Okay, I admit it: I judge a perfume by its bottle.
A few years ago, Bustle came out with a list of “13 Perfume Bottles That Will Look Amazing On Your Vanity,” featuring vials adorned with blue sapphire and plated gold, many of which cost more than my monthly rent. But for me, price isn’t the [only] thing stopping me from buying these fragrances. It’s the shape of their bottles: beautiful, but totally impractical.
You see, a surprising number of perfume bottles don’t fit comfortably in my hand. Either they’re flat and rectangular or wide and cylindrical — configurations that favor fingers much longer than my own. In order to spray effectively, then, I’d have to either hold the bottle with two hands (not very graceful) or rest the bottle on a flat surface, push, and hope for the best. But after a painful childhood experience that involved accidentally spraying my mom’s perfume in my eyes, I’ve been extra cautious about where I point the nozzle.
That’s why I love Yves Rocher’s “So Elixir,” an affordable fragrance with a bottle I can actually hold. With an easily-removable cap, curved edges, and frosted glass texture, the bottle itself makes the “floral woody luscious” fragrance smell that much sweeter.