Mainstream Monday – Sniffing a Popular Perfume

Due to popular demand, I put together a list of “My Most Complimented” perfumes. The #1 perfume on that list was this cheap celebrity scent, Jennifer Lopez Still. To this day, whenever I wear this, strangers want to know what I’m wearing. Men will jaywalk into traffic just to get to the other side of the street to ask me what perfume I’m wearing. As someone that doesn’t like attention, wearing Still used to embarrass me. This is excluding the fact that I have to reply to their inquiry with “a J.Lo perfume”. But, you know what? Jennifer Lopez has still got it going on. And this perfume has still got it going on. And people spend a lot of money in hopes to get attention from their perfumes. I have no reason to feel embarrassed by smelling good…even if the perfume retails for less than a movie ticket in NYC.

The opening of Still has always reminded me of honeysuckle. It’s a fresh honeyed floral with citrus. Still turns into a really realistic Earl Grey scent that’s a tangy bergamot and earthy black tea. Behind the Earl Grey tea leaves are peachy florals. These florals are arguably clean and “shampoo-y”. In fact, I used to think that about this fragrance as well. I still do but I realize there’s more going on than just “clean florals”. The freesia is fresh and radiant with a green pepperiness that reminds me of sugar snap peas. The orange blossom is crisp but heady. There’s red rose petals and sliced peaches. I wish I could get a shampoo that smells this good! The heart starts to wear like jasmine tea surrounded by a citrus radiance. The dry-down manages to still be fresh and radiant but with an addition of an airy, ozonic musk and what reminds me of black tea bags.

I feel like Still gets ignored because it’s a celebrity perfume and most celebrity perfumes aren’t that interesting (there are some exceptions like Gaga Eau de Gaga). But, keep in mind, the “early” batches of celebrity perfumes were basically designer perfumes. They may have had big budgets but at this time, they haven’t completely “sold out”. Still is a gorgeous fragrance that in my opinion, really defines the early 00’s era. It bridges the clean, fresh tea scents of the late 90’s (like Tommy Hilfiger Tommy Girl) with the “florals and musk” of the early 2000’s (like Narciso Rodriguez for Her). Still was a transitional perfume. And for myself, it was a transitional fragrance. I was too mature for perfumes marketed to teens but also still wanted to smell “young”. Wearing it 13 years later, it amazes me that it still “works” for me. It doesn’t smell like I’m trying too hard. In fact, I think now I can appreciate it more than I did then. It’s a really pretty perfume.

Notes listed include white pepper, mandarin, Earl grey tea, sake accord, freesia, rose, jasmine, orange blossom, lily-of-the-valley, sandalwood, musk, amber, orris and pepper. Launched in 2003. PERFUMER – Michel Girard

Give Still a try if you like crisp florals or floral-tea scents. Or perfumes like Tommy Hilfiger Tommy Girl, Estee Lauder Pleasures, Atelier Cologne Oolong Infini, Paris Hilton Just Me, Gucci Bamboo, Calvin Klein Truth and/or Elizabeth Arden Pretty.

Projection and longevity are above average…this is another reason why I think it is one of my “Most Complimented”.

Jennifer Lopez Still is available at drugstores and discounters like FragranceX. Full-size bottles usually retail for $15-$20!

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Radiant Earl Grey/tea floral… that always gets me compliments. It is one of my absolute favorite bargain fragrances because it smells good and also smells more “expensive” than what we pay for it. It’s unlike most fragrances that I wear which is another reason why I like it.

Want more reviews? Try…

Fragrantica – Member reviews

Basenotes – Member reviews

*Product purchased by me. Product pic from Amazon. The ad is from coloribus.com. I included it because even after all these years, I think it’s such a beautiful ad and the pose reminds me of my favorite picture of Italian actress Virna Lisi: Post contains an affiliate link. Thanks!