes, they are actually so dreamy. I definitely didn't expect to love every single scent from the collection since I am a bit picky about what I wear, but here we are! If you're looking to add a Tory Burch fragrances or two to your collection, read on and find the one that suits you. As a bonus, they also happen to be on sale at Nordstrom ATM!

Key Notes: Blackcurrant, rosewater, rose, freesia, dreamwood, patchouli. This isn't just your average rose perfume. Sublime Rose offers a warmer, juicier take on rose with notes of blackcurrant. Floral and woodier notes like freesia and dreamwood bring balance to the fragrance and give it a truly unique scent.

Key Notes: Blackcurrant, rose, white musk

Key Notes: Blue sage, violet, cactus flower, lavender, palo santo accord, vetiver. I usually tend to gravitate toward fruity, floral scents, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this earthier, woody fragrance called Electric Sky. I honestly love the smell of palo santo (I burn it in my house daily) but was never able to find a fragrance that the note really sang in and fit my taste until now.

Key Notes: Moroccan orris absolute, rose, nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, patchouli, frankincense, musk

Key Notes: Grapefruit, peony, jasmine, sandalwood, vetiver. Tory Burch's namesake offering is a soft, light, and classically feminine-leaning fragrance. Although I don't always like to attach gender to perfume notes, if you are into scents that are lightly fruity and a whole lot floral, you'll love this one. There's something about it that just makes me feel extra feminine.

Key Notes: grapefruit, pink salt, cedar

Key Notes: Bergamot, geranium, lotus, cedarwood, musk. The star note in this perfume is aromatic geranium. I love floral notes that are so vibrant they almost sparkle and geranium definitely falls into this category. The woodier base notes of cedarwood and musk also somehow make it smell like a dreamy garden on a large country estate.

Key Notes: Geranium, narcisse, tuberose

Key Notes: Cardamom, ambrette, jasmine, sage, vetiver. If scents that are fruity or floral are a hard no for you, Cosmic Wood is definitely a winning option. It's almost a little bit smoky with notes of sage, vetiver, and ambrette. 

Key Notes: Bergamot, rhubarb, lady of the night, honey, sandalwood, almond milk. Divine Moon is probably my favorite of the bunch. Normally, I'm not into scents that have rhubarb in them, but this one is a rare exception. It blends together beautifully with the other notes of honey, sandalwood, almond milk, and lady of the night. This scent was actually inspired by Burch's garden and apiary in Antigua. It's mean to be a soothing and uplifting scent with just the right amount of sweetness to it.

Key Notes: Neroli, grapefruit, bergamot, earl grey tea accord, orange flower, jasmine, moss, guaiacwood, musk