There are few things beauty editors love more than snooping through each other's make-up bags and grilling them on products they spend their money on. But after thinking about nostalgic perfumes recently, I found myself asking all my beauty editor pals about their very first fragrances. And the answers I got back were revealing...
This list features some truly sentimental scents and some serious blasts from the past. You are in for a real treat.
Beauty editors' first perfumes
1. Ghost by Ghost Eau de Toilette
"I remember wearing Ghost by Ghost Eau de Toilette for the first time when I was in year 10, so it was one of my first 'grown-up' perfumes. I was mesmerised by its smell; I remember it being powdery and ethereal, with some punchy florals in there too. I also loved the bottle and the branding, plus it was affordable. I felt far beyond my years wearing this one, at an adolescent age where the most pivotal changes were happening in my life. I'm not sure it even still exists. If it is available to buy, I would love to spritz it occasionally just for a rush of nostalgia." — Rebecca Fearn, freelance beauty editor
2. Britney Spears Fantasy Eau de Parfum
"One of my first fragrances was Britney Spears Fantasy Eau de Parfum. I used to sneak a couple of spritzes from my older sister’s. The first time I smelt it, I was instantly obsessed with how sweet and long-lasting it was. It wasn’t a subtle fragrance, and that’s exactly what I loved about it. When I finally got my hands on my own bottle, I was beyond excited, not just because it smelt amazing, but because the Swarovski crystals on the bottle made it feel extra special. Though I haven’t worn it in a while, it’s a scent I’ll always keep in my collection. One sniff instantly takes me back to happy memories. It was the fragrance that sparked my love for fruity and floral scents. Addictively sweet and impossible to ignore." — Vanese Maddix, freelance beauty journalist
3. Chanel No 5 Eau de Parfum
"Technically, my first proper fragrance was Marc Jacobs Daisy, but I didn't actually wear it for that long. It was my second fragrance that became my go-to for much of my early years. And what a classic it is: Chanel No. 5. I started out with the Eau de Toilette, later graduating to the EDP, and I felt like such an adult when I wore it. It has an instantly recognisable ambery warmth—I still have an ancient, almost-empty bottle in my collection today." — Lucy Abbersteen, freelance beauty journalist
4. Tommy Girl Eau de Toilette
"My sister heavily influenced this, because it was Tommy Girl she used to wear. Ironically, I don’t think I cared about the scent, I wasn’t all that keen on it. I just liked that it made me feel older and growing up in an era obsessed with yellow school buses, I loved the all-American girl marketing around it. I think the brand released a new version last year or relaunched it and I had such a nostalgic longing for it, but then I remembered, I don’t actually like the floral scent so I wouldn't wear it now." — Laura Capon, freelance beauty editor
5. Kate Moss by Kate Moss Eau de Parfum
"My first perfume was Kate Moss by, you guessed it, Kate Moss. I remember marching my mum to Superdrug in 2007 so that she could buy it for me (I had no funds of my own then, obviously), but it wasn't actually love at first spritz. I was used to the saccharine sweetness of Impulse and So...?, and Kate Moss (with its zippy pink pepper, syrupy orange blossom, skin-like musk and heady patchouli) was far too grown up for me. I hate to admit that I never finished the bottle, but now my tastes have changed, I'd probably pay an inordinate amount to wear it to the last drop these days. As it's no longer available, I've done lots of research since, and think that GIVENCHY's L'Interdit is probably the closest I might get to wearing it again." — Jacqueline Kilikita, Refinery29 beauty director
6. Mugler Angel Eau de Parfum
"As a teen I'd read about Angel in magazines but it wasn't until 1997 and I turned 17 that it landed in my local department store and I finally had a spritz. That was it for me, the heady combination of chocolate and powdery notes that felt young, but ground-breaking and sexy in a fragrance world that was, in the Nineties, all about varsity-fresh scents like CK One and Tommy Girl. Needless to say, I was hooked. Angel was intoxicating, a real talking point, the original gourmand that inspired thousands of others.
The star-shaped bottle was a thing of beauty too, and so ahead of its time being refillable. And my, did Angel have some staying power, everyone could smell me coming—I could go out clubbing and still detect it on my skin the next morning. I still have a bottle now, I don't wear it very often, but every time I spray it, I am reminded why I fell in love with fragrance in the first place—it's a masterpiece." — Bethan King, beauty editor
7. Ralph by Ralph Lauren Eau de Toilette
"I remember feeling like the fanciest girl in the world when my parents bought me a bottle of Ralph by Ralph Lauren for my birthday one year. Launched in the year 2000, it captures that Y2K spirit for me—it felt fresh, clean and modern and was in all the magazines I collected and pored over. I remember peeling back the fragrance samples in the pages of Cosmo Girl and smearing it on my wrists, desperate to be as cool as the girls inside. I don't reckon I received my own bottle until a couple of years later, probably when I was around 12 or 13, and I was instantly in love with this fresh and fruity scent and wore it for years. It's youthful and bright, but the subtle floral notes and musky base are something that would still appeal to me now. Although fruity fragrances are no longer my signature, last summer I did find myself dousing myself in Sol de Janeiro's Cheirosa 40 Perfume Mist which has that similar fruity-floral blend with a musky dry down." — Mica Ricketts ,freelance beauty journalist
"The first perfume I ever chose for myself was this 2000s gem. Just like Mica, I couldn't get enough of that fresh, grown-up scent. I've never been one for a sickly sweet perfume, but I still gravitated towards floral fragrances. This felt like that perfect in-between.
I'd be lying if I didn't say the bottle is what initially drew me in. It felt like the ultimate all-American choice, which at the time I was obsessed with. I used to travel back and forth to America as a kid (divorced parents living in different countries had some benefits) and I loved all things US beauty. I probably wouldn't wear it now as an everyday scent, as it's a little too floral for me now. But am I tempted to buy one just to have it in my cabinet for an occasional sniff for that instant nostalgic hit? 100% yes." — Tori Crowther, Marie Claire contributor and freelance beauty journalist
