Weekly Waftings: Stocking Stuffers – Super Affordable Travel-Size Perfumes

Happy December! This is the time of year where time (literally) snowballs so quickly that you blink and it’s the new year! Hanukkah’s already come and gone and Christmas will be here in about 2 seconds so if you’re like me and still frantically shopping for loved ones, hopefully today’s post will help you out with a stocking stuffer idea or two!

Travel perfumes are my absolute favorite size. They’re easy to tote around and they allow you to try out a new scent for very little money. With the possible exception of Tom Ford’s fragrances, most travel-size perfumes are around $30 or less, even for the typically more expensive fragrances. And honestly, I have so many perfumes at this stage in the game that I’ll never go through them all, so a smaller size is usually ideal. These days, I only splurge on a full bottle if I’m completely obsessed with a fragrance and very few scents make that cut.

Today I’d like to focus on some ultra-affordable travel-sized perfumes that are perfect as stocking stuffers for your loved ones (or yourself!) After all, who doesn’t love to try a fabulous new scent that doesn’t break the bank? Everything here is bargain-priced and some are even under $10!

Victoria’s Secret Bombshell

• Notes: purple passionfruit, Shangri-La peony, vanilla orchid
• Other notes perceived: grapefruit, pineapple, tangerine, strawberry, red berries, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, musk, woody notes, oakmoss
• Fragrance type: fruity floral
• Also available in: Eau de Parfum (50ml & 100ml), Fine Fragrance Mist (75ml & 250ml), Travel Fine Fragrance Mist, Fine Fragrance Lotion, Mini Fragrance Duo gift set, Luxe Fragrance gift set, Ultimate Fragrance gift set

The quintessential Victoria’s Secret scent formula is represented here: fruity, floral, and young-feeling! Lots of passionfruit here with a touch of peony-led floral. As it dries down, I get some sweet citrus along with other fruity accords. This is in a similar family (but not identical to) Versace’s Bright Crystal so if you already like that scent, this should be right up your alley. This fragrance is maybe just a tiny touch sweeter than Bright Crystal with the passionfruit being the stand-out note whereas BC is a bit more citrus-focused and has a tiny hint of musk.

Overall, this fragrance is very pretty, ladylike, and clean feeling. Projection is moderate and this fragrance lasts a pretty long time, about 6 hours for me. Bonus: Victoria’s Secret frequently runs specials on these already affordable travel rollerballs so you can often get 2-for-1 deals!

Find it here:

Bombshell travel rollerball (at Victoria’s Secret’s Amazon store)

Victoria’s Secret Bombshell Intense

• Notes: lush cherry, red peony, sultry vanilla
• Other notes perceived: marzipan/almond
• Fragrance type: chypre fruity floral
• Also available in: Eau de Parfum (50ml & 100ml), Fine Fragrance Mist (250ml), Travel Fine Fragrance Mist, Fine Fragrance Lotion

This is so very yummy! If you love maraschino cherry, this will be your dream scent. The cherry is joined by a deep, delicious bourbon vanilla and the whole concoction almost smells good enough to eat! ‘Sultry’ vanilla definitely leads me to believe there’s something extra (musk? amber?) with the vanilla note; it’s not a funfetti cakey vanilla but has a richer, deeper vibe.

Moderate projection and lasted fairly strongly for about 2 hours and then faded to a more intimate skin scent for a few hours more. Sweet fruity gourmand lovers should enjoy this one a lot.

Find it here:

Bombshell Intense travel rollerball (at Victoria’s Secret’s Amazon store)

Pepe Jeans For Her

• Notes: marshmallow, almond, tangerine, vanilla, almond milk, vodka, amber, musk
• Fragrance type: amber vanilla
• Also available in: Eau de Parfum (50ml & 80ml)

This super under-the-radar hidden cheapie gem was created by a British denim brand and brings a fun party vibe to the mix. The full bottle is designed to look like a cocktail glass and just screams ‘Good Vibes Only!’ Overall, the fragrance reminds me a bit of an ice cream sundae with some marshmallow and a maraschino cherry on top. But it’s not overly sweet, despite those gourmand notes, as it also has a bit of a clean/slightly soapy feel. Though there’s a vodka note and the bottle is literally shaped like a cocktail glass, I would not define this as a boozy scent. With the prominent cozy almond note, it reminds me a bit of Elie Saab’s Girl of Now.

A little on the younger side in feel, probably, but I find it cozy and enjoyable. And it is dirt cheap, around $6 for the travel rollerball on the discounters’ site, so why not?? And the full-sized bottle that resembles a cute cocktail glass usually sells for around $25-35! A casual, good time, young feeling scent, I’ve seen this fragrance described as ‘cheerful and youthful’ and I 100% agree with that. If you’re heading somewhere tropical for a mid-winter get-away, this is the perfect feel-good scent to pack. Light/moderate projection. Longevity is decent for such an inexpensive fragrance, 3+ hours and lasts a while longer after that as a skin scent.

Find it here:

Pepe Jeans for Her 10ml travel rollerball (at Amazon)

Pepe Jeans for Her 80ml ‘cocktail’ style large bottle (at Amazon)

Pepe Jeans for Her 10ml travel rollerball, 50ml, 80ml, 80ml tester (at FragranceNet)

Salvatore Ferragamo Signorina Misteriosa

• Notes: blackberry, neroli, tuberose, orange blossom, milk mousse, black vanilla husk, patchouli
• Fragrance type: amber floral
• Also available in: Eau de Parfum (100ml)

Another cheap and cheerful gourmand is this berry gourmand flanker from Ferragamo’s popular Signorina line. This literally smells like a blackberry milkshake! It’s a yummy, creamy berry gourmand that’s on the sweeter side with a touch of powdered sugar. For those wary of the patchouli note, it was a non-player for me and this was all about the sweet blackberry.

This is one of those fragrances that works year-round. The creaminess makes it cozy for fall and winter but the berry drives it into warmer weather territory as well. Projection is quite good and it lasts decently as well. If you’re a fan of blackberry scents, this is a must try!

Editor’s note: the travel size has become a bit tricky to find. But bottles of this fragrance are extremely reasonably-priced so worth checking out the full bottles that come in a range of sizes (links below).

Find it here:

Signorina Misteriosa 100ml (at Amazon)

Signorina Misteriosa 30ml, 50ml, 50ml ‘fashion edition’ {blue bottle}, 100ml, 100ml tester (at FragranceNet)

Bath & Body Works Fairytale

• Notes: pomegranate nectar, fresh orange blossom, vanilla, warm amber
• Fragrance type: amber vanilla
• Also available in: Eau de Parfum (50ml), Fine Fragrance Mist (236ml & 75ml travel-size), Diamond Shimmer Mist, Super Smooth Body Lotion, Ultimate Hydration Body Cream, Hand Cream, Shower Gel, Moisturizing Body Wash, Single-Wick Candle, and Wallflowers Fragrance Refill

YUM! So I got the shower gel of this and immediately fell in love! It reminded me ever-so-slightly of the famous Baccarat Rouge 540 so I figured what the heck, why not try the perfume? It’s a screamin’ deal at $13.50 for a 7ml travel-spray – and that’s before any sales. And while this is no exact BR540 dupe, it’s certainly a very nice, sweet vanilla amber in its own right. It’s sweet but not sickly sweet. It’s caramel-y with a ‘Froot Loops’ vibe that I love. There’s a little bit of a soapy feel that keeps this from feeling 100% high-end but it’s not bothersome or a deal-breaker. To me, it just gives it a clean vibe and I’m good with that.

Projection is quite good, I can smell a cozy little bubble of fragrance all around me and the sillage is good as well. Longevity is fair, you’ll get a good 2-3 hours of a stronger scent before it fades into a light skin scent. A must-try fragrance for caramel/vanilla/amber fans.

Editor’s note: This is another fragrance that has become a bit tricky to find in the travel size but Amazon almost always has the perfume mist for a great price.

Find it here:

Fairytale – entire line (at Amazon)

Victoria’s Secret Heavenly

• Notes: sandalwood, vanilla, white peony
• Other notes perceived: white musk, baby powder
• Fragrance type: powdery floral
• Also available in: Eau de Parfum (50ml & 100ml), Fine Fragrance Mist (250ml), Travel Fine Fragrance Mist, Fine Fragrance Lotion, Mini Fragrance Duo Gift Set, Luxe Fragrance Gift Set, Ultimate Fragrance Gift Set

Where my baby powder scent lovers at?? This will be the one for you! There is no iris/orris or freesia note listed but I’m thinking one of those powdery floral notes just has to have been snuck in here somewhere. This puppy is super powdery! It’s a very light, delicate, ladylike, clean scent. I was initially drawn to trying this scent due to the listed peony note as it’s probably my favorite floral but it’s actually not all that heavy on the peony. Vanilla is not a strong player here, either. It’s really just powder, powder, powder with a light touch of clean, white musk. This is a perfect right-out-of-the-shower fragrance that will leave you feeling clean and fresh.

Although this scent could easily be worn year-round, I imagine it would really shine in the spring and summer. Projection is on the lighter side so it’s a very office (and other close quarters) safe scent. Longevity is average and in line with the other fragrances here.

Find it here:

Heavenly (at Victoria’s Secret’s Amazon store)

Victoria’s Secret Tease Candy Noir

• Notes: raspberry glaze, night-blooming iris, warm tonka
• Other notes perceived: licorice
• Fragrance type: dark gourmand
• Also available in: Eau de Parfum (50ml & 100ml), Fine Fragrance Mist (250ml), Travel Fine Fragrance Mist, Fine Fragrance Lotion, Whipped Body Cream, Bath Crystals

I was a huge fan of Tease and Noir Tease in my 20’s but honestly had kind of forgotten about Victoria’s Secret scents over the years. Last time I needed to stock up on under-things, I thought it might be fun to see what they were offering these days and this scent stuck out to me. Having both Tease and Candy in the name, I figured chances were good I would like it and the notes looked like my style as well. I can confirm this is a really nice blend of tonka and raspberry. The iris note gives it a touch of a powdery feel but it is not as powdery as Heavenly. There’s an ever-so-slight impression of licorice to me here, as well.

Though I find this scent to be a touch on the lighter/more intimate side, these notes definitely lend a more nighttime feel. This would be a perfect fragrance to wear out to dinner on a romantic date night. Moderate longevity.

Find it here:

Tease Candy Noir (at Victoria’s Secret’s Amazon store)

Elizabeth & James Nirvana Bourbon

• Notes: oak wood, vanilla bourbon, tuberose
• Other notes perceived: black pepper, clove cigarette smoke
• Fragrance type: amber vanilla
• Also available in: Eau de Parfum (3ml rollerball mini, 6.5ml spray mini, 30ml, 50ml & 100ml), and shampoo

The last fragrance I want to mention today is Nirvana Bourbon by the Olsen Twins’ now-defunct Elizabeth & James line. Along with the clothing line, the Nirvana fragrances are also now discontinued, which is a shame because they’re all quite good. I also own Nirvana Amethyst (tobacco/honeysuckle/cedar) and Nirvana Black (violet/sandalwood/vanilla) and have sampled the other three (White, Rose, French Grey) as well. The great thing is that they still seem to be found fairly easily at discount shops and you can score them for dirt-cheap; I paid around $5 for my travel-size rollerball.

On to the scent: this is a sophisticated blend of woods combined with a smoky, powdery vanilla. It’s got a peppery kick to it as well. Though it is not an identical dupe for it, I often recommend this fragrance as an affordable alternative to Byredo’s popular Gypsy Water, as it’s definitely in a similar ballpark and sooooo much more affordable. It also reminds me A LOT of Maison Margiela Replica’s Whispers in the Library, they are almost dupes for one another. The projection and longevity are moderate/average.

Find it here:

Nirvana Bourbon (at FragranceNet)

So there’s a handful of recommendations for some very affordable cozy scents to try this winter, suitable for stuffing into a stocking or your favorite Hobo bag. I’d love to know if you’ve tried any of the scents mentioned and thought they were an amazing steal as I did. Or perhaps something new has caught your eye here? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments. Happy holiday shopping! 🤶

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