Some perfumes are big old honking Sillage Monsters. The ones you put on that you can smell almost all day, even when they seem to have faded, you move, and up wafts 
the most wonderful sillage. Before I go on, what do you think Paris will wear when she goes into jail? Before she gets her orange overalls?
My top two sillage monsters:
Clive Christian No. 1 for Women
I know, this is a ridiculously priced perfume, though you can sometimes get deals on eBay, but nevertheless, no matter how not as extraordinary (read worth $$$$$) as it may seem when you first spritz, Clive Christian No. 1 for Women is the one I come back to if I want big sillage that lasts and is beautiful. Notes of pineapple, plum, mirabelle, bergamot, lemon, cardamom, rose, jasmine, ylang ylang, orris, orchid, vanilla, tonka seeds, cedarwood, sandalwood, and musk amber. This thing goes on with what seems like a very pretty, but mostly ordinary floriental, certainly nothing that would justify the price, but the drydown lets out some of the deeper notes that are just enchanting in their mix. Every time I move when I wear this, I get another waft. It’s like a diamond that keeps hitting the sun. So way too many $$$ or no, Clive Christian No. 1 for Women loves my skin and just sparkles.. and it only costs me on spritz, so approximately $4… that’s a cheap thrill.
Le Labo Patchouli 24
There is nothing in this perfume that should say I would like it. Most of it says I should loathe it. But this goes on, and I feel like I am enclosed in a cloud of creosote and wood smoke. So scrap the patchouli, this is the best smoke scent in the world, and it lasts, and every time I move, I can smell it. Rich and pungent and perfect.
So what’s your favorite one or two sillage monsters — scents you love that just leave a smell train behind you as you waft through your life?
I was in love with the fragrance Natori sold by Avon. They discontinued the sell of the perfume a few years ago. Does anyone know where I can purchase more of it? Thanks!
Mmmmm…nothing like smelling a cloud of Coco around a woman! geez I’m droolin’!
As for my own sillage bombs, a new favorite is Fleur du Male and the ever classic Guerlain Habit Rouge.
Close Seconds are Kouros and Caron Third Man.
Wish I could throw in Nicolai’s New York, but it quiets rather quickly after an hour.
Anything 80s pretty much says it all when it comes to sillage monsters!
My favorite sillage monster is Angelique Encens. I enjoy wafting the spirit of Marlene Dietrich in a dramatic vanilla and incense cloud.
Good luck with the audit!
My fave sillage monsters:
Chanel’s Allure (the original one, not Sensuelle which has loads of patchouli – ack). This is an unexpected delight on me as most Chanel’s don’t work, and I normally dislike florientals. It leaves me smelling yummy all day! I normally reserve this one for cold months as it is a bit much in summertime.
Fracas: Don’t own this yet, but plan to some day! Drop dead sillage, and even though I prefer quieter scents, I love this one – it makes anyone wearing it feel super-glam.:d
Glad the tax-man didn’t getcha Patty!
I’m so sorry not to be replying today, but I’m catching up after a day of not getting much done and leaving on a trip tomorrow!
Oooh, I am becoming a perfume blog junkie and yours is fun, fun! My sillage monster is Givenchy’s Amarige. I used to drown myself in the stuff and people could smell me coming a mile away. Balenciaga’s Michelle. Whatever happened to Michelle? Anyone know?
As for what Paris will wear…You just know she’ll show up in “business Paris” attire. Probably a black-and-white Chanel suit with minimal jewelry, her hair pulled back in a bun, and a little white headband. Something that looks like she’s going to her own funeral. Underneath, she’ll wear shocking pink lingerie. And a spritz of “Bandit.”
Hey, Paris wouldn’t have the good taste to wear Bandit! *rises in defense of a newfound fragrance love*
You don’t think she actually wears the dreck with her name on it, do you?
Nothing against Bandit, of course! 😉
totally agree with you Maria! PH would wear some noxious fume like Aqualina (ok spelling wrong) white sugar or maybe something AQUATIC! yuck.
My two favorite sillage monsters are Nuits de Noho and L’Air du desert Marocain. I find all 4 of Andy Tauer’s fragrance have great sillage.
P.S. Best of luck with the audit Patty !!! I’ve just watched the Will Ferrell film “Stranger than Fiction” – if Maggie Gyllenhaal could woo her auditer with cookies, perhaps you can do the same with scent….
As I get older, I feel the same way about sillage as I do about loud music (I don’t want someone else’s idea of good being foisted onto me). But, in secret, at home and out of harm’s way, I’m currently trailing Miller Harris Noix de Tubereuse and Geranium Bourbon upstairs and downstairs and in my lady’s chamber. A lot of people knock MH but, for some reason, it’s a line that really seems to bloom on me.
Hello, Patty darling!
Good luck on the audit. Remember to take deep breaths and spritz when necessary. 😉
Speaking of CC No. 1, how about Clive Christian X. Great sillage.
Of my current favorites, I would have to say that FM Une Fleur de Cassie and Clinique Aromatics Elixir produce lovely waves of wafting sillage. FM Carnal Flower is a beauty, too.
Hugs!
First off- sending golden beams of light (as my friends and I say) about the audit. Soldier forth in your funny underwear! %%-
I’m a bit sillage-phobic: I don’t think men should waft trails of perfume behind them. So I dab sparingly of that beloved Patch 24. I don’t want anyone smelling me that isn’t seriously in my personal space.
Having written that I do love some of the wafts from the ladies. Fracas is a big one: sillage like tendrils whispering “C’mere big boy..”. SL’s Clair de Musc is another (I smelled it first on a saleslady at Barneys): that demure Orange Blossom and Iris gives of surprisingly carnal puffs of musk.
Tom, wonderful writing as always! I especially enjoyed “Soldier forth in your funny underwear!” and “sillage like tendrils.” Are you yet another professional writer on here? We are so rich in professionals & talented amateurs. — Ellen
Thank you!
Nope, not a pro. Just a wordy amateur.:d
One drop of Estee Lauder Private Collection parfum, and I am not “private” anymore to those around me. :d The mother of all sillage monsters is Fracas parfum. Half a drop suffices.
Oh, Iris don’t be so shy! Spritz that Fracas with abandon, baby! :)>-
Hugs!
You have the most perfect chemistry for Fracas, dear R. Work that sillage! 😉
Oh I’m working it baby, I’m working it! 🙂
Mitsouko (at least edp) and Bandit. Happy sigh. I am also interested that Maria B mentions L’AP La Haie Fleurie as I’ve recently discovered this and fallen in love.
Interesting coincidence! Today I opened by brand new bottle of Bandit parfum and fell in love with it.
Hi Maria,
I’ve been trying to find a sample of Bandit, which seems to be out of stock at Perfumeshoppe. Do you have a lead?
Patchamour
One Christmas, my mother received a bottle of fragrance from her sister. The name, I believe, was Replique and I have no idea who made it. This fragrance was large and in charge! When my mother would sally forth, resplendent in her Replique, she’d leave a fragance wake that would make a battleship proud. Her two Tervurens, as always, padding in tandem behind her, sneezing all the way! I suppose one had to be there to appreciate this ‘royal progression’, but to this day it tickles my funny bone. \:d/
Teri, that is a GREAT mental image. FYI to non-dog-people: Tervurens are a Belgian shepherd with great height and presence –picture a German Shepherd Dog with a long flowing coat like Lassie, but dark. They would make a very suitable royal dog (rather than the funny little Corgis that QE2 favors — nice dogs, but legs too short to be elegant).
BTW, I recently saw “Oh My Dog!” cologne on closeout at Marshall’s. Tempted, but talked myself out of it. My dogs already smell like whatever I’m wearing, anyhow! :d — Ellen
Ellen, many thanks for filling in the blanks on the Tervs. I’m such a ‘dog person’, I sometimes forget that others may not be. They ARE wonderful beasts, though, aren’t they?
The more dog breeds I meet, the more dog breeds I love! But, out of my beloveds, I stick so much to rescuing labs, pitties & their mixes because that’s who needs me most. BTW, on e(vil)Bay I’ve seen listings from a co. called Irma Shorell. Looks like they have bought up patents & recipes to various vintage fumes & make them fresh. Replique is one of them. Has anyone bought from them? — Ellen
Replique is by Raphael. I didn’t think of it as a sillage monster, but perhaps it’s because I only dabbed it from a sample or perhaps it has lost some of its strength over the years…
I wonder how many of the scents in my sample collection will suddenly seem like sillage monsters if I get them in a spray bottle?
Interesting, didn’t think of the Le Labo as a sillage monster at all! Now I’ll have to test it again.
I realized the other day how much I love L’Artisan Tea for Two for its muchness. I had been putting it on every night throughout the winter just before sleep. I caught a whiff — make that a good strong gulp! — of it on a nightgown I’d worn. mmmmmmm
When I want to let the world in on the secret of how fabulous I smell (:d), any Jean Patou will do. I feel a little bit like I’m playing dress-up when I wear 1000, but it is SO beautiful. (Maria, I’d be happy to send you my pic if I had an email to send it to — rest assured that I am just as austere as you are!)
–Ellen
Ellen, one cool thing about the Perfume Posse Forum is that one can hit “communciate privately” and send the member a message. I’m a registered member, so you could get in touch with me, then I’d get in touch with you with my e-mail address… I’m sure you look intimidatingly austere.
😉
You like Patou pefumes. Do you happen to know Que Sais-je? It’s supposed to be very well blended.
Don’t know it yet. Just starting on my journey through les eaux de Patou — just started to be brave enough to go for strong florals. I’ve also wondered about Patou’s “Adieu Sagesse,” which would be on my list of great perfume names (Goodbye, Wisdom). Oh, my goodness, there’s just no end to my wish list! –Ellen
P.S. Wearing Virgin Island Water — long day at the office, but I smell like summer!
Sillage monster (love your dragon, Patty): a now discontinued Avon perfume, Natori. I liked it, but my family wouldn’t get in the car with me when I had it on. I walked into a department store one day and could smell a trail of it wafting about, though there was no one in sight. That convinced me — too much is too much.
Aromatics Elixir has great sillage, and inspires a love/hate thing.
Good luck with the Tax Man.
Black Aoud is my favourite sillage bomb. Anything with lots of roses seems to have lots of sillage as well. Also, Donna Karan Wenge was surprisingly strong and enveloped me in a cosy cloud of scent. Patchouli 24 is actually a bit much for me, not the tar but the cloying vanilla. I wish they had made it more butch…
I also love the sillage from Black Aoud….even at one spritz, it can leave an incredible aura after every movement.
Good luck, Patty!!!
LHB has wonderful sillage on me. It’s just the perfect amount. The sillage winner in my collection though is an Arabian oil perfume I have. I can put one tiny drop on and it fills the room – powerful stuff.
You know me, P, I’m discreet. So, limited sillage here, though I overdid Dior Homme when it first came out and ended up smelling like a giant handbag.:d
But such a lovely, chic bag, no?
Fo sho, sugar.
Love your pic, Patty!
My beeeg sillage scents-first, a cheap and unexpected summer fav-Zents Sun-loads of citrus, and back up of pleasant sandalwood-it’s an edt, but lasts and blasts all day long. I love it.
And-as noted above, Opium, in all it’s forms-especially now Fleur de Shanghai, and the other summers-except this year’s. They all waft wide, and receive questions, if not compliments.
I confess I’m sillage phobic, but I tend to love power house scents. My solution is to apply microscopic amounts. NK’s eponymous scent and NK Incense are definitely two that are in the running for the Sillage Monster of the Millenium award.
I’m sure all will go well w/ the IRS. They probably are just doing this because an IRS person reads Perfume Posse and is hoping for a free tour of your perfume room.
Hi Ellen! Ok, I’m a nut for incense scents, please tell me what NK stands for. Thank you! Patty, good luck on your audit!
Hi, Gina! I use the moniker “pitbull friend” because “Elle” was here before me and “Ellen” looks so much the same. However, I do happen to know that NK = Norma Kamali. –Ellen
Thanks Ellen! I did get the Elle and the Ellen mixed up, oops. I’ll be hunting down the Norma Kamali Incense, thank you!!!!
Hey, Gina: It’s hard to find, but I have a decant of it & it doesn’t suit me. Are you on the PP bulletin board? I don’t see a “Gina” on there, but perhaps under another name? Any rate, if you go on there & click on “pitbull friend” & send me a private message with your postal address, I’ll send it to you. It deserves a good home. –Ellen
Le Labo Patchouli is a great one! Also Mitsouko parfum (wonderful, everchanging sillage) and the ever popular Opium!
Good luck on the audit!:)>-
Caron’s French Can Can. The drydown lasts all day, and it’s lovely. Mitsouko also lasts well, and again I love the drydown – I think it’s the oakmoss.
Mitsouko EdP, LHB ditto, Nahema pure parfum (one drop can fill an auditorium), and Jungle L’Elephant, which lasts at least 3 days, but once in a while, I gotta have it.
Clarification: I meant for you to think the auditor (male or female) had red bows in his/her underwear. What you wear to the audit is, of course, up to you. :d
Actually, Maria, I do quite like the idea of wearing odd undies to an audit! As in, “Hah! You can know about my financial life, but you can’t know about my personal life!” — Ellen
Patty, I’m sending you strength vibes for your audit.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
A late friend who worked for the IRS doing audits told me that a lot of his co-workers used to get stoned on pot. I’m not accusing anyone in the Denver office or–in fact—in the whole wonderful IRS who do so much for us… Oh, wait, I already have my refund! Anyway, I thought it might help you to think about the auditor being human and perhaps wearing strange underwear, definitely with red bows.
L’Heure Bleue is my #1 sillage producer. Victoria on Bois de Jasmin has mentioned it as the very example of good sillage. I love how it fills the air around me as I walk.
#2 in sillage for me is L’Artisan La Haie Fleurie du Hameau. It will fill the car in short order.
I own another sillage monster that is not necessarily a favorite but is so powerful that if you sit in the back row of a movie theater wearing it, probably the people in the front seats can smell you. It is a discontinued eau de parfum from Comptoir Sud Pacifique, before it sold its soul to the sugar industry. It is called The (with the acute accent that makes it clear it means “tea”). It has very little resemblance to the current Ecume de The. It is a supersmoky lapsang souchong–and potent. It’s unisex. One day K. and I both wore it when we took a ride with a friend who pours half a bottle of cheap aftershave on himself every day. We were trying to drown out his scent, but we didn’t quite succeed. So it does have its limits.
Le Labo Patchouli is wonderful stuff. Have a safe audit!
You guys are so funny!!! The audit was actually fine. It’s just one of those stress things you feel because it’s fear of the unknown, and I’m thinking the worst I did was make a couple of mistakes on how I put together our forms, but it’s still just nerve wracking, but the field agent was great at explaining everything, going through it, answering questions.
At this point, everything looks fine, so I think I can step down my meds. 😮
Yay, Patty! We’re all breathing easier now! — Ellen