My Mom's New Perfume Smelled So Good That I Traded In My Signature Scent Immediately

Each time I make the roughly 3.5-hour drive home from Birmingham, Alabama, to Mobile, at the Southern end of the state, I think about what I may have forgotten to put in my suitcase. No matter if it's a shirt or pair of wedges: My mom and I wear the same size clothing and are a half-size off on shoes. She has a bathroom full of beauty products I can borrow if it's lotion or blush I left behind. Luckily enough for me, on one occasion, every perfume I own sat idly in Birmingham while I drove to Mobile.

"Here, try this," she said. "And then you can just keep it in your purse for the night."

It was a rollerball of perfume, but I recognized the brand, Oribe, as selling haircare. "Wait, Oribe, like the luxury hair brand?" I asked. Yep. And that's how I found my new favorite scent.

According to their website, the brand "was the first to use a fine fragrance in its hair products," which is pretty cool. The signature scent, Côte d'Azur, embodies "the glamour and warmth of the French Riviera, the bright, seductive, shared scent awakens with hints of sun-drenched Calabrian bergamot, Sicilian orange, Aomori apples and leafy greens. Sandalwood, vetiver and crisp amber lend their soft, woody notes, while tuberose and white butterfly jasmine, from Oribe's native Cuba, create a sensuous and invigorating experience."

That's quite the description. And if, like me, you don't necessarily think, "Mmmm…This perfume has just the quality of sun-drenched bergamot I was looking for," I'll break it down for you. Côte d'Azur smells good—really good. I am not a fan of extremely…perfumey perfumes, if you know what I mean. It's light and fresh but much more present than some of the barely-there fragrances I usually buy. Oribe's signature spritz is genuinely unlike any perfume I've ever tried, and I was immediately addicted.

Oribe is usually a brand that's out of my reach. Even though their hair products are positively fabulous, they have the price tag to match. But compared to popular designer perfumes, the Côte d'Azur fragrance is actually affordable. The 1.7 oz spray bottle will run you $105, but the rollerball that my mom had is only $32. Not only is the rollerball budget-friendly, but it's an easy way to test a new scent.