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23 Comments

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ali Avatar
ali

I prefer perfum oils to colognes and perfumes, they have much better sillage and lasting power, off course this means you have to be very light handed with application! I dont know of any good american brands of oils, I only know of the body shop, but I have never tried them. I usually get mine from overseas. Oud oil from Saudi Arabia is like nothing youve ever smelled. Think of Tom Fords Oud wood but much muskier and mellow. very nice. What I like about oils is that what you smell is what you get, there isnt much of a change in scent as the day progresses.

Christina Avatar
Christina

I almost always use perfume oils for fragrance because alcohol-based perfumes make me sneeze.

I have been a devotee of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab since 2004, and have worn literally HUNDREDS of their oils. They have great lasting power, and don’t leave a funky waxy smell the way some companies’ oil bases do.

The only tricky thing about perfume oils is that since there’s no alcohol preservative, the oils directly interact with your skin, so they smell different on everyone depending on skin chemistry. I hate when I smell an oil on someone else, rush to get some, and then it smells terrible on me!

Hannah S. Avatar
Hannah S.

I LOVE perfume oils! About a year ago I was introduced to Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and I’ve never gone back – I’ve started hoarding far too many bottles for my own good 😀

MAChostage Avatar
MAChostage

DITTO! I’ve been wearing the Lab’s oils for years now, and I’d never go back to wearing cookie cutter, commercial scents. I absolutely love the compliments I get about the oils I wear. 😉

Lisa Avatar
Lisa

Same here. Six years. I love Beth’s oils and my collection is way out of hand. When I go back to a traditional fragrance with alcohol it just smells weird. That is something I had never noticed in the past.

chris Avatar
chris

I love oils because they last. I have found a co-worker who sells them and they are dead-on the scent of the perfume. I wish more branded companies would sell oils as a part of the fragrance. I guess I am old school because I also like a scented powder.

Marian Humin Avatar
Marian Humin

I love perfume oils because you usually need only a tiny amount. The scent stays close to the skin, so one must get close to you to smell them. I dislike them because sometimes they can stain clothing.
I find it very difficult to find interesting blends of perfume oil, especially in the US or Europe. The middle east and India have some of the best I’ve smelled.

Sarsie Avatar
Sarsie

I just started wearing perfume oils from two companies and have liked them a lot so far. They last much longer than many perfumes I’ve worn, and I like that they don’t “turn” on me as much as some perfumes do. I have a really sensitive sense of smell, and am very particular about the scents I use. With perfume oils, if I don’t like how they work on me, I can usually use them in a scent diffuser for my home, so they don’t go to waste.

Ashley Avatar
Ashley

I love perfume oils! The way they go on, how little I need to use, and how they mix with my unscented lotion is incredible! The scents that I have in alcohol based perfumes are nice, but they don’t have the complexities that my perfume oils have. After a few hours of my alcohol based perfumes, most have worn off; while my perfume oil(s) have mellowed and transformed into a whole new beautiful scent! I have two scents that I’m not too fond of on their own, but mixed together they’re an amazing symphony of earthy florals! Haus of Gloi (they’re from the US and they’re vegan) has been my favorite company to buy from so far, because they sell samples, and they give a free perfume oil sample with each order they send! (At least I’ve gotten a sample with every order that I’ve gotten!)

Sabrina Avatar
Sabrina

i like how long perfume oils last but i would much rather be able to use a spray-type application method. and i absolutely haaaate rollerballs.

Cindy Avatar
Cindy

The great thing about perfume oils is that you can make your own perfume sprays using as much or as little of the oil that you want. Just need perfumer’s alcohol, atomizers, and droppers. 🙂

I got into BPAL a few years ago. It’s an expensive habit, so I’ve gone cold turkey for now, but I still buy perfume oils off Etsy every now and then. I like the uniqueness and concentration of oils. Not all of them are long lasting though, some BPAL blends have disappeared on my skin within minutes.

Mandy Avatar
Mandy

I buy perfume oils (attar) regularly from India during my travels. I especially love jasmine, rose and sambac. I add a few drops to my shampoo, conditioner, body oil and bask in the scent all day long. I love florals but you can try kewda,khus,sandal or vetiver for a more grassy/woody scent. I am not a big fan of Oud which is simply “Wood” mispronounced by the locals where it comes from a mold growing on certain trees in India and some parts of Asia. Oud is not native to the middle east at all and almost all the so called Arabian Ouds come from India where the oud (agar) tradition goes back to the 7th century. It is not easy to get pure perfume oils in India but there are some large companies like Forest Essentials and Fab India that you can trust online.

Mandy Avatar
Mandy

Swati, I am from Kolkata so I buy them from several attar shops around Rabindra Sarani, I can’t recall the exact names.Last year my friend was duped by one store where they gave her some diluted stuff. I am leaving for Kolkata next week and when I return I will post the name of a reliable store.

Angela Avatar
Angela

I love perfume oil. I have a few from the body shop I wear ALL the time. I have a lilac one that i wear sparingly since it’s been discontinued. i love how long the scent lasts with oils.

Quinctia Avatar
Quinctia

Perfume oils are almost the only scent I ever use. (I make a small exception for Demeter sprays, but those are literally the only commercial perfumes I own.)

I ended up migrating towards perfume oils as I got more and more sensitive to smells. Many commercial perfumes can trigger a migraine for me. I think there are several common “notes” that set me off, because even an oil with enough of the right note will do it. (Jasmine’s a doozy for me!)

I’m also a big BPAL collector! I was really doing that before I got into makeup, and it took me a few years, but I’ve really got a satisfying assortment of scents. I might make an order, but now it’s once every year or two. Gives me hope that once I finally have every color eyeshadow I want, find a perfect foundation, etc, I’ll cut back on the makeup buying. 🙂

Krysta Avatar
Krysta

I also have love for perfume oils. The one company that stands out for me is Jalaine– intensely concentrated perfume oil in an exquisite bottle made of hand cut Italian glass. Lasts for 12- 14 hrs. with one or two drops applied to neck or wrist w/o being overpowering. My favorite is vanilla — not a sugar cookie or frosting, a butter vanilla with almost a tinge of a salty smell that some how makes it divine. Also love Diptyque perfume roll-ons– airport friendly and last forever. Just received Jus d’Amour – Perfume oil by Parfums Mercedes – getting many compliments– a beautiful, grown-up comfort scent –coco palm, aqualeaf accord, night-blooming jasmine, violet, Tahitian vanilla, sandalwood, cashmere woods.

Lisa Avatar
Lisa

I just discovered Poison Apple Potions and there is not a fragrance that I don’t love, however, I don’t have the same experience as others. It does not last long on me at all. I don’t understand it!!

Meaghan B Avatar
Meaghan B

I use a different brand of perfume oils but a few things that will keep your oils lasting a little bit longer:

Make sure your skin is hydrated – this means you need to moisturize and drink water long before you apply your oils.
Make sure your oils are dry before you put clothing or jewelry over them – I know quite a few people that have coats that smell lovely.
Make sure you are storing your oils in a dark, cool place. Unlike perfumes full of stabilizers, perfume oils are incredibly sensitive to light and heat.

Otherwise, it could just be that your skin eats your preferred notes – mine soaks up vanilla scents from pretty much any line and only leaves the other scents behind. I have better luck getting a vanilla scent out of a tonka bean oil.

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