5 Perfumes You Won’t Find At Macy’s
There a few rituals that are just for me. Things that make me feel like I’m caring for myself, and doing something a little bit special.
I’m often a bit conflicted because a lot of the things that feel like the ultimate reflection of self-love can also have some pretty entrenched cultural and gendered associations. Somehow investing in beautiful lingerie because it makes me happier to sleep in or take the time for a pedicure because I smile when I see my toes can also take on some cultural associations which I don’t love, and that sucks.
Chief among these heavily-laden cultural touch-stones stands the perfume counter. Personally, though, I can tell you that the days that I remember to give myself a little spritz of something happy before I walk out the door are days when I am calmer, more confident, and just feel better about myself.
So I’m going to take it one step further and find perfumes with good ingredients from independent makers who are making unique products I can feel good supporting.
Here are some I’ve been into lately…
Every scent they release comes from an invented story written by an imaginary author. The result is a brand after my own heart; these guys veer as far from the minimal, stripped-down aesthetic as humanly possible. Instead of spare white labels and stripped-down descriptions you’ll find textured, detailed packaging and evocative story-telling in every piece of this brand story. Just browsing the listings and reading descriptions will be the most fun you’ll have all day. Not only is it an incredibly fun way to pick a scent, but I also feel like after reading each description, I know in my soul exactly what each scent is going to smell like… which is pretty impressive on the internet.
I couldn’t think of a brand more perfect for Km66 than a small maker that styles each scent after the smells unique to a city around the world. I’ve bought a few of their scents for myself and for gifts for other traveler friends, and they’re a hit every time.
Heretic has a really great perspective on clean beauty. Everything about the company is transparent from their vegan, cruelty-free, gender-inclusive philosophy to their plant-based ingredient list. Thier collection are pretty straight-forward botanically-inspired scents, but every one has a little edge to it that keeps them from feeling too sweet.
I really love a company that is honest about the process of getting things made, and transparent when there are problems. Commodity launched a line of minimal unisex fragrances on Kickstarter a few years ago to rousing success, but had trouble expanding and had to close. After being bought by a larger perfume house, the new owners launched a series of documentaries about every step of the re-launch process in a way that think is just really smart. It’s the kind of move that just makes you want to support them.
This brand just makes me smile. Each scent is is inspired by the natural habitat of a specific animal, so while I might not want to smell like wet panda fur, I’d be totally down for magnolia, mandarin, and bamboo. The whole combo is quirky, unique, and yet somehow makes perfect sense.
Note: Nothing in this post was sponsored or gifted in any way… these are just our honest thoughts on brands we think are worth highlighting.
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