Best Perfumes for Women

7 Perfumes that Smell Like Dessert

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For some folks, dessert is their favorite part of any meal. Not only the tasty and sugary flavors, but also the aroma of cakes, ice creams, chocolates, and other baked goods. There’s plenty of women who not only love the taste of dessert, but want to smell like it with their perfume selections. There are obviously a lot of choices out there, but let’s see if we can locate some of the best dessert smelling fragrances. 

 

What are some fragrances that smell like dessert?

Britney Spears Women’s Fantasy Eau de Parfum, 100 ml/3.3 oz.– Warm, flirty, and sweet. Fantasy is always a popular ladies’ fragrance and for good reason, it smells fantastic.  Fantasy is truly a sensual perfume that is quite memorable. Notes include: kiwi, white chocolate, musk, lychee, jasmine, orchid, and quince.

This one skews towards the younger crowd, with its fruity and confectionary elements. However, at it’s price point, it is a delicious example of a gourmand that has good performance and delivers on the aromatic aspect. Sweet, upbeat, and a bargain.

 

Prada Candy Night- Sure, the original Prada Candy did smell like Candy, but this one is much better overall and closer to what we’re looking for. A true, win/win.

Candy Night is a warm and delicious blend of caramel, vanilla, and of course a proper chocolaty note. It’s got enough sweetness to be attractive, but it doesn’t venture into being something for the younger set. Candy Night is well put together, flirty, and has a great gourmand/dessert aroma.

 

Armani Code Satin– Armani Code Satin can definitely satisfy a sweet tooth, not that it’s insanely sugary, but it provides a fantastic blend of scents to mimic different dessert types.

First, you get a light and creamy sorbet note, which pairs with vanilla, and fresh ginger. Some pear kicks things off, with its short role at the top of the mix, before this transitions into its floral middle act (neroli, mostly). What you end up with is a chocolate/vanilla floral with orange floral notes and ginger coming through. Strong sillage, great performance.

 

Live Irresistible Delicieuse– Delicieuse opens up smelling like a cherry pastry, to my nose. It’s going away from the chocolate sort of dessert to a baked goods kind of scent. Following that, you also have notes of vanilla, almond, and caramel. The caramel is short lived, but the other two hang around with the cherry and with the floral addition of rose.

Delicieuse is warm, sweet, and fairly edible. The scent is pretty moderate with its projection, and I managed to get, a full 7 hours out of it in testing. This is a delightful release from Givenchy. Full Review.

 

Good Girl Velvet Fatale– The flanker to the original Good Girl, this stiletto bottle comes wrapped in velvet, and gives you some really sweet notes to boot. The base is a mix of woody and floral notes, but this is dominated by ingredients like praline, coffee, vanilla, and almond.

Very light fruit and spices from cinnamon and patchouli, dot the perimeter of this fragrance. Good Girl Velvet Fatale might still be a bit difficult to find, but it is a really pleasant example of a warm and gourmand blend of notes, done right.

 

 




La Petite Robe Noire Intense– La Petite Robe Noire has been the title of many flankers in this line. Two that I tested out were much more situated around a cherry note. This one, Intense, goes for a berry and cotton candy infused aroma, with patchouli playing a larger role in the dry down.

Robe Noire Intense has that sugary cotton candy aroma down pat, with a juicy mix of berries, and a dash of citrus. Later on, there is some woodsy type of notes, rose, but mostly staying on the really sweet side of things. 

 

Ariana Grande Sweet Like Candy Eau de Parfum, 3.4 Ounce– This is a lighter and more subtle sort of perfume, but I think that Sweet Like Candy, is the best release from the pop star. 

Vanilla, blackberry, whipped cream, and of course, marshmallow pull together to form a warm and youthful candy-like aroma. Sweet Like Candy comes in fun looking bottle,  the scent starts off with its berry and pear blend, much like some other entries.

However, this one begins to shift more to a creamy, sweet, and familiar aroma. Lots of whipped cream with a vanilla touch and a great marshmallow addition. Very soft, girly, and sits beautifully in the colder weather.

YSL Libre vs. Mon Guerlain Comparison

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Libre by YSL has become a pretty popular lavender based fragrance. Another such option, is the even more popular Mon Guerlain. Due to their similarities, they often can get compared and become the final two options that women are deciding on to purchase. In this post, I want to give my comparison of these two perfumes, and go through why I think one is better than the other.

Tale of the Tape: Mon Guerlain vs. YSL Libre

Mon Guerlain

Notes include: jasmine, vanilla, lavender, sandalwood, tonka bean

Click here to try: Guerlain Mon Guerlain Eau De Parfum Spray 100ml/3.3oz

Read my review: Mon Guerlain EDP

Libre EDP

Notes include: lavender, white musks, orange flower, vanilla, orchid

Click here to try: Yves Saint Laurent Libre Eau De Parfum Spray for Women 90ml/3oz, clear

Read my review: Libre EDP

Opening

Mon Guerlain starts things off with a sweet aroma of vanilla and tonka bean. Though, the way that the fragrance mixes with other notes in its composition, it starts to develop a caramel-like scent.

Then, Mon Guerlain will shift and become more about the lavender and vanilla notes, striking a somewhat similar smell to Libre.

Libre begins with citrus, but is already heavily floral from the start. Orange blossom is paired with the lavender early on, but the lavender will take on the much stronger role between the two. 

Which is better? I prefer the start of Mon Guerlain. You still get the lavender note like YSL Libre, but you also get that sweeter and delicious opening. I think that it smells better and also more interesting.

Edge: Mon Guerlain

Projection

Mon Guerlain has a moderate sillage overall. It’ll be noticeable and project itself fairly well, but isn’t going to overtake a room with a normal amount of spraying.

Libre is firmly in the strong camp. Not the most powerful scent that I’ve come across, but it is well above average, especially among most popular designer scents. Both have nice performance, but Libre is a notch above.

Edge: Libre

Longevity

During testing, Libre would last on my skin for just over 9 hours. While it does have the stronger sillage, I actually get better performance most of the time from Mon Guerlain.

So, Mon Guerlain will do 8 hours at the low end, but it does go over 10 hours. It has a higher ceiling, but lower floor when compared to the Saint Laurent perfume.

Edge: Mon Guerlain

 

 

Versatility

Both of these scents can be worn for much of the year, outside of the summertime. So, seasonally they are about equals. 

They are both very versatile, being daily wears, that can also be worn casually. I’d say that Mon Guerlain has the edge, as it can venture closer to formal wear and doesn’t skew as much to the younger age range as Libre.

Edge: Mon Guerlain

Overall Scent

Libre is an interesting fragrance and has it merits, but I’m not in love with it. It’s a bold lavender fragrance, that dries down into a creamier scent, with its vanilla note. Not a very deep scent and has an emphasis on the floral notes, including that opening orange blossom.

Mon Guerlain is just better to my nose, overall. It also has the lavender and vanilla, but feels more balanced, especially when the jasmine comes into play. Beyond that, the opening sweetness is a great touch, and Mon Guerlain is smoother/creamier.

Mon Guerlain pretty easily wins this one. Libre isn’t a bad perfume, it just doesn’t reach the same level as its competitor.

Winner: Mon Guerlain

YSL Libre vs. Mon Paris Comparison

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YSL has released a ton of perfumes over the past decade, in addition to the classics they’re still selling. Mon Paris and Libre are two of their newer lines, that they seem to be in the process of creating even more flanker perfumes for. Between the originals, though, which smells better? Which fragrance is the one to check out? In this post, I will break down my thoughts and compare these scents.

Tale of the Tape: Mon Paris vs. YSL Libre

Libre EDP

Notes include: lavender, white musks, orange flower, vanilla, orchid

Click here to try: Yves Saint Laurent Libre Eau De Parfum Spray for Women 90ml/3oz, clear

Read my review: Libre EDP

Mon Paris EDP

Notes include: peony, white musk, patchouli, and datura accord

Click here to try: Yves Saint Laurent Mon Paris Eau de Parfum Spray, 3 Fluid Ounce

My Original Review: Mon Paris 

Opening

Mon Paris opens up with berries, pear, and other citrus notes. It’s a floral perfume, but much of the wear is actually pretty fruity in its presentation. Underneath that, are the floral notes of datura flower and peony. As things progress, they will take over more of the composition.

Libre also opens with a bit of citrus. However, it is much more floral from the start. Orange blossom and lavender are the main highlights at the start. The lavender is going to end up being the main focus of this fragrance, though.

Which is better? I think the fruity notes in Mon Paris are more enjoyable than the lavender and orange blossom, that I get with Libre. Libre feels soapier and musky versus the berries and nice datura note, that comes with Mon Paris.

Edge: Mon Paris

Projection

Both of these fragrances have above average sillage. Mon Paris is more in the moderate camp, but towards the upper end of the spectrum. While, Libre is definitely what you could term as strong. Not a monster, but it projects itself a bit better than Mon Paris.

Edge: Libre

Longevity

On my skin, Mon Paris goes 7-8 hours. Libre, again has the greater strength, at just over 9 hours of full wear. Plus, Libre keeps its power up for a longer period of time.

Edge: Libre

Versatility

Neither of these fragrances are going to be best for the hottest days of the year. Though, I think that Mon Paris holds up a bit better there.

Also, neither is very formal. Both are best for daily wear or casual wear and are quite versatile within that setting. I’d also say, both of these will probably skew toward a younger crowd. I don’t see much distinction in this category.

Edge: Push

Overall Scent

I don’t absolutely love either one of these scents. In my mind, they’re both pretty good and have nice performance, but never reach anything all that special.

Libre is an interesting fragrance. It’s a bold lavender fragrance, that dries down into a creamier scent, with its vanilla note. Not super complicated and has an emphasis on the floral notes, including that opening orange blossom.

Mon Paris is fruity, floral, and musky. The opening is pretty, but also a pretty standard fruit-chouli type of fragrance with its prevalent patchouli note. However, it does have a nice datura which separates it somewhat.

Between, them I like the sweetness of Mon Paris just a tad better. Libre is more unique and has better performance. But, it’s nothing mind blowing. Out of these YSL perfumes? I’d give a slight win to Mon Paris.

Winner: Mon Paris

Mon Paris Intensement by YSL

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Mon Paris Intensement is a flanker fragrance of the original and fairly popular, Mon Paris from Saint Laurent. It was released in 2020 and I recently bought a sample of this fragrance to give it a whirl and see if it’s actually a worthwhile scent. How does it smell? Does it last long? Please continue below for my full take on this YSL perfume.

What does Mon Paris Intensement Smell Like?

Notes include: datura, Centifolia Rose, cashmeran wood, black currant, white musk

Click here to try: Yves Saint Laurent Mon Paris Intensement Women EDP Spray Floral 3 Ounce

My Full Review

A woody floral chypre, a bouquet of flowers as grand as the Eiffel Tower. The hypnotic accord of Datura flower is heightened by the elegance of Centifolia Rose absolute and the sensuality of Cashmeran wood. The scent of mad love, to be lived intensely.

The opening of Intensement is similar to the original Mon Paris. Black currant (other berry notes, also) is stronger here and the datura accord is toned down, but it’s pretty similar overall.

Another main difference, is that the rose note here is much more prominent throughout the entire wear. That comes through early on with the patchouli, creating an early fruit-chouli type of fragrance.

That will fade, however, and the rose and peony really take over the composition. The patchouli pretty consistent during the entirety of the wear. But, those berry notes start to fall by the wayside and fall pretty far from prominence.

The result is a rose, peony, and datura blend with a sweetness covering it. From there add some cashmeran wood and muskiness from the base and you’ve pretty much have experienced the entire scent.

The final dry down is more of a musky rose blend, for maybe the last hour or two that it lasts on my skin.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

Mon Paris Intensement is a strong perfume, though, not completely overwhelming. It is safely above average and can project itself well with only a few sprays. The sillage is solid overall and it doesn’t just cut out early to become a skin scent.

It can last for up to 10 hours, on the skin. But, I mostly got 8-9 hours of solid wear out of it. So, that’s more along the lines of what to expect on a daily basis, with some additional time on occasion.

The performance is one of the strengths of this YSL perfume and you get a good deal based on what you’re paying for it.

Seasonally, it can it in a wide range of climates, excepting the extreme heat of summer. It’s not completely terrible when it’s hot, but the fragrance definitely isn’t at its best. Ideally, slightly cool to moderate temperatures is when Mon Paris Intensement shines.

Mon Paris Intensement can be worn in a variety of situations, but I wouldn’t call it a formal sort of scent. It feels like it skews toward the younger crowd and is best served as a casual scent, either during the day or night.

Overall Impressions of Mon Paris Intensement

Do I like this perfume? I actually do enjoy it. It’s still not a love for me, but I think that it is better than the original, on balance. From the smell to the performance, Intensement just gives you a bit more than the original (which was pretty decent).

I really do like the early sweet stages of this scent. The rose, the black currant, and the patchouli are a familiar but enjoyable pairing. The main knock that I’d give to Mon Paris Intensement is that it isn’t very original.

I mean, not only is it a flanker to the original, but it has a decent amount of overlap with a ton of other scents, like Armani Si…but doesn’t smell as good.

It’s a nice scent, nothing spectacular, and not one of the top perfumes from YSL. Nevertheless, if you can good a nice price for it, this can totally find a way in your rotation. It does everything well and does provide a good deal of value.

Coco Mademoiselle EDP vs. EDT

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Chanel has had a lot of success with the Coco Mademoiselle line of fragrances. The EDP and EDT have been out for decades now, but, I recently picked up samples of the latest batches and wanted to do a head to head comparison post for the site. Which smells better? Lasts longer? Is the better buy here in 2021?

Tale of the Tape: Coco Mademoiselle EDP vs. EDT

Coco Mademoiselle

Notes include: orange, neroli, may rose, patchouli, vetiver, jasmine

Click here to try: Coco Mademoiselle

Read my full review: Coco Mademoiselle EDP

Coco Mademoiselle EDT

Notes include: litchi, citrus, vanilla, patchouli, vetiver, musk, rose, jasmine

Click here to try: Chanel Coco Mademoiselle 3.4 oz eau de toilette 

Read my Full Review: Coco Mademoiselle EDT

Opening

Mademoiselle starts off with its blend of neroli, patchouli, and orange. The orange is very powerful at first, before this perfume starts to feature its other floral notes, being jasmine and a slight rose. It blends with the patchouli for a bold and somewhat gourmand opening act.

Mademoiselle EDT does somewhat mimic its predecessor. However, the neroli isn’t present. The patchouli and orange are toned down. Also, EDT adds a very nice litchi note, that gets balanced with the other citrus notes.

Which is better? It’s actually a close race. While I do appreciate the balance, litchi, and having less patchouli in the opening act. I actually still slightly prefer the start of the EDP version more. I’m one who has always appreciated that strong punch of fragrance to start things off.

Edge: EDP

Projection

The eau de parfum obviously has the higher fragrance concentrate and it does indeed project better and feels stronger overall. Add to that more of the orange note and patchouli and you get a strong perfume. Not an absolute monster, but very good.

Mademoiselle EDT is decent at how far it will project, but it is much more of a moderate fragrance. It never hits close to the same highs as the EDP.

Edge: EDP

Longevity

Coco Mademoiselle EDP will last on my skin for over 10 hours, without fail. It’s got fantastic performance, to this day, with the newer batches Chanel has put out.

EDT? It’s a solid performer with 6-8 hours of wear, depending on the day. Quite usable, but again, doesn’t touch the original.

Edge: EDP

Versatility

I actually think that EDT has the edge in this category. It’s lighter feeling is a plus for many people who wear it, who may have been turned off by the strength of the original. So, it is going to be better for situation where you’d want to be low key.

Add to that, while neither is a summertime fragrance, EDT does hold up a bit better than the heavier EDP. Outside of those differences, both of these perfumes are highly versatile.

Edge: EDT

Overall Scent

I really enjoy both of these scents. I think that Coco Mademoiselle EDT can be a fantastic choice, if you want something lighter and that can seem less harsh to some folks. The scent really develops a nice woody/musky base with a smoother overall finish and light vanilla touches.

It’s a really good fragrance overall.

However, I think EDP is a great fragrance. I love the intensity of the orange and neroli, the gourmand touches, the power, and the vanilla creaminess that is more noticeable in this formulation.

In its totality, I just think that Coco Mademoiselle EDP has more strengths and a bit more depth. It’s not far and away better, but has a clear edge, in my book.

Winner: Coco Mademoiselle EDP