Style All-Time Best Scents of Southern Women By Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon Wells Mary Shannon is a Digital Associate Editor and has been on the Southern Living team since 2017. She helps run the brand's social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok, where she's happily behind the scenes. When she's not ruffling feathers with an etiquette poll via Instagram Stories, she's writing content for the website and assisting in various print projects like gift guides and home stories.She grew up in Mobile, Alabama, which she insists is home to the country's first Mardi Gras (not New Orleans) and now lives in Birmingham with her husband and rescue pup Rocky, whose name is unrelated to The University of Tennessee (Roll Tide). Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on September 11, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Macy's Every Southern woman has her all-time favorite perfume, and most of them know the scents their mamas and grandmothers wore every day. We looked back on past beauty icon stories, and rounded up the best fragrances Southern women have worn over the years. Some of these classic perfumes have been around longer than we have, and the oldies show no signs of going extinct. Some of these fragrances are even essential oils or perfume oils. The best scents are the ones that evoke a memory or a feeling, like the comforting smell of Mama's peach cobbler, a salty Gulf breeze or a whiff of the Chanel No. 5 that sat on your grandmother's vanity while you played dress-up in her closet. See if your signature scent made the list of favorite perfumes from our past beauty icons. 01 of 15 Chanel No. 5 Eau de Parfum Spray Neiman Marcus "Early on, Suga fell in love with Chanel no. 5, and she still wears it today. As a teenager, she used to wander into department stores to sneak a quick spritz before a date." Heather Chadduck Hillegas, "My Mom, The Beauty Icon" March 2015 "Chanel No. 5 body lotion and perfume were her staples. I'll never forget having chicken pox and Mom spritzing me with this scent to make me feel pretty." Candy Devore, "My Mom, The Beauty Icon" February 2017 Buy It: $135 for 3.4 oz; neimanmarcus.com 02 of 15 Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum Spray Neiman Marcus "My mom loves this perfume because it's soft, feminine, and not overpowering. I wore it on my wedding day." Katie Sparrow Hedrick, "My Mom, The Beauty Icon" September 2015 Buy It: $130 for 3.4 oz.; neimanmarcus.com 03 of 15 White Diamonds Elizabeth Taylor Eau de Toilette Macy's "While my mother is too modest to see her likeness to Elizabeth Taylor, she does love the star's perfume, White Diamonds." Tippi Polo, "My Mom, The Beauty Icon" September 2015 Buy It: $69 for 3.3 oz.; macys.com 04 of 15 Lancôme Magie Noire Eau de Toilette Spray Nordstrom "Lancôme cosmetics are my grandmother's go-to, especially their Magie Noire perfume." Lindsey Reynolds,"My Grandmother, The Beauty Icon" January 2016 Buy It: $68 for 2.5 oz; nordstrom.com 05 of 15 Vera Wang Eau de Parfum Spray Macy's "Sarah has always loved perfume and had a lot of it—it's her signature. One of her consistent favorites over the years has been Vera Wang. The soft floral scent always reminds me of her." Dana Gibson, "My Sister, The Beauty Icon" March 2016 Buy It: $92 for 3.4 oz; macys.com 06 of 15 Egyptian Musk Perfume Essence Uncommon Scents "I always loved hearing my grandmother's tales of life in the South Pacific. This essential oil is one of my favorite scents; it's exotic and reminds me of her travel stories." Andi Eaton "My Grandmother, The Beauty Icon" April 2016 Buy It: $29.50; uncommonscents.com 07 of 15 Aromatics Elixir Perfume Nordstrom "A spicy-scented perfume will always remind me of fancy affairs. Mom spritzed this on generously for Mardi Gras balls." Lauren Lagarde "My Mom, The Beauty Icon" June 2016, Buy It: $74 for 3.4 oz.; nordstrom.com 08 of 15 Burberry The Beat Eau de Parfum Kohl's "Like Mom, I sample as many perfumes as possible. My current favorite is Burberry The Beat." Rachel Sewell, "My Mom, The Beauty Icon" July 2016 Buy It: $90 for 2.5 oz; kohls.com 09 of 15 Halston by Halston Women's Perfume Kohl's "Scents are very important to my mom—she has the nose of a sophisticated hound dog. She has tried different ones through the years, but I always loved when she wore Halston." Morgan Hutchinson, "My Mom, The Beauty Icon" November 2016 Buy It: $26 for 1.7 oz; kohls.com 10 of 15 Na Nin Perfume Oil NA NIN "She loved music and Shalimar perfume. I'm a fan of these similarly spicy scents named after songs." Hannah Hayes, "My Grandmother, The Beauty Icon" November 2016 Buy It: $38; shopnanin.com 11 of 15 Calvin Klein Eternity Eau de Parfum Spray Macy's "This was my aunt's signature scent. She was drawn to it, I think, because it smells clean and doesn't overpower." Valerie Fraser Luesse, "My Aunt, The Beauty Icon" April 2017 Buy It: $88 for 3.4 oz; macys.com 12 of 15 No. 19 Eau De Toilette Spray Nordstrom "We don't go overboard with perfume, but we do like a light spritz for dressy events. Marsha's go-to scent is Chanel." Marion Humphreys, "My Sister, The Beauty Icon" May 2017 Buy It: $102 for 3.4 oz; nordstrom.com 13 of 15 Aliage Sport Eau de Parfum Spray Bloomingdale's "This perfume suits her perfectly: It's energetic, exuberant, and fresh. My parents spent 10 years sailing on the Chesapeake Bay, and she always smelled great."Alison Miksch, "My Mom, The Beauty Icon" June 2017 Buy It: $53 for 1.7 oz; bloomingdales.com 14 of 15 Houbigant Paris Quelques Fleurs L'Original Eau de Parfum Neiman Marcus "She wore Chantilly, a light musk by Houbigant, which also makes my favorite scent." Cheri Leavy, "My Grandmother, The Beauty Icon" July 2017 Buy It: $190 for 3.3 oz; neimanmarcus.com 15 of 15 Guerlain Shalimar Eau de Toilette Sephora "She is a self-proclaimed perfume junkie. The scent I most associate with her is Shalimar by Guerlain." Whitney Wise Long, "My Mom, The Beauty Icon" August 2017 Buy It: $82 for 1.7 oz.; sephora.com Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit