This is a little tip I stumbled upon rather by accident quite a few years ago. It was helpful for me, and I reckoned some of you might benefit from it too because it’s a bit of a money saver as well!
It goes like this.
You know how expensive perfumes can be? Yeah, I saw you wince. Many of us would like to own that Jo Malone, or Diptyque, or Dior, or Chanel fragrance, but find it hard to part with so much money up front. Or perhaps you aren’t sure if it’s a scent you’d love after you spring so much money on it.
Here’s my tip for you.
Buy the shower gel or body wash. “But isn’t that terribly decadent?” I hear you say. Yes, it is. But there’s a method to my madness 😛 Hear me out!
Buy a perfume coffret set for better deals
I discovered this many years ago, when I bought a coffret set of what was then, my favourite perfume – Alexander McQueen Kingdom. In the set was a complementary shower gel. You can often get the complementary shower gel or body washes in sets, especially around Christmas, or other festive seasons.
I kept that Kingdom body wash for a while, believing, as I have no doubt you do, that it is terribly decadent to shower with a perfumed shower gel. Most of us consider our body washes as a basic item, and won’t spend very much on it because we use it daily (or at least I hope you use it daily LOL! 😀 ) and it will therefore finish quite quickly.
But I eventually took the Kingdom body wash out to use after a while, before it degraded. Because the shower gel is infused with the perfume, it was a delight and a pleasure to use in the shower. It filled the bathroom with my (then) favourite scent, and lingered on my skin. I liked that little bit of decadence. If you shower in the evening, as I do, it feels wonderful to hop into bed, smelling of your favourite perfume, but without actually using your favourite perfume. It feels utterly luxurious, and believe me, some days, you bloody well deserve to feel decadent!
Perfumed body washes refresh and delicately perfume
It wasn’t until later, when I had a mini sample of a Jo Malone body wash in their signature Lime Basil & Mandarin, that I realised that it could be a perfume substitute. I took the mini sample of the Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin body wash with me when I went away. I then realised that not only did the beautiful, refreshing scent fill up the bathroom, and relaxed me, it also stuck quite well to my skin.
Even after I had dried off, and was heading out, I’d still be faintly scented with the Lime Basil & Mandarin scent. It was lovely, refreshing, and made me feel clean and fresh. That was when I realised that Jo Malone body washes make a good (and more affordable) substitute for their perfumes! (Don’t tell them I said this! 😛 )
While they are really made to enable you to layer your scents, or intensify your perfume scent, I found that the perfumed body washes often make good standalone, light perfumes. If they are more intense, they stick better to your skin, and allows you to feel refreshed and cocooned in your favourite scent, without actually spraying your perfume on. I’d sometimes shower with them in the morning, and I could get away with just that on my skin, without having to spray any scent on.
Perfumed body washes – try a new scent
For luxury brands like Jo Malone or Atelier Cologne, where prices are high, you could get away with drawing a light veil of the scent on your skin, by using their body washes. It is a nice way of trying a scent, to see if you like it, or to bring a bit of luxury to your everyday. I do find however, that while I shy away from floral or citrus based perfumes, I embrace them in a shower gel. It allows me to smell sweetly floral, like a whiff of a flower garden, without choking myself with the perfume 😛
In fact, if you don’t want something too expensive, I particularly enjoy the Kiehl’s Patchouli and Fresh Rose body wash. I can’t handle the perfume, as it is far too floral for my senses, but in a body wash, the scent is diluted, and much more pleasant.
A strong, intense fragranced shower gel lasts longer
Be sure to pick a stronger, more intense scent in the shower gel. A light scent won’t take you very far, but the stronger scents usually last longer on the skin. I never enjoyed using Jo Malone’s Lime Basil & Mandarin cologne, but after a spell of using the complementary body wash, I grew to like it. Now, it is one of my favourite day scents for a quick, refreshing spritz.
The complementary perfumed shower gels or body washes are usually quite expensive, but more affordable at the outset, than buying the perfume outright. It allows for a bit of luxury in your everyday, and allows you to wear a perfume you might otherwise not wear, or that you might otherwise not spend the money on. I think that’s a good compromise, don’t you?
Do you use body washes from luxury perfume brands?
If you don’t, try it. The good thing is that many people tend to not want the body washes that come in coffret sets, so you could always offer to take it off their hands for cheap. I have trouble picking a Jo Malone fragrance that I particularly enjoy, but I like that I enjoy pretty much most of their body washes. So I can wear scents like English Pear & Freesia or Peony & Blush Suede in the body wash and shower oil; scents I can’t handle in the pure perfume, and I think that’s a nice way for me to enjoy a new scent! 😀 Incidentally that Dior J’adore shower cream didn’t last well. I find the perfume houses do perfumed body washes better. My favourite are by Jo Malone as I find they stay on my skin longer. I’ve bought a couple and as gifts as well. It makes for a nice introduction to the brand without busting your wallet 🙂
Paris B
Oh wow, this is interesting! I’ve always skimmed past coffret sets and only looked at individual perfumes, because I’d thought the shower gels don’t really work and are included just to justify the price mark up.
Curious- how do the perfumed lotions fare? Would they be worth it as well?
I totally know how you feel! I too used to scoff at the shower gels, thinking they’re just a gimmick. But they are a really nice treat. Not all, but in your favourite scent at least. As for the body lotion, yes it will perform the same way, but I personally don’t use them because I don’t like how they feel. It is very rare that you get a good quality body lotion from a perfume LOL! Dedicated lifestyle brands like Jo Malone or Byredo or some of the more niche brands do them well. But if it’s your regular department store perfumes, I don’t put much score by them 🙂
Oh well, now I remember I did have that complementary shower gel chucked somewhere. I thought too it was too decadent to shower with a perfumed shower gel. Time to get it opened.
I think many of us feel that way Margaret 😀 But it’s time to not be so “sayang” about things, and just use them and enjoy them! 🙂
Thanks for the great tip! I can’t really stand heavy scent…and hence do not have habit of applying perfume at all. There are many bottles lying around – those purchased like more than 10 years ago (I have since stopped buying perfumes). So I guess your tip is a good way for me to add some light fragrance without causing extended discomfort to my senses.
I feel you. There was a time when I felt that all the perfumes I own were just too strong so I stopped wearing them. That’s the problem with perfumes sometimes. You buy a full bottle thinking you’d love it and then your body chemistry changes or your tastes change and suddenly, it makes you want to gag. I now appreciate smaller bottles. And body washes are a nice way too, to help you smell good without making you sick 🙂
Any website I can buy Atelier Cologne with affordable shipping to Malaysia? The local KENS apothecary is carrying so limited selection 🙁
I don’t know of any unfortunately. Most websites have stopped shipping perfumes because they are flammable 🙁 I remember Strawberrynet does it but I haven’t shopped there in a long time so I don’t know how they are anymore. Sorry!