Oriflame

by

Elvie Firefly

fireflyI blind bought this one because of the name and the price and it turned out to be a great summer scent, fresh and sweet and playful.

Wet peaches on a warm evening, and grapefruit candy–the jelly kind crusted with sugar crystals–for a few hours, with roses on the bottom. The watery note lingers on clothes til morning.

There’s something unpretentious about it. Not cheap (well, actually, it is–Oriflame is Sweden’s Avon, and bottles can be had for less than ten euros) but uncomplicated and fun.

This uncomplicated and fun Swedish hit also came in 2016.

by

Si Magnifique!

si magnifique edgesI got this at a mission store in Stockholm for ten kronor, and didn’t open it until I got back to the States…
…where it smelled like every Victoria’s Secret store distilled into a bottle. Entirely too girlish sweet almond, rosebuds and muted citrus with some obligatory white musk underneath.
On my early twenties daughter-child it became Earl Grey tea in a rose-patterned china cup, elegant and perfect.
Dammit, I’m old.

This Swedish song (Oriflame started out in Stockholm) was a hit in 2016, too.