No matter what you’re doing throughout the day, it’s always nice to smell good while doing it. Cheaper perfume brands may get the job done, but they won’t excel at it. Instead of settling, look into purchasing designer perfume that wows you and anyone who comes into contact with you!
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Some women prefer to have signature scents, but we feel it’s best to have scents for every occasion. That way, you’re always mixing it up, and you never get tired of using the same scent for too long. We’ve taken time to find the best women’s perfume made by designer brands that are sure to impress.
What Makes a Good Designer Perfume?
To the untrained nose, designer perfume may just seem like an expensive perfume. However, this isn’t true! There are a lot of factors that make designer perfume the better choice when selecting fragrances for any occasion.
Wear Time
When you put on your perfume in the morning, you want it to last the entire day. Buying anything that does less is not only not worth your time, but not worth your money, either. Designer perfumes are known for having a long wear time because they’re more concentrated. A little designer perfume goes a long way, so you don’t have to worry about using it too quickly.
Scent
This one is probably a no-brainer, but worth mentioning nonetheless. Individual taste will determine whether or not you like a certain fragrance, but that’s beside the point. Perfumes need to smell like what they advertise; otherwise, no one is happy.
Buying knockoff scents or ones made with fewer quality ingredients will focus on the top note of the perfume, but fall flat on the underlying ones. You want your perfume to be well-rounded and have depth, making designer perfume and cologne, like Dior for instance, a better investment right off the bat.
What Are the Benefits of Buying Designer Perfume?
Though the perfume can be more expensive, designer and luxury perfume will always outperform cheaper versions. They could smell the same upon the first spritz, but designer perfume will have notes that come through once it’s dried. Cheaper perfumes don’t have that depth and complexity.
Designer vs. Niche Perfumes
Designer perfumes outperform a lot of competition but do have one downside mainstream appeal. This is an excellent move business-wise, but if you like having something a little more obscure, designer brands, unfortunately, don’t check that box. Instead, that’s where niche perfumes come in.
Niche perfumes, as the name suggests, are found at a smaller quantity of retailers. These are typically found only in fragrance boutiques or at perfume specialists. Niche perfumes are made just as well as designer perfumes, though they typically have more unique scents. If you like going outside the scent norm, a niche perfume may be a great choice for you.
At the end of the day, designer perfumes and niche perfumes are both well-made. The only difference lies in how easily you can find them. If you don’t care about having a mainstream scent, you really can’t beat designer perfume.
The Best Designer Perfumes
Now that you know how to judge the quality of designer perfumes and the benefits of using them, it’s time to discuss our picks for the best designer perfume.
These are listed in no particular order, and each has a distinct scent profile. Depending on what you’re looking for in a scent, one of these is sure to please.
L’Eau d’Issey EDT by Issey Miyake
This Issey Miyake perfume is a fantastic choice for women who like light, fresh scents. The perfume has notes of rose water, cyclamen, melon heart, freesia, and lotus. This designer perfume is light and airy, making it perfect for the spring or summer months. It’s also versatile enough to fit in at an office job or lunch date with friends.
More L’Eau d’Issey for men is also reviewed in our article L’Eau D’Issey by Issey Miyake Cologne for Men Review: A Fresh Classic.
Gucci Bloom by Gucci
Like Chanel, Gucci perfume also has a prominent place in designer perfumes. This scent is newer, having only come out in 2017, but its appeal is made to last. This perfume is perfect for women who want to capture the essence of spring and a garden in bloom. It’s made with notes of jasmine, tuberose, and Rangoon creeper.
Gucci Bloom, like many floral Gucci scents, is a versatile option that can easily become your signature scent. It’s not potent enough to disrupt sensitive noses at the offices, and it’s perfect for casual nights with friends. Since it’s a springtime scent, this Gucci perfume pairs well with the spring season or those long, hot summer days.
More Gucci scents are reviewed in our articles Gucci Flora Perfumes: 5 Of The Best Blossoms, Gucci Announces New Unisex Fragrance Mmoire dune Odeur featuring Harry Styles, and 7 Best Luxurious Gucci Guilty Colognes For Every Occasion
Gabrielle by Chanel Eau De Parfum
A more recent perfume, Gabrielle by Chanel Eau De Parfum, debuted in 2017. If you’re looking for a scent that’s a little sweeter, you won’t be disappointed with this Chanel perfume. With inspiration that comes from traditional floral notes, the perfume gets its sweetness from fragrance notes such as orange blossom, jasmine, and ylang-ylang.
However, this isn’t a completely floral perfume – citrus notes like black currant, grapefruit, mandarin orange, and even a hint of pink pepper balance it out.
As sweet as it is, Chanel’s Gabrielle perfume is a perfect choice for any woman who’s looking to add a bit more femininity to their signature scent. While it’s a great addition for date night, the scent is still subtle enough to wear at the office or even running errands throughout the day.
More Chanel scents are reviewed in our articles Chanel No 5 Perfume Review and The Name Coco Chanel, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle: Review of the Iconic Perfume, and 12 Absolute Best Chanel Perfumes for Every Occasion.
Libre By Yves Saint Laurent Eau De Parfum
Designed by Carlos Benaim and Anne Flipo in 2019, Libre by Yves Saint Laurent Eau De Parfum is another feminine scent that blends floral and citrus notes together. Some of the strongest notes in this perfume include lavender, mandarin orange, petitgrain, and black currant.
The balanced fragrance notes give this perfume a clean, fresh scent that makes it ideal for professional settings. Businesswomen may particularly like this designer perfume as it’s subtle enough to wear in the office around co-workers and won’t feel too overpowering.
L’ombre Des Merveilles By Hermes Eau De Parfum
Although this unisex scent works great for both men and women, this classic perfume is especially popular with ladies. If you’re looking for something simple, L’ombre Des Merveilles is all about being straightforward – like our favorite Hermes perfumes.
With fragrance notes of black tea, incense, and bold tonka bean, this scent is both peaceful and inviting. Compared to some of the fruitier designer perfumes on this list, L’ombre is a lot more versatile.
Many women appreciate that works just as well for a day at the office as it does for a night on the town. L’ombre is an everyday scent, but there’s nothing ordinary about this memorable fragrance.
More Hermes scents are reviewed in our article What Is The Best Hermes Perfume?
Tom Ford Metallique By Tom Ford Eau De Parfum
Launched in 2019, Tom Ford Metallique is a relatively new fragrance for women, but it’s already showing plenty of potential. This perfume is definitely more complex, and its long list of fragrance notes reflects that. The Metallique perfume includes notes of pink pepper, aldehydes, bergamot, heliotrope, hawthorn, lily-of-the-valley, vanilla, ambrette, sandalwood, and even Peru balsam.
The result is a soft floral scent with plenty of vanilla and a metallic edge. Although some women may prefer a simpler, fruitier fragrance, many people find the Tom Ford Metallique perfume to be a comforting, warm scent.
This feminine scent may be overpowering in some professional settings, but it’s perfect for casual nights and outings.
More Tom Ford scents reviewed by Everfumed are Black Orchid and Oud Wood Intense.
Final Thoughts
Designer perfume is a worthwhile investment for a ton of reasons. Comparatively speaking, designer perfume almost always lasts longer than other, lesser brands. The scents are strong without being overwhelming and take the senses on a journey of scent notes. Other brands simply don’t compare to designer perfumes.
Our top designer perfume picks are sure to appeal to any scent palette because we made sure to choose a variety. No scent will match everyone perfectly, but our picks will make your life easier by helping you figure out how you’d like to smell and what you’d like to avoid.
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Selena Marc is a fragrance enthusiast, freelance writer, and dog mom living in Houston, Texas. When she's not writing about her favorite new perfumes, you can find her enjoying yoga or a morning hike.