Swatch Gallery

Looking for the perfect color?
Look no further than Temptalia's Swatch Gallery.

Foundation Matrix

Need help finding your perfect foundation shade?
The Foundation Matrix is designed to help.

Dupe List

Duplicate a high-end product or never buy
the same shade twice. The Dupe List is here to help.

Rant & Rave: Scented Makeup

Monday, May 9th, 2011

This Week’s Topic: SCENTED MAKEUP!

Your Mission: Tell us what you love, hate, or are otherwise indifferent to about makeup with fragrance in it.  Do you find it appealing?  Annoying?  What are your favorite (or least favorite) fragrances used?

Thanks to CeeBee for this week’s topic!

Discussion and debate are highly encouraged, and we expect community members to participate respectfully. When asking a question, please check the FAQ section (above) for information about purchasing, price, dupes, and the like. If you have general feedback or need technical support, please contact us.

Comments that include advertisements, self-promotion, insults, etc. may be in violation of our comment policy and subject to deletion. Please see our comment policy for more information.

Post comment as twitter logo facebook logo
Sort: Newest | Oldest

I used to use Cover Girl Clean Makeup with Noxzema and I found the smell highly irritating. It smelled so bad, I threw it out after a few uses, and the formula was really runny. This was 10+ years ago.

Not for eye or face products, maybe something very light for foundation though. Gloss and lipstick I do like having scent.

The only scented make up I like is in lip products other than that my skin normally can't tolerate scented stuff on my face.

Do NOT like scented makeup. I'm super sensitive to fragrance and try to keep it out of as many products as possible. Definitely a deal breaker. I cannot use any makeup or skincare products by Clarins or Estee Lauder for this reason - their stuff seems to have a ton of fragrance. Although I do like mint for lip balms.

i don't mind if lip products are scented (some i even love, like barry m lip gloss in toffee, awesome smell), but i hateeee scented foundations. they always seem to break me out!

Hate sented products--unecessary addition of petroleum industry extracts--unless its essentail oils. and they can irritate the skin as well. makeup is not perfume

Would prefer LIP products not to have any scent but MAC's buttery vanilla scent is nice. HATE NYX round lipsticks though! I kinda like Dior's powder blush and foundation scent which makes it feel more high end.

Depends on the scent but sensitive skin = no-fragrance!

I love almost all scented makeup! I think MAC, Guerlain, & Temptu products smell fantastic. In fact, I think I have yet to come across a scented product I dislike.

I HATE heavily scented products! I'm very sensitive to certain scents, so there are products that I have to avoid because of that. The worst one for me is the Guerlain bronzer. Whenever I use it I get a headache within a couple of hours. I can still smell it on my face by the end of the day, and I obviously don't even use that much product. Not a fan of the scent of the Meteorites either. Nasty old woman smell. I do like some scented makeup though. Like Too Faced Chocolate Soleil. Smells AND tastes like chocolate YUM! I usually don't mind scented lip products as long as they smell like some kind of food. Love glosses that smells/tastes like vanilla or fruit. I think adding fragrance to makeup is wrong in so many ways. Fragrances in general are one of the main reasons more and more people develop allergies these days. There is absolutely no reason for it to be there, it doesn't make it a better product. A good face powder is a good face powder regardless of the scent. And lastly, fragrance is such a subjective thing. I doubt that many people will buy makeup BECAUSE of the scent, but it certainly will drive away people who don't like it, so that means they are actually losing potential customers. If I want to smell good, I'll use a perfume. Makeup is supposed make me look better, not smell better! End of rant lol.

I actually really like it! I love the vanilla of MAC lip products and the violet of Guerlain. Sometimes I just sniff my Guerlain powder without putting any on. It smells of parma violet sweets and I love those so how can I not like it in my powder? :) This post has just made me go through my make up and smell loads of it >.< I've never noticed the Coralista scent so it must be subtle but I do like it now I have smelt it and I really really like the scent of Bourjois blushes :D I can see why scent is bad for sensitive skined people but I do personally like it

I have a lot of allergies and it really irks me when products are scented when there's no reason for them to be! I've had to throw away drugstore products before because I was allergic to them and there were no testers available. Even with department store brands it can be hard to tell when something is scented because the whole cosmetic department is usually overwhelmingly perfumey and can drown out the fragrance in individual testers. I am not allergic to most "food" scents (vanilla, chocolate, fruit, etc) and don't mind them in a lip product but in general I wish more cosmetics were unscented. Even if you have no allergies, the scents from different products can clash and become unpleasant.

HATE! Hate these with the passion of a thousand burning suns!! I hate candy smells, floral smells, etc. Would much prefer paint smell. I do own perfumes but I don't wear it on my face!

I would prefer unscented, overall, but some scents are nice. A company has to be very careful with these! I think MAC nailed it: their vanilla-scented lip products are amazing!!! I love, love, love the smell of them. It makes MAC my favourite lipstick brand, for sure. Now, on the opposite side: L'Oreal lipstick scent is unbearable. In the middle, Benefit blushes: you get used to them, but initially, they're quite heavily scented. Strong scent in general: not good. Like in Chanel foundations. I can't stand such a strong smell on my face! Makes me want to rip it off...

i love the smell of roses in chanel and burberry lipsticks. it actually kind of makes me sad that my ysl rouge volupte doesn't have a smell.

I love the MAC vanilla scent, probably because it's light and not tasty enough that I'd eat my lipstick off. Every time I open a new MAC lipstick it takes me back to my first tube. (It was Angeldish!) Speaking of edible lipstuff, the old UD Lip Gunk in (I think) Paranoid probably looked awful on me, but it smelled just like Honeycomb cereal and I couldn't get enough. Dior's old lipstick scent (and L'oreal's) was so potently rosey-powdery that I usually wouldn't make it out of the house with it on. I had a couple of glosses that I tolerated because the color was special enough, but I'm so very glad the new products aren't whiffy. I can't stop buying them now. I went looking for Mademoiselle when the Rouge Cocos came out, and my counter was sold out but the MA started pulling out all the tubes of "similar" shades for me, and I could already tell from them sitting on the countertop that the smell was going to give me a migraine, so I declined.

I don't mind scented make-up, as long as it's not too overpowering. It's certainly better than waxy/plasticky/sulphur smell some make-up has.

I don't really mind either way. The only scented product I have a problem with are Chanel's Rouge Cocos...that rose scent on my lips makes me gag! But lipsticks are fairly easy to de-scent so it's not a huge problem.

In general, I don't mind scented makeup, although I tend to prefer things that are a mix of slightly sweet and slightly floral (things too floral or too sweet - like sugary food scents - both turn me off). I also adore citrus smells - I feel like they're refreshing and add to the product (sort of like the same idea as pretty packaging? haha). I really like the scent of MAC lipsticks and Maybelline's Color Sensational lipsticks, although I don't understand the idea of putting scent in products like mascara - it feels a little pointless to me, tbh.

Scented face powder reminds me of when I was young and mommy all dolled up to go to work or to go out....the scent of her as she kissed me on my cheek before she left.

In general, I don't mind a subtle fragrance as long as it dissipates and I don't smell it all day long. I like food-y smells like Vanilla, etc. I'm not big on flowery smells, especially rose scented anything will make me gag. But, I don't like chemical smells-all of Maybelline's mascaras smell so wretched I won't use them nor L'Oreal lipsticks, yuck!

There are scents I just recognize as "makeup scent", such as Lancôme lipsticks and even Guerlain lipsticks to some degree. There is a scent, but unless I sniff it, I don't even seem to feel it. MAC lipsticks, on the other hand, immediately make me go "hmm yummy!". They don't have the usual makeup smell, also, I love the vanilla scent. Chanel blushes have a very strong perfumey scent. It doesn't linger on me. If it did, I don't think I'd be able to stand it, even though it is a nice smell. Pretty much the same thing happens with Guerlain Meteorites. I can't think of anything else I own that's scented. Haven't come across something I couldn't wear because it was awfully scented or because the smell (good or bad) lingered after my makeup was done.

The scent depends on what scent and what brand. I dont like vanilla scent...like MAC. I do like Dolce Gabanna...rose. And Chanel and YSL scented lipsticks. So it depends.

I can get behind MAC liglasses and lipsticks! I find that scent to be really nice. I love scented lipgloss in general, but obviously, it has to be a scent I like.

I like scented products (especially scented lip balms and glosses) but not when the scent lingers, especially then when it's on my lips. I had this one lipgloss from benbelle a few years back (when I was like..... 9 and I wanted to wear makeup :)) and it was supposed to be cappucino coloured/flavoured. Well, it tasted horrible, but what really bothered me was the smell;I had to actually hold my breath when I went to put it on, and it made me throw up twice- that's how bad it was. So while I don't made scented things (like, I love the benefit boxed powder smells) it is so NOT okay that they should bother you!!

I LOVE anything with a vanilla scent, and in my opinions MAC does it best. Its just scented with Vanillin... which is vanilla. If there was a food that tasted exactly how MAC lipsticks smell, I would become obese and die becuase I would eat so much of it. But other then that I really dont care either way. I have never used a scented product that I found offensive. Some takes getting used to but nothing that prevent me from buying. But there was this one foundation I tried years ago.... I cant even explain how bad it was. Like decaying flesh. Im getting nausiated just thinking about it.

I like scented makeup as long as I like the scent! I dislike sweet, fruity or candy smelling cosmetics but love the old fashioned rose fragranced makeup.

I think it's nice! ALL of Anna Sui's cosmetics are rose-scented, they're so heavenly~

For me it depends on the scent. I love the smell of MAC lipstick and the PF Happy Booster blushes and powders, but that's about it. I LOATHE any kind of fake chemical scent, or anything too strong.

The only scented product I own that I can't stand is Benetint. I bought the Feelin Cheeky! mini's so I could test out the 3 Benefit products I really wanted to try. I'm glad I didn't just buy a full size Benetint because the smell on your lips is HORRIBLE. And I have a habit of licking my lips a lot and then the perfumey taste gets in your mouth and its terrible.

I love the violet scent of Guerlain Meteorites. What a pity that they discontinued the Meteorites perfume!

I HATE Flirts! Thickening Mascara from Kohls... it has a sickening floral scent thats not pleasant at all and really makes my allergies act up. It bothers my nose and EYES. Whyyyy do we need a scented mascara?!?

I don't usually mind it. I like how Chanel products sometimes smell like tea rose and Anna Sui is similar but sweeter, like turkish delight. I don't love the Guerlain fragrance, the Meteorites are tolerable but I find the KissKiss line way too strong. Thanks goodness Rouge G is more lightly scented :) I like the DiorKiss glosses as well, they are super yummy and I don't even mind the strong fake fruity bubblegum smell in Jordana glosses but anything chemically, waxy or "skincare" smelling is a huge turnoff for me.

:::dusting off brain::: you reminded me that YEARS ago I was thrilled to find a bunch of Anna Sui nail polishes on sale for like $3? I bought a bunch and the first time I tried them I couldn't believe the product had actually been put on the market. sickening,cloying "rose" scent that reminded me of a misguided attempt to find a good goth scent. I purchased "Graveyard" and the rose scent was similar. Straight out of a cheap incense bottle by the register-esque. I tried so hard to make that polish work but it was the sort of thing that kept people at arms length, and I don't think they were even clear why.

I love scented makeup! My favorite is Bourjous bronzing powder it smells really sweet and YSL faux cils which smells like roses. As long as it's not too powerful since I'm quite sensitive to smell. I don't really like the grapefruity smell/taste of some YSL lipsticks and glosses though.

Like someone said "really like the scent of Physician’s Formula Happy Booster blushes.". I HATE the Mac vanilla smell. It makes me wan to gag

Lips? Awesome, I love scented and flavored glosses. And I love the Benefit Box Powders being scented. But eye products and foundation/powder being scented makes me worry about breaking out, plus a lot of the time it's just too strong of a floral scent.

I don't mind it for lip products, but I for face products (other than cleansers) it frustrates me! Such as ELF's 'orange spice' scent in their TMs, I don't mind it in the tube, but on my face. Ick. UD's/MACs lipsticks don't bother me, and I definitely like MACs glosses for their scent.

I just love scented lipgloss, a nice flavor/fragrance is almost a must for me. if i put it on my lips, most definitely i'm going to smell it, so if it smells off, i won't be able to use it. my favorite smells are sweet dessert smells, for example chocolate, vanilla or caramel. i love the smell of MAC lip products and Juicy Tubes. however, i hate lipstick, that smells like powder or roses or old lady perfume, such as Lancome and Estee Lauder lipsticks. also, i prefer face products to be scent free. some of them (esp. drugstore ones) tend to smell so overpowering that it almost makes me sick..

I don't mind a sweet scent, as long as it isn't sickeningly sweet. I like the vanilla scent in MAC's lip products and I love the lychee scent Benefit put in their lip glosses. Anything minty in a lip gloss or balm makes me happy. I think it's unnecessary for eye products, though.

I hate when a smell a brand uses reminds me of children's medicine. It's a more common problem than one would assume. xP

I am allergic. Why does makeup have to smell anyway?

I don't mind a subtle scent (and I realize "subtle" is subjective), but when it gets overwhelming...for example, I love Estee Lauder lipsticks. The color, the quality, they're great. But I can't wear them because of that sickening sweet fruit/floral/chemical smell that lasts and lasts. It gives me a headache!! (But then again, I looove the smell of CoverGirl Clean Makeup- I used to wear it all the time in high school - so maybe I'm not the best judge!)

I don't mind a subtle scent in my products and I actually like the vanilla smell found in many MAC products. For me, smelling the product kind of adds to the overall sensory experience of putting on makeup. Sounds silly but it's along the same line of how you might be more apt to buy a blush or shadow that's in a pretty package.

It doesn't matter to me if make up is scented. However I dislike when a brand claims to be scent-free and when you test the products you find they are scented, despite the claim. I have no idea how they can get away with it.

For the most part, I'm happier if makeup is scent free. I like Clarins foundations but the 2 I use are scented sort of like watermelon and it makes me think of that Bubblelicious gum. I do understand that sometimes, products have to be scented to mask the smell of some of the ingredients but I do tend to prefer unscented for the most part (though I do love the subtle and fresh scent of Clinique's SuperDefense face cream and Clarins's rose scent in the Super Restorative day cream.

RANT RANT RANT!!!! GRR! That's all. RANT! (one more)

I forgot to mention that I HATE the scent of all things Loreal. I'm sorry, but chemically perfumey lipstick is not my thing!

Usually I don't buy a lot of scented make up products, but I was pleasantly surprised by the Benefit Georgia Peach powder... it had just a hint of peachy fragrance that just made it feel a little extra special.

I don't mind a subtle sweet scent in either lip products or powders, but I would hate anything that smells flowery - that´s just not my thing! I prefer no smell & no funky taste makeup - that´s probably why Clinique products are favorites of mine!