Quick Summary: After a decade of loyalty to one signature scent, I’ve swapped it for a fragrance wardrobe of sexy fragrances that never let me down – six perfumes from my own bathroom shelf, matched to first dates, girls’ nights, and slow Sundays, so the scent I wear matches the woman I’m being that day.
When I was younger, I thought having a signature scent was the goal.
And mine?
It was Dior Poison (the red one).
Now, in hindsight… she was pungent and definitely not the right choice for a fresh-faced 18-year-old girl.
But yet, I had decided that subtlety wasn’t a part of my personality, so during my first year into adulthood, I would spray Dior Poison like it was a body mist… Lecture at Uni? Dior Poison. Dinner? Dior Poison. Grocery shopping? Dior Poison.
I was so committed to it that one day one of my guy friends texted me, “Where are you?”
I replied, “Why?”
His response?
“I can smell your perfume.”
Turns out he’d walked into the building, smelt Dior Poison and just assumed I had to be somewhere nearby.
Honestly… if that’s not some sort of Pavlovian conditioning, I don’t know what is. (You know Pavlov’s dogs? Ring the bell, dogs expect food. Smell Dior Poison… apparently expect Alisha.)
And for years, I genuinely thought that was the dream. Find one signature scent, wear it every day and become so synonymous with it that people thought of you the second they caught a whiff.
But the older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve realised… why are we putting so much pressure on one perfume to represent us when we’re not even the same woman every day?
The version of me walking into a work meeting on a Tuesday morning isn’t the same woman catching up with friends over brunch on Sunday.
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And the Sunday version of me, is definitely not the same woman getting ready for a first date or the woman taking herself out for a solo coffee because she’s decided she’s done waiting for someone else to romanticise her life.
And that’s when I realised maybe the sexiest women don’t have a signature scent at all, maybe they have a fragrance wardrobe.
Perhaps, the women who always smell incredible aren’t necessarily wearing the most expensive perfume or the one TikTok has convinced everyone to buy this week. They’re simply intentional.
They understand that perfume is the finishing touch, just like jewellery, lipstick or the playlist you put on while you’re getting ready. It shifts your mood before you’ve even walked out the door.
Because I don’t know about you, but I don’t spray perfume thinking, “Who am I trying to attract?”
I spray perfume thinking, “How do I want to feel today?”
Sometimes I want to feel soft, sometimes I want to feel playful, sometimes I want to feel powerful and sometimes I just want to feel really fucking sexy and have all eyes on me. Mmm, who am I kidding, I want to feel that way all the time… which is why you can’t just have one signature scent.
So, I’m giving you the building blocks to start putting together a fragrance wardrobe with scents from my own bathroom shelf that have always left a lasting impression.
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My Fragrance Wardrobe at a Glance
| Scent | Best for | Price (AUD) | Key notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kayali Vanilla | 28 | First dates | $254.00 | Vanilla orchid, brown sugar, tonka bean |
| SŚAINT Call Me | Date nights | $139.00 | Incense, red berries, oud |
| SŚAINT Cosmic Bang | Girls’ nights | $169.00 | Fig, bergamot, tobacco |
| Juliette Has A Gun Miami Shake | Slow Sundays | $235.00 | Wild strawberry, soft musk |
| Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP Intense | Confidence days | $200.00 | Fruity peach, musk, warm woods |
| Goldfield & Banks Sunset Hour | Solo trips | $280.00 | Desert peach, jasmine sambac, sandalwood |
1. For The First Date That Accidentally Becomes Dinner… And Dessert
Kayali Vanilla | 28 Eau de Parfum, $254.00
This is my “I’m not trying too hard” perfume.
Kayali Vanilla | 28 has become one of those fragrances people instantly recognise, but there’s a reason. It’s warm rather than sugary, blending vanilla orchid, brown sugar, amber, musk and tonka bean into something that feels expensive without being intimidating.
This is the perfume I’d wear on a first date because it has this beautiful way of making people feel comfortable around you.
It’s feminine without feeling overly sweet and sensual without trying to be overtly sexy. It doesn’t walk into the room before you; it stays behind after you’ve left.
The woman wearing Kayali Vanilla isn’t performing for anyone. She’s the kind of woman who laughs easily, asks good questions and somehow turns one drink into four hours because conversation flows so naturally. She’s proof that softness can be magnetic and I wear this to remind myself of that quality I possess.
2. For The Third Date You Went And Bought a New Outfit For
SŚAINT Call Me, $139.00
If there was one perfume in this list that deserves the title of “main character on date night,” it’s Call Me.
This is the fragrance I reach for when there’s a reservation booked, I’ve actually shaved my legs and I’ve spent far too long deciding what earrings to wear. And don’t judge me, because I know you’ve been there.
There is something about this perfume, the way it sits on the skin and reveals its warm and sweet mix of incense, agarwood, red berries and oud slowly as the night slips away.
It’s intimate, sophisticated and has that quality where someone leans in for a hug and immediately asks what you’re wearing.
The woman wearing Call Me isn’t wondering if she’s enough, she already knows she’s inviting and seductive. And that, my love is the energy you want on a third date.
3. For Girls’ Nights That Always Create Iconic Memories
SŚAINT Cosmic Bang Eau de Parfum, $169.00
Now not every fragrance has to revolve around romance, there are some perfumes in my fragrance wardrobe that are just for me.
Cosmic Bang is exactly that. The first spray is this gorgeous burst of fig and bergamot with a little kick from bay leaf.
It’s fresh, slightly spicy and has this effortless cool-girl energy that immediately makes me feel a little taller.
As it settles, the musk, cedar and earthy vetiver come through, before drying down into warm tobacco and hay that somehow feels both comforting and incredibly sophisticated.
It’s the fragrance I reach for before a launch event, birthday drinks, cocktails with the girls or even one of those random Wednesdays where I decide life’s too short not to wear the nice perfume.
The woman wearing Cosmic Bang isn’t waiting to be picked because she’s already picked herself.
She’s the first one to say, “Let’s book the flights.” She’s the friend hyping everyone else up in the bathroom mirror.
She backs herself in meetings, orders dessert because she feels like it and isn’t afraid to take up space.
Maybe that’s why I love it so much, because it reminds me sexy isn’t a certain hairstyle or dress, it’s just you being yourself and liking her.
4. For Slow Market Sundays
Juliette Has A Gun Miami Shake Eau de Parfum, $235.00
Miami Shake feels like happiness in perfume form, it’s playful, creamy and juicy, balancing strawberry with soft musks so beautifully that it never feels juvenile. Instead, it feels modern, effortless and full of personality.
This is what I’d wear for brunch with the girls, wandering through a gallery, a farmers’ market, a holiday afternoon or those spontaneous plans where someone says, “Should we just stay out?” and suddenly you’re watching the sunset with a glass of wine.
The woman wearing Miami Shake isn’t trying to be mysterious… cause she’s having fun and honestly, that’s pretty irresistible.
5. For The Days You Need Reminding Who You Are
Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP Intense, $200.00
Every woman should own one perfume that feels like armour, mine is Narciso Rodriguez For Her Intense.
The fruity peach almost gives it a cherry scent, drawing you in before melting into Narciso’s iconic musk and warm woods, creating something elegant, sensual and incredibly polished.
This is the fragrance I wear when I need reminding that confidence isn’t something somebody else gives me, it’s something I already have and no one can take it away from me. Wearing this gives me that reminder.
6. For When You’re on a Solo Trip Romanticising Your Own Life
Goldfield & Banks Sunset Hour Perfume Concentrate, $280.00
Sunset Hour is exactly what the name promises… warm peach, raspberry, jasmine sambac and creamy sandalwood somehow manage to smell like golden hour bottled.
It’s what I’d wear on holidays by yourself, long lunches by the beach and for those afternoons where life feels beautifully ordinary and you suddenly realise that’s the magic, in the small moments where you’re smiling with gratitude and the pockets of peace you’ve cultivated.
And perhaps that’s the biggest lesson fragrance has taught me.
The sexiest women aren’t waiting for someone else to make life feel exciting, they’re already doing it for themselves.
My Final Thoughts
Looking back, I smile knowing Dior Poison became so attached to me that a friend could literally smell it and assume I was somewhere nearby.
But if you asked me today what my signature scent is?
I honestly couldn’t answer.
Because these days I’d rather have a signature feeling than a signature fragrance.
I want a perfume that matches the version of me I’m stepping into that day and these fragrances have helped me bring those different parts of my personality to life.
Which is sometimes soft, sometimes playful, sometimes spicy, sometimes hopeful, sometimes sexy…
And if someone remembers me because of the way I smelled?
Well… hopefully it’s for a slightly better reason than the fact I practically bathed in Dior Poison in my twenties.
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