I’m a Scent Snob, but I Own 12 Perfumes From This NYC It Girl Brand

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I asked an impossibly chic woman how she always smells so good—she responded by pulling out a rollerball of D.S. & Durga’s Debaser perfume. I have since found out it’s every New York City ‘It’ girl’s brand of choice.

D.S. & Durga is on the expensive side, but as a perfume snob, it’s worth it. The lasting power and fragrances actually outperform more expensive perfumes. There are over 30 in the brand’s repertoire; I have tried at least 97 percent of them and own a good dozen. This is my very expert guide to the best scents—I had to restrain myself to boil it down to just three (plus two honorary mentions at the bottom).

D.S. & Durga The Deluxe Fragrance Box Set

$275 at Nordstrom

This Deluxe Fragrance Box Set is a good place to start—you can experiment before buying a full-size bottle(s). It comes with mini bottles of six of the brand’s hero fragrances: I Don’t Know What, Pistachio, Debaser, Steamed Rainbow, Radio Bombay, Cowboy Grass, and Jazmin Yucatan.

• The Always-Sold-Out Cult Classic: Debaser Eau de Perfume, $210; neimanmarcus.com

• Universally Flattering: I Don’t Know What Fragrance Enhancer, $75; dsanddurga.com and nordstrom.com

• A Superior Oud: Notorious Oud Perfume, $210; dsanddurga.com

Debaser Perfume

$210 at neimanmarcus.com

$210 at Nordstrom

Debaser is perhaps the brand’s most famous and popular perfume. All sizes are sold out on its website, and everything but the large bottle is sold out on Nordstrom. It smells like… well, everything. At the beginning it's fresh, light, and a very light floral—sort of like the smell of the humid air in a greenhouse. It retains those notes but settles into the skin with a subtle sweet woodiness.

(P.S. Nieman Marcus is also offering free delivery by December 24 with the code NMHURRY. Just in time to gift for Christmas.)

I Don’t Know What Fragrance Enhancer

$75 at dsanddurga.com

$75 at Nordstrom

This is Debaser’s main competition, but since it’s a fragrance enhancer it’s decidedly more universal. Its main note is a very clean bergamot that amplifies your individual scent. It smells a little bit different on everyone—and that’s its magic.

But I Don’t Know What is also meant to be mixed and matched with other fragrances. It makes them last longer, smell deeper, and can correct overly sweet or too-strong perfumes.

Notorious Oud Perfume

$210 at dsanddurga.com

I grew up in the Middle East where oud seems like the national scent. My vast exposure to it and its omnipresence has made me (an already picky person) especially snobby about oud perfumes.

D.S. & Durga’s is one of the few that passes my tests and a half spray will last on your skin for 14 hours. Notorious Oud smells like musk, dark wood, incense, the smallest bit of smokiness, and spices.

Check out my honorary mentions below.

Black Magenta Perfume

$210 at Nordstrom

A deep, rich, and bold perfume with notes of sandalwood and tobacco. It smells like being in a taxi noticing the beauty of the city (that you usually overlook) at night after you’ve had two glasses of wine.

Steamed Rainbow Perfume

$210 at Nordstrom

This is clean and light yet noticeable. It has the most subtle floral, woody, and citrusy notes. It smells like the sun peaking through the clouds after it rains.

Read the original article on InStyle