Shit That Smells GOOD
Including the one fragrance I've been gatekeeping
Shitters! I was gonna write a whole intro, but as usual, a meme says a thousand words:
Speaking of the fire emoji, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve written about candles and everything else I’m loving scent-wise (how’s that for a transition??)! I love fragrance (and the rabbit hole that is Fragrantica), but I’m typically very picky about it. I’m sensitive to ingredients/get headaches from scents easily, and I would say that 99 out of 100 are immediate no’s for me (in most scenarios, the one exception is usually just fine). But this isn’t Shit I Bought and Thought Was Ok—we are here for the GOOD stuff!
What follows are some of my favorite candles, personal fragrances, bath and body products, and more—it’s an assortment of things that have stood the test of time, often gotten me compliments, and just smell GOOD (plus, thanks to Nordstrom’s Beauty Sale, many are at a very solid discount at the moment!).
There is a lot of Salt and Stone on this list because they make a lot of things that smell GOOD, but IMO, their Neroli and Basil deodorant is the very best (and a surprisingly good deodorant for something made without any of the bad stuff). I liked it so much that I wrote about it/my armpits in detail for New York Magazine! If I could smell like this every day forever, I would.
Costa Brazil Candle. This a truly criminal price to pay for a candle, but my god it is amazing. It’s tough to put a finger on what exactly this smells like, but the Jungle title is fitting—it has notes of vetiver, cypress, and a distinct jungle sweetness, and it’s one of the few candle brands that’s never given me a headache (I cannot say the same for D*ptyque anymore unfortunately, although it is all on sale at the moment. If you don’t have the same problem, Narguile remains the best candle they make, and their lavender hand soap is an all-timer). I keep it on my desk so I can catch whiffs even when it’s not lit, and it gets bonus points for the very cool-looking vessel.
At this point I can smell Baccarat Rouge on someone from a mile away and you probably can too (jasmine, saffron, cedarwood… this was a scent made for Indians and you will never convince me otherwise!). The real deal is a bit sweet for me these days, but Salt and Stone makes an incredibly similar/slightly less saccharine version for less. Whether it’s in candle form, deodorant, body wash, or personal fragrance, you really can’t go wrong, but I’d recommend starting with this one.
Sandalwood, eucalyptus, Haitian vetiver—why would you want your shower to smell like anything else?? I am famously a bar soap girl, but I make an exception for this body wash by Maude (it’s also fantastic as a bubble bath). Big h/t to Cheyenne Grenaway for this rec!
Speaking of baths, Susanne Kaufmann’s Pine Bath is derived from pine and spruce trees in the Austrian Alps, and it’s incredible. It makes me feel like I’m a hot tub in the middle of a forest instead of a windowless bathroom in Manhattan, and that is NO EASY FEAT.
4711. I harassed a boy (man?) I met recently until he told me he was wearing this scent. SO good. Speaking of, I feel like the men are not wearing fragrance anymore??? Bring it back! Crazy girls like me will just have to know what you’re wearing! This one is easy/ universally flattering if you need somewhere to start, but taking other suggestions for the boys in the comments!
RDF is the cool girl fragrance brand these days, but Nitesurf Neroli is the only one of their scents that’s really done it for me so far (I wanted to love the Chloe Sevigny collab, but the pomelo note isn’t for me). It’s beachy and lightly floral, but not at all overwhelming, and their bottles are gorgeous (they used to stock these at The Row stores, which tells you everything you need to know). Very much resisting the urge to gatekeep here, don’t make me regret it.
Despite the name of haircare brand Roz (pronounced “rose”), their shampoo and conditioner duo smells like a mix of bergamot, neroli, vetiver, and fig, which is to say DIVINE. The scent is light and it leaves your hair feeling SO soft. Their styling oil has the same scent profile and is another favorite!
There are Sunday morning candles, but Black Rose and Oud is not one of them. This is a Saturday night candle that pairs perfectly with a nightcap and a date you have no plans to say goodnight to. Quite simply, it’s SEXY. I’ve given it to so many friends over the years and it has a hit rate of 1000.
The other cool girl fragrance brand of the moment is Vyrao. You may recognize them from past issues of this newsletter, you may recognize them from Gwyneth Paltrow’s Instagram stories—tomato, tomahto! If you are a stickler about avoiding potential endocrine disruptors, but don’t want to miss out on the fun of perfume, this is a brand you should check out. My personal favorite of theirs is The Sixth—it’s designed to promote mindfulness through an herb blend with notes of apple, cypress, rosemary, and cedarwood, plus it smells amazing—light, but so fresh and bright, with none of the artificial feeling that other fragrances can have. The bottle also contains a charged crystal if you’re into that kind of thing.
Every cool Brooklyn restaurant is burning Keap candles in their bathrooms for a reason! This one smells like a pine forest in the way that every candle that tries to smell like one never quite gets right. The touch of Palo Santo is the cherry on top.
Vilhelm makes a lot of interesting fragrances, but this black tea/ apple/ bergamot combo (also on sale!) is my favorite of the bunch. It’s sharp (in a good way) and different and one of those that you just keep wanting to catch a whiff of! Sample some the next time you’re in a BlueMercury.
Diptyque Eau Moheli: This is a floral/green ylang ylang scent that skews tropical, but not in the obvious ways (think lush versus overly fruity). I’ll admit it starts off on the sweet side, but it quickly dries down to a uniquely bright, green floral. In case you needed further convincing, it’s apparently the same scent as the Diptyque exclusive for Eden Rock in St. Barths, and also part of the Nordstrom sale! (Speaking of tropical, this reed diffuser has been a staple of mom’s for years and always makes me do a double take.)
Good old Sunbum sunscreen. Tropical in the obvious way, but to me this will always smell like vacation!
I can’t link a body lotion I was sent recently because it’s made by a raging MAHA Trumper and I will not be supporting that (though I do support all of these people in their pursuit of raw milk—chug chug chug!!!). Unfortunately the lotion does smell incredible.
As always, this is a two-way street! If you have other favorite candles/ scents / body products, I want to know! Especially candles—I’m in a rut lately. What are we loving?!
Other things I’m loving lately: New favorite Substack alert!!! I devour every word Madeline Marcella writes about the NYC dining scene, and have added so many places to my list because of her! I cannot be held responsible for anything I do while under the influence of Selena XCX. (Sidenote: Are we all just now realizing Benny Blanco was responsible for every hit of the 2010’s…?) Planet Word is the coolest museum I’ve been to in a long time—put it on your itinerary the next time you’re in DC! This sticky coconut chicken + a shitton of hot sauce was a hit with my girlfriends last weekend. If you find yourself dry shaving last minute as the temps start to rise, spare yourself the misery with this brilliant stick (PRIYANKA20). After a LONG time at the top of my wishlist, this baby is finally mine! The all-leather version is the classic, but this one has always been my favorite (one in brown available here!). So casual, so cool, and perfect for anyone on the go!
Unrelated reading:
Featuring comfy cozies for anyone else in the middle of transitional weather whiplash (the Mango set you all loved is also now on sale!).
Thank you for reading and supporting Shit I Bought and Liked! If you enjoyed this newsletter, please consider sharing it with a friend, hitting the heart-shaped like button at the end, or leaving a comment on this post—it helps other people find this newsletter and is so very appreciated! ♥️
You can shop our favorite buys of 2024 here, or follow me on Instagram here. If you’re from a brand and interested in working together on a future post, drop me a note at priyanka.aribindi@gmail.com!
STOP. Your stuff is also INCREDIBLE- thank you so much for that, it made my night and more 🥺
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