If You Want Your Scent to Subliminally Signal Good Taste, Wear This Underrated and Expensive-Smelling Perfume

Glossier’s You Rêve Eau de Parfum is the warm and spicy scent I can’t put down lately. Interestingly enough, this wasn’t the Glossier perfume I was initially drawn to. That, dear reader, is You Doux Eau de Parfum ($82), a soft, fluffy combo of sweet violet, palo santo, and ambrox. However, I always say that sometimes the slow-burn scents get you—those that you warm up to with time. You Rêve was like that for me.

Plum butter is the hero ingredient. It’s lush, creamy, and indulgent. Buttercream, ambrox, toasted almond, and iris create a sophisticated supporting cast. The effect is warm and sweet and deep and musky all at once. It’s a total compliment magnet, especially in the fall and winter months.

I’ve a fervent fan of Valentino’s original Donna Born in Roma Eau de Parfum ($180). With notes of jasmine and bourbon vanilla, it’s a warm, sophisticated scent I never get tired of wearing. When I heard the brand was set to deliver another version of the iconic scent, I was skeptical, to say the least. I mean, why mess with perfection?

I’m happy to report my skepticism was unfounded, because the Purple Melancholia perfume is special. It opens with a burst of juicy plum, before soft osmanthus and sweet jasmine rise up. A smooth vanilla base lends warmth and that signature sophistication I’ve come to associate with Valentino.

Allow me to introduce you to what might be one of the most underrated perfumes in existence: Narciso Rodriguez’s Musc Noir Rose for Her. The name is a mouthful, but the scent is divine. It features some of the most sophisticated fragrance notes—think bergamot, vanilla, suede leather, and tuberose (my personal fave). The intoxicating elixir is rounded out with a plummy, liqueur-like effect.

Whenever I wear it, I get an insane amount of compliments. I even had someone tap me on the shoulder while I was waiting in line at a coffee shop to ask what perfume I was wearing. True story. And if you need further proof that this perfume is well worth the investment, you should know that it keeps selling out at Nordstrom…

Bibliothèque is the French word for library. As such, Byredo’s iconic scent evokes leather-bound books, crisp white paper, and ink stains. Whenever I wear it (or, better yet, burn the scented candle), I’m whisked away to my university’s law library. I can almost hear the hushed whispering of other students, see the stained-glass windows, and feel the gloomy, academic aesthetic of bookbags, scarves, and papers strewn across mahogany desks. It’s all thanks to a unique and immersive blend of plum, birch woods, and leather accord. Cozy, sophisticated, even downright intellectual, I can’t resist returning to it every fall and winter.

For the uninitiated, a gourmand scent smells sweet or edible, AKA a food-inspired fragrance. Gourmand notes include vanilla, sugar, whipped cream, and yes, even plum itself. And Ellis Brooklyn’s Plum Tonic is my #1 pick for a true gourmand scent. It’s warm, sweet, and fizzy, with notes of liqueur-like plum nectar, sparkling mandarin, and sugared musk.

Byredo’s Casablanca Lily might not get as much hype as its other concoctions (notably Gypsy Water, Mojave Ghost, and Bal d’Afrique) yet earns all the compliments. That’s according to WWW Beauty Director Erin Jahns, who counts it as a forever-favorite.

It’s part of the brand’s highly concentrated Night Veils collection. These scents are designed to evoke mystery, sensuality, and “nocturnal” beauty. As such, notes of plum, gardenia, carnation, Indian tuberose, rosewood, and honey “gradually unveil themselves like petals unfolding in the stillness of night.” It’s modern, unique, and intoxicating.

Parfums de Marly is perhaps best known for its delectable Delina perfume, but don’t sleep on Cassili. It begins with a bouquet of florals—think Bulgarian rose and “transparent” white flowers. A fruity blend of plum accord, red currant, and mimosa absolute follows. Finally, a light and milky base of sandalwood, tonka bean, and vanilla pod creates the base. It’s a light, delicate, and “pastel” perfume that’s never heady or overbearing.

Octavia Morgan’s Dark Rose Eau de Parfum is proof that plum can smell downright sexy. It might not receive top billing (that goes to a heart of black rose), but it’s one of the most recognizable fragrance notes. It bleeds into spicy cumin, smooth vanilla, and rich labdanum, creating a sultry and sophisticated perfume that’s destined for date night.

If you’re drawn to the warmth and luminosity of amber perfumes, I bet you’ll love Zara’s Radical Vibe Eau de Parfum. It’s a classic amber-floral scent, melding dark and jammy plum syrup with breezy orange blossom and grounding musks. I think the brand puts it best when it describes it as “magnetic.”

Kylie Jenner created one of my favorite fall-winter perfumes. Velvet Brew Eau de Parfum is more than an imaginative moniker or a stylish glass bottle. It contains a dark, sultry, and seductive elixir made up of plum, hazelnut, coffee, and patchouli. It’s made for late-night drinks in low-lit, velvet-clad bars.

Even though there’s not an official trace of plum present in Marc Jacobs Perfect Absolute Eau de Parfum, it has an undeniable, plum-forward effect. That’s because it has a similar dark and jammy scent profile, with notes of caramelized fig and glowing amber. In my opinion, it mimics the impression of a plum-forward scent on my skin, almost shockingly so. It’s dark, warm, bold, and delicious.