Fragrance Pronunciation: Say it Right, Say it all, You either got it, Or you don't
Some of these YouTube reviewers need to pronounce these words right! You think it's not a big deal?
But consider the word "buffet". If you're learning English and no one told you about silent letters you could end up asking the following question:
"Excuse me, where is buf-fet?".
Right? A native speaker would be caught off guard. Go ahead, say it with a hard T--but I digress. Here are some commonly mispronounced words. I studied some linguistics, basic stuff, but this is the lazy layman's guide to doing it.
Designers: ಠ_ಠ
Chanel = Sha-nel [no relation to the English word "Channel"]
Dior = "d"-or [not "die-ore"]
Givenchy = she-von-she [not "g"-vin-che"]
Guerlain = Gur-lawn (not "gurl-lane <3")
Hugo Boss = Who-go Boss (not "you-go boss! YAAASSS")
Hermes = Air-mess (not "her-mess")
Yves Saint Laurent = Eve San La-roan [not "eve-is san lay-ront"]
Bonus: (ง ͠° ͟ل͜ ͡°)ง
Oud = oooo-duh (not "aoouudddddddda")
Add more if you like.
Edit: I figure no one wants to hear my voice so here's an added resource an A-Z video by ID MAGAZINE.
As a French person my super power when I talk to an attendant at a fragrance shop, is to just look disappointed when they mispronounce a name and correct them :)
Some of it might be your transcription, but I'm going to be super-anal and quibble with a couple of these.
Givenchy = she-von-she [not "g"-vin-che"]
The opening consonant is [ ʒ ] like "pleasure," not [ ʃ ] like "she": [ ʒi.vɑ̃.ˈʃi ]
Guerlain = Gur-lawn (not "gurl-lane <3")
That last syllable isn't like "lawn," more like taking the [ ɛ ] in "hen" and making it nasal: [ gɛʁ.ˈlɛ̃ ]
Yves Saint Laurent = Eve San La-roan [not "eve-is san lay-ront"]
"Saint" is the same nasal vowel as "Guerlain" above. "Au" in French is [ o ] like "hello" if you kept the "o" pure and didn't add a "u" diphthong after it, and "-ent" is like taking the [ ɔ ] of "ought" and making it nasal: [ iv sɑ̃.lo.ˈʁɔ̃ ]
It's amazing that some of the pronunciation in that YouTube video is sloppy as hell in the demos, but not surprising.
Oh, and of course there is a separate definition of "buffet" where the "t" is pronounced, but that's a different story.
LOL my wife walked by as I was typing this, said, "Oh Jesus, I knew this would be like catnip for you," and disavowed both this post and me in general.
the "en" in Givenchy is pronounced the same as "an" in "croissant"
I pronounce things the way they will be understood by the person I am speaking to.
It sounds silly when people over-pronounce French names in youtube videos, and some reviewers REALLY overdo it because they think it makes them sound smart. The Marc guy who does half hour videos where he repeats himself 50 times per video... he really overdoes the French. Maybe he lives in the French speaking part of Canada, but in an English video it's silly to overdo French pronunciation.
Your "buffet" example is an interesting one. It's a French word that has become part of English lexicon too, and in English, it's pronounced Buh-FAY... but that's NOT how the French pronounce it. They say "Boo-FAY." And did you know that in many Spanish speaking countries, it's pronounced Boo-FET? So, the idea that the "correct" way to say it is the French way is wrong. Pronounce it the way that's appropriate for where you are.
Yep. I'm perfectly capable of saying "Hermès" with a passable French accent, but if I'm speaking English to anglophones, I'm going to say "her-mees" because it's what they'll understand.
Pronounce it the way that's appropriate for where you are.
I don't really understand what you're going on about. I never said there was only one correct way to pronounce "buffet" across the world. I'm pretty sure I was just talking about native English speakers.
But my point still stands. The correct way to pronounce those French names is with French pronunciation. For example, if you pronounce bangus (filipino for milkfish) as "bang-us" instead of "bong-os" in Manila or Dubai or America or wherever, you would be categorically incorrect. It's a filipino word and needs to be pronounced froperly. Jeez
As a general rule, in French a "h" at the beginning of a word is always silent. Hermes = er-mess.
Meh. In my experience it's more common in American English at least to pronounce it as spelled, "s" and all.
You went after the easy ones, what about L'air du desert Morocain and other such bullshit?
The ai in "air" is similar to the e in "met." The u is similar to German ü, i.e. make an "ee" sound while rounding your lips as if you were saying "oo." The first e in "désert" is closed, so it's like "day" but pure without the diphthong at the end of it, the s is like a z, the t is silent, and ain at the end of "marocain" is just like "Guerlain" (i.e. similar to if you took the open e in "met" and made it fully nasal).
[ lɛr dy dez.ˌɛʁ ma.rɔ.ˈkɛ̃ ]
or since I realize I'm being a jackass in these comments since most people probably can't read IPA, it's kind of like "lair dü day-zer ma-ro-KEH" with the last syllable being nasal.
My cat's vitamin smells like caramel. I accidentally spilled some from the syringe to my shirt when I was administering it to him this morning. I didn't have time to change my shirt before going out because I was already late to our date. Anyway, we were cuddling and he put his face to my chest and stayed there for a solid 15 minutes. Later, he said something about wanting to bottle me up and take me home because I was smelling even better today. 😂
He knows I love collecting fragrances and always had a compliment ready for me whenever we see each other but this the greatest compliment I received from him... and it's not even a perfume lmao.
It'll only get worse. And I mean it.
I came in contact with a stranger who was wearing Sauvage EDP and after smelling the good part, I was immediately punched in the nose with a very horrible smell. The Sauvage mixed in with this man's BO and the worst part is we are in an elevator. Sauvage went Savage at that man's hand.
So please please. Always have personal hygiene. Take a shower, apply deo, brush your teeth please. Perfumes wont cover your BO.
(No, it wasnt me. I was wearing Luxodor Loyal Agar at that time. I was also worried that maybe it was me.)
5I started getting into fragrances in January/February this year. The first thing I figured out was that I absolutely wanted to have a tea fragrance of some sort in my collection. My ideal tea is a black tea, something along the lines of a classic earl grey or English breakfast. But I enjoy tea in pretty much all its many forms - black, green, red, chai, sweet, smoky, milky, iced, lemon, ginger, etc. So I was happy to cast a wide net and see what I found that resonated with me. While I wanted a noticeable tea note, I’ve included below any that I’ve tried that claim to have tea in there somewhere. I’ve also included 4 honourable mentions which do not have a tea note listed at all, but which remind me of tea in some way.
For context, I’m a 35 year old woman. Tea itself I think is perfectly unisex and ageless, but obviously some fragrances manage to lean one way or the other. The vast majority of these scents are pretty unisex though in my opinion.
Below you can find some brief thoughts on each of the fragrances that I tried on my search. All were tried on skin, generally at least 2 or 3 seperate times (unless I really hated it!). Feel free to ask about any you’d like to know more about. I’ve included a rating out of 5 for each one, but it’s purely based on personal preference not objective quality. While I’ve obviously tried quite a few tea fragrances, and found some very nice ones, I’m still always looking out for more possibilities. I’ve included at the bottom a list of ones that are on my radar, but that I haven’t managed to get my nose on yet. Feel free to suggest any that you don’t see listed!
White teas
Bvlgari - Au The Blanc (discontinued?) - as someone who enjoys light “skin scent” type fragrances, wow, this is very light. To the point that I’m wondering whether I’m anosmic to some aspect of it. I can barely smell it pretty much immediately, which is a real shame because what I can smell is an absolutely lovely, soft, white, herbal, spa like smell. Luckily, the next scent exists though... 2/5
Elizabeth Arden - White Tea - almost identical to Au The Blanc, but stronger and a bit more harsh. This a total love for me, perfect balance of herbs, green, iris, and musk. Doesn’t particularly smell like actual tea to me, but it evokes the general feeling of a cup of tea, in that it has a warming herbal feel. I can see why some would find it “screechy” but I just really like all of the component smells, so the fact that they’re “screeching” at me doesn’t really bother me! Probably one of the more feminine ones on this list. I’ve also tried a few of the flankers of this one, and they’ve all been lovely smelling, but don’t have the lasting power of the original. 4.5/5
Bvlgari - Omnia Crystalline - I find this one so hard to describe. It’s light, subtle, but quite present. It feels white and clean and light. There’s something almost watery about it, but it’s not aquatic. I keep on thinking it’s not quite special enough, but I keep going back to it again and again. I can get the tea if I sit there trying to find tea, but it certainly isn’t something I’d think of without being told beforehand that it has a tea note. 4.5/5
Dior - The Cachemire - I got too hyped about this one, it was unfortunately a complete let down to me. It’s a light citrusy white floral thing. The citrus and white floral combo goes a tiny bit sour on my skin, but it’s nice enough. The drydown gets very soapy in a way that I’m not the biggest fan of. Running through it is definitely a strong herbal “white tea” accord in the same vein as Au The Blanc. I wish it had focused more on that aspect, because that part is lovely, it’s just the rest of the supporting players that are a let down for me. It’s fine really, but at Dior private line prices it really should be more special than this. 3/5
Bvlgari - Au The Bleu (discontinued) - throwing this one in with the “white” teas. It’s an odd one for sure. Powdery violet, plus sharp green “water from an old flower vase” smell. It’s not completely disgusting, but it definitely doesn’t really work together for me. Sort of smells like it should be a bathroom spray for some reason. Maybe a hint of tea in the background. 1/5
Green teas
Bvlgari - Au The Vert - The OG tea scent. I think Jean-Claude Ellena must drink a different type of green tea compared to what I’m used to though, as this is only vaguely reminiscent of tea to me. It’s light and fresh and herbal though, which are all things I enjoy. Not at all sharp, it has a soft fabric-like texture. It’s nice, but nothing about it really makes me want to wear it over the many other choices that it has inspired over the last 30 years. 3.5/5
Elizabeth Arden - Green Tea - cheap and fresh, without smelling cheap. I don’t get much green tea specifically out of this, just general citrusy herbal freshness. Not tea enough for me, but hard to beat for the price. 3/5
Nishane - Wulong Cha - this one managed to live up to the hype for me. Absolutely stunning lemon & bergamot with a hint of mandarin in the opening. The lemon/bergamot lasts an incredibly long time for citrus. The drydown mixes the citrus with a soft fuzzy figgy musk. There’s a sort of a vague hint of some sort of tea here, but only if you’re really hunting for it. 5/5.
Creed - Silver Mountain Water - really captures the clear icy mountain stream feel. Smells like water and minerals with some sort of slight greenery in the background. We can call that greenery tea if you want but it certainly wouldn’t be my first thought. There’s something here that reminds me a tiny bit of a “mans cologne “ kind of smell which stops me from totally loving it. Mostly unisex though. 3/5
Guerlain - Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca - Simple straightforward lemon + mint. I can’t smell the tea. It’s a nice enough lemon plus mint, but I personally find it a bit too sharp without something else to ground it a bit. 2/5
Ellis Brooklyn - Sci Fi - such a cool name, such a disappointing scent. Bug spray mixed with generic fruity floral perfume smell. No discernible tea. 0/5
Red Teas
Memo - Winter Palace - I really can’t detect the tea in this sadly. It’s a heavy warm, slightly powdery Amber with some vanilla and orange. Unfortunately I can’t stand amber, or warm, heavy, powdery fragrances, and I don’t particularly like vanilla or orange either, so this is a strong no for me. 1/5
Bvlgari - Au The Rouge (discontinued) - this is so beautiful. Strong warm red tea, with some light fruity sweetness. With the fruitiness and the slight spiciness, you’d think this would be quite heavy, but it’s light and airy and fresh and clean feeling, like the rest of Bvlgari’s Au The lineup. The lasting power on this is absolutely dismal, but it makes me so happy for the time it sticks around. Bottles are going for atrocious prices on eBay, so I’ll make do with a large decant instead. 4.5/5
Matcha Teas
Maison Margiela - Matcha Meditation - Delicious nutty matcha opening. After 5 minutes it’s more of a typical jasmine scent, with a bit of creamy sweet matcha in the background. Sadly I’ve found that I don’t seem to like jasmine :(. 2/5
Arielle Shoshana - Sunday - I’ve seen this described as a ‘matcha horchata’, which I don’t think is a thing that exists where I live. I can definitely smell the matcha, and the rest mostly reminds me of rice pudding with a sprinkling of cinnamon on top - my googling suggests that this is probably pretty close to the ‘horchata’ smell! Really interesting, I don’t think I’ve ever smelled anything like it, but it doesn’t quite work for me. Something about it goes kind of sharp in an almost ‘cleaning product’ kind of way. 2/5
Chai/Spiced Teas
Baruti - Chai - it’s definitely chai, all the right spices are there. But there’s something oddly waxy about this that makes me feel like I rubbed a fragranced candle all over myself. Not loving that aspect of it. 1/5
Chopard - Miel d’Arabie (discontinued?) - lightly spiced honey. I was told his one was a chai scent, but I don’t really get the association all that strongly. From the listed notes, I was expecting this to be quite heavy, but it actually manages to be incredibly light and delicate. Sweetness and honey are not quite my thing though, so I can’t manage to wear this one for long. 2/5.
Honourable mention: Kerosene - Sweetly Known- no tea note listed, but this reminds me so intensely of drinking real chai. Just a massive hit of cardamom and slightly burnt sugar. Ridiculously strong and long lasting, it gets docked a point just because I can’t imagine ever wanting to wear something this strong outside the house. 4/5
Honourable mention: Olfactive Studio - Lumière Blanche - no tea listed, but I’ve seen it described as a “chai latte” scent. I can see why, but it doesn’t quite go to chai in my mind. There’s strong cardamom and a beautiful almond milk note, but also sandalwood which makes it distinctly non-edible to me. It’s a beautiful light creamy combination though, only marred by incredibly poor longevity. 3.5/5
Milky teas
Jovoy - Remember Me - milky tea and biscuits (cookies for the Americans), with a little bit of mustiness and some florals. Like being served a lukewarm cup of milky earl grey and some very stale chocolate digestives by an elderly female relative. I really quite enjoy the whiffs I get in the air, but if I smell too close the musty smell takes over. 3.5/5
Lemon (& Ginger) teas
Maison Margiela - Under the Lemon Tree - this is very much a lemon fragrance. I don’t find it sharp or sour though, it’s almost a jammy lemon (but not too sweet), with a soft woody base. I can see how lemon + wood could remind someone of a lemon tea, but I really don’t get the tea note here personally. 4/5
Hermes - Voyage d’Hermes Parfum - a warm, spicy, slightly woody lemon. Not sweet, not heavy, but not too sheer either. Really really pleasant. As above, I can see the association with a lemon tea, but I don’t personally smell a distinct tea note here. 5/5
Kerosene - Unknown Pleasures - literally a lemon & caramel slice. Or a lemon cake. Massive lemon, massive sugar. Absolutely no tea whatsoever and way too much sugar for me, but goodness gracious I smell delicious. 2/5
Serge Lutens - 5 O’Clock Au Gingembre - Wood and ginger are the strong players here for me. Definitely a sense of a woody lemon ginger tea going on. It’s a powerful scent and the ginger note is gorgeous, but the wood overwhelms the rest a bit for me. 4/5
Smoky/incense teas
L’Artisan Parfumeur - Tea for Two - I can see why people like this. Strong black tea, with a touch of sweetness, touch of lightness, and a strong smokiness. Sadly smoke just doesn’t work on me, but I appreciate what it’s doing. 3/5
Bvlgari - Au The Noir (discontinued?) - similar to Tea for Two, but with more of an artificial sweetness happening. It doesn’t quite work with the smoke for me I think. But then, the smoke was never going to work for me anyway. 2/5
Hermes - L’Ombre Des Merveilles - I don’t get tea here sadly. It’s light and airy while still being present just like many of the Merveilles. Slightly woody, incense sort of smell, with what my nose interprets as a strong aniseed note. The aniseed is not listed as a note though, so that might just be me! 3/5
Black tea
Burberry - The Beat - this one sounds absolutely lovely to me. All of my favourite notes. Unfortunately all I get from it is an overwhelming smell of noxious bug spray. Not like “oh it reminds me a bit of bug spray”, more like “this smell is trying to poison and murder me” :(. -100/5
Zoologist - Elephant - strong green leafiness with a soft creamy sandalwood drydown. Supposedly this has a Darjeeling note, which I don’t get sadly, but I love this one anyway. 5/5
Giorgio Armani - The Yulong - this is so lovely. Perfect balance of green tea with black tea, some sweetness, some citrus, some freshness, some spice, some jasmine, some musk, all just perfectly balanced with the central tea. Definitely not “beast mode” but I think soft and gentle while still being present is just right for this type of scent. A little feminine compared to a lot of the others I think. I feel like this one brings together everything I’ve enjoyed about all the other tea scents I’ve tried and combines them into one perfectly balanced fragrance. 5/5
Vilhelm Parfumerie - Dear Polly - the strongest pure black tea smell I’ve tried. A cup of black tea from start to finish. Little bit of freshness and sweetness from a tiny bit of apple at the start. Goes a bit... something towards the end of the drydown. I wish I knew which note it is, because I don’t love it sadly. I have the same issue with Chloe Nomade so it must be something they have in common. 4/5
Honourable mention: DS & Durga - Coriander- I love this one so much. Not your typical “spicy” fragrance. The coriander (more the seed than the leaf, for my fellow non-Americans) here is definitely central and it smells so fresh and invigorating. It’s combined with herbs and a citrusy accord, which for me makes it an ‘earl grey’-like experience. Like standing outside on a cold pebble beach, warming my hands on my cup of tea and breathing in deeply the cold air mixed with the warm comforting steam of the tea. 5/5
Honourable mention: Hermes - Un Jardin en Mediterranee - lovely fresh citrus and green and something that feels mildly spicy, though I can’t see any spice notes listed. I think it must be the bergamot, combined with the leafy greenery, that takes this in a slightly earl grey tea direction for me. It’s a little bit too sweet for me I think, it ends up a little bit sticky feeling. 4/5
The ones that I’d still like to try:
Nest - Indigo
Le Labo - The Noir
Berdoues - Assam of India
Nicolai Parfumeur - Fig Tea
Giorgio Armani - Figuer Eden
Penhaligon’s - Lothair
Imaginary Authors - O, Unknown!
BDK - Gris Charnel
Hermes - Osmanthus Yunnan
Miller Harris - Tea Tonique
Atelier Cologne - Oolang Infini
Guerlain - Teazzura
Masque Milano - Russian Tea
Masque Milano - Lost Alice
Ormonde Jayne - Champaca
Floraiku - One Umbrella for Two
Floraiku - I am Coming Home
Byredo - Mixed Emotions
By Kilian - Bamboo Harmony
Fragonard - Jasmine Perle de The
CB I Hate Perfume - Russian Caravan
New Addition: Guerlain - Neroli Outrenoir
New Addition: Mugler - Alien Eau Extraordinaire
New Addition: Robert Piguet - Chai
New Addition: Katy Perry - Indi
New Addition: Jennifer Lopez - Still
So still a few to get my nose on! In the meantime, I have ended up with full bottles of Giorgio Armani The Yulong, DS & Durga Coriander, and Elizabeth Arden White Tea, a large decant of Bvlgari Au The Rouge and smaller decants of Nishane Wulong Cha, Jovoy Remember Me, Serge Lutens Five O’Clock Au Gingembre, and Zoologist Elephant. I’ll probably also pick up Bvlgari Crystalline when it’s on a good sale. Armani’s The Yulong is certainly the closest to my idea of what I was looking for at the start - a soft, pleasant, calming black tea scent. So at this point I am happy to call my tea search a success.
Have you tried any of these? What are your favourite tea scents?
Nearly every fragrance I have encountered has at least one feature that makes it not worth its, full price, something like bad customer service, the staying time, etc.
What fragrance do you own does not have a single flaw (if any), and was worth every bit of its price?
My choices: 1- prada candy 2 - chanel n. 5 l'eau 3 - miss dior edp 4 - mademoiselle ricci 5 - la belle jean paul gaultier
I’ve collected these over the years, many of these are discontinued now. Here’s what I’ll be wearing this summer.
First are the eaux, I love them. It’s fun to spray with abandon several times a day. Imperiale and du Coq were life savers when I went through menopause and could barely stand fragrances. They would bloom during hot flashes, but were refreshing rather than cloying.
On this tray are Eau de Cologne du Coq, Eau de Guerlain, Eau de Fleurs de Cedrat, and Eau de Cologne Imperiale. (Eau de Guerlain is technically an edt.)
In back is Murray & Lanham Florida Water. This is really nice when I work outside, I splash the back of my neck and inside my arms, from wrist to armpit. The 4711 is a memory scent for me, my 7th grade class went on a field trip to Cologne, Germany and I had a tiny bottle as a souvenir. Recently I blind bought three of the little 4711 Aqua Colonias, Lemon & Ginger, and Lime & Nutmeg were duds and now they live in the guest bathroom. My daughter likes the Blood Orange & Basil, so she can have it. The samples are Eau d’Hadrien and Acqua di Parma Colonia Assoluta.
The second photo is the stronger perfumes, minis in front, O de Lancome, Vivienne Westwood Libertine, Nocturnes de Caron, the rest are Jean Patou, Paname, Sira des Indes, Cocktail, and Ma Liberte.
Back row, from left, Eaux de Caron Fraiche, Eau de Lalique, Eau de Orange Verte Hermès, Terracotta Voile d'Été Guerlain, Jean Patou Colony, Balmain de Balmain, and Eau de Courreges 1977.
*edit: trying to fix photos
I find it a bit strange that when social media personalities/influencers start releasing their fragrances they never think about releasing samples before releasing the bottle. Every one of these individuals always stress sampling before buying “don’t go and buy a $200 bottle when you don’t know what it smells like” however when they release their perfumes we are supposed to shell out $200 per bottle or the BOGO rule that could apply. Does anyone else find it weird they don’t want you to blind buy a Creed or Roja but drop your hard earned money on what they are releasing? Not trying to crap all over them and if I had the chance to have a fragrance made I’d jump at the chance but is their a personality that you may trust enough to buy a bottle of their fragrance?
Short answer is no for me. If I can’t smell it first, I don’t need to BB it. That’s how people end up with buyers remorse. I’d be open to sampling any and everything but just buy a bottle based on a recommendation, no thank you. I’ve been burned that way before and never again.
This topic has come up a few times for discussion this year, so this is quite timely. There's a video and a blog article; choose your poison. I liked the article, but I'm print oriented. The video is just as good.
From her blog:
The term is misleading and vague. The Middle East and North Africa have old and sophisticated fragrance traditions, but the average oriental one might come across at Harrods has little to do with their classical forms. This family of French perfumery grew in tandem with other 19th-century developments in society, economy and art. As Ingres painted his erotic ideals in a harem setting, perfumers used heavy, rich notes like balsams, vanilla and musk to fashion their fantasies of the east. The fascination lingered well into the 20th century. Guerlain Shalimar was created in 1925, but it reprised all the hallmarks of the genre—opulence, warmth and an exotic backstory.
Under the layers of incense and roses, however, the term “oriental” hides much more unsavory associations with exploitation and colonialism. For the colonized lands, the European quest for spices, gold and raw materials had tragic consequences, many of which are still with us today.
Edited to add (from the same blog post):
As I was working on the article, I received a press release from Michael Edwards of the renowned Fragrances of the World announcing that his classification will retire the term Oriental. Oriental will changed to Amber, Soft Oriental to Soft Amber, Floral Oriental to Floral Amber, and Woody Oriental to Woody Amber. Although the fragrance industry can be conservative and slow-moving, changes are indeed in the air.
If Michael Edwards (whose fragrance wheel is the basis for most of the fragrance wheels we see today) is backing off of the use of oriental and reclassifying perfumes, I think it's going to disappear pretty quickly in the industry.
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