by

Cheap Shit Portia Loved 2021

Hey Crew. This year I used a few new bargain basement things from the fragrance arena. There were some heavily discounted or generally bargain basement shower gels, perfumes and soaps. There’s something incredibly satisfying for me when I find a super good deal, or a product that performs far past its price category. Hopefully this list will give you some inspiration too. We all love to feel and smell luxurious for less (as well as for shitloads more).

Most of my “Cheap Shit” frags are coming from FragranceNet. No, I’m not affiliated but the prices are excellent and they send to the world.

Cheap Shit Portia Loved 2021

Perfumes

Cabochard EdT by Parfums Gres

Recently revamped and getting loads of wear here lately. This modern take on the leather chypre is so wearable and the new bottle is definitely dresser worthy.

Diamonds & Emeralds by Elizabeth Taylor

How did it take me so long to find this crazy fruity big white floral with a little skank hiding in the background. It’s so wearable and fun.

Issey Miyake pour homme Intense

I know many of you don’t like the aquatic fragrances but I love a salty aquatic so much. Here it has a slightly amber base but what I really love is that shimmering citrus heavy salty water.

Lalique EdT for her

I wore thois beauty for a whole week this year as a test. Though I thought I’d never want to see it again it has become a mainstay in the collection. A very classy spiced fruity floral with vanilla down the back.

Stash Unspoken by Sarah Jessica Parker

I thought this beauty had been DCd but lately it has started popping up again in our chain chemist stores for very little money. zingy fruity up top and some lovely warm tonka and woods later. It isn’t groundbreaking or eye rollingly gorgeous but it does smell good and is definitely in the cheap shit pile.

Wish by Chopard

One of my besties Scotty gave me my bottle of Wish and I thought it was going to be hate at first sniff. NOPE! Unbelievably more-ish. Sweet, honeyed caramel drizzled lavishly over some fruit and vanilla heavy amber. The bottle makes it even more fun.

Soap & Body Wash

Can Can by Paris Hilton

Yes, shoot me now. I ordered my bottle of Can Can to add to a teens birthday present but the label on the bottle was askew and pulled off a bit. So I kept it and started using it daily to get it out of my sight. Sure, it’s not the most gorgeous scent on earth and no one will mistake its for a luxury item but it cleans my body and makes sensation bubbles in the bath. Sweet fruity floral nothings.

Florentino Soap Lilly Of The Valley

Another gift from Scott, this came in a three pack but two of the bars are currently in use in the house. If you like Muguet and are after a set that looks like it cost malt bank yet goes for well under $10 then this is the pack for you. I love this soap so much that I was looking to get myself more and could not believe the price. Even the packaging seems expensive.

LUSH Rose Jam

Yes, EVERY year I add this to the list. It’s not SUPER cheap but it’s affordable and comes in multiple sizes. I’ve never smelled such an intoxicating jammy rose in a shower gel/bubble bath. Every time I swoon. So perfect, iit lathers beautifully and leaves my skim softly fragrant for hours. A perfect underlay for any rose scent.

Mysore Sandal, Jasmine and Rose Bath Soaps

OK, full disclosure. I adore the original Sandal Soap. This year for the first time I saw this set and bought a few to gift. EVERTY person that has received them is astounded by their beauty. Even some real dyed in the wool perfumistas. Next time I’m in the Indian Grocery I’m going to order 20 packs. Not super Cooper cheap but for the incredible feedback I’m getting it’s bargain for buck.

Reem Acra Shower Gel

You probably know the fragrance is DCd. So I’m buying these beautiful white floral shower gel & lotion in 75ml for well under $5 each. A perfect little extra for any gift pack and they are the best for travelling. The scent is magic in the bathroom but unless you lotion yourself the shower gel is only the faintest after leaving the bathroom. 20 minutes later it’s gone. Ready for whatever perfume you choose for the day.

Winnie The Pooh Shower Gel

HONEY! A shower gel with honey. Yes, I know it’s designed for kids but it’s bloody fabulous. I bought a truckload of these for nearly nothing and they are going like hotcakes to friends. HONEY! They come in the shape of a honey pot and are so bloody cute. Sure, the kids will love them but YOU will too. Promise.

 

Not a complete list but there are some bargains beauties from the cheap shit piles that I’ve worn, used and bubbled away in in 2021. Do you have some good ones to add to the list?
Portia xx

 

41 thoughts on “Cheap Shit Portia Loved 2021”

  1. I love this cheerful open minded approach to scented products :) I bought some kind of nice Italian soap at Winners (discount store here, like Marshalls/ TJ Maxx). $6 CDN for six nice soaps, each wrapped in paper, and then housed in a nice sturdy box, which will be used for lipstick storage when the soaps are gone. Sometimes soap, and a package of Life Savers, makes a really nice Christmas present.

    Like

    Reply

  2. My cheapie of the year is the original Stash, which ended up being my lucky perfume for my son’s state championship run. I also decided that I want to wear Adam Levine for Her a lot in the coming year, and found some more of that at TJ Maxx (2 pack, will gift the smaller bottle to one of the student managers for the football team who seems interested in perfume). My son gave me Rose Jam body wash last Christmas – adore (surprising since I’m not a rose perfume person). My other main source of body wash is Yves Rocher. One of their LE scents this holiday is Chocolate Orange. Just like the edible ones. The Monoi one is a great winter pick me up too.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. I love to hit on stuff for so cheap that it’s almost free. I can’t remember back through the whole year but in the last month or so I scored SJP Stash Privé and another bottle of Adam Levine, both 100mls for the price of two gin & tonics. Score in my book 🥰

    Like

    Reply

  5. Hey Portia
    While my interest in perfume has waned I love reading about shower gels. The Winnie the Pooh one looks and sounds a lot of fun!

    I also love Rose Jam. I’ve asked for Lush’s Karma and Lord of Misrule shower gels for Christmas.

    Like

    Reply

    • I’m sorry to hear that perfume doesn’t thrill you any longer because for me it’s just one more thing that effortlessly improves my daily life (another one is food but unlike perfume it has a side effect… I mean, sideS effect ;) ).

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  6. Hi there, Portia! My best cheapies of the year are Ariana Grande Cloud EdP and Apivita Royal Honey shower gel.
    As as crazy fan of body products, now I need to look for that Winnie the Pooh honey shower gel!

    Like

    Reply

  7. SJP Stash and Adam Levine for Women are two of my top bargain beauties; I’ve also been enjoying the “new” Cabochard, both EDT and EDP. Another two cheap faves this year have been Nirvana French Grey and Nirvana Amethyst, findable at TJ Maxx and Marshall’s for $19.99 for 3.4 oz. I’m also really enjoying the Zara collaborations with Jo Malone (the person, not the brand); the Emotions line has some really nice scents and I’ve just gotten the discovery set for the new Vibrant Cities line. Many of the scents come in other formats, like body wash, lotion, etc. I also just discovered Natori by Natori, courtesy of my DIY fragrance Advent calendar, and ordered a large, cheap bottle: https://scentsandsensibilities.co/2021/12/11/scented-advent-december-11/.

    Like

    Reply

  8. I LOVE such lists because I don’t have the talent of finding cheapies. The only relatively cheap perfume I’m proud I finally bought is Moschino’s Toy Boy. I’ve been wanting it for so long.
    I’ll definitely check out Winnie the Pooh.

    Like

    Reply

  9. I will add all Maja products. I get them at the supermarket and I am obsessed. Will also add Parfum de Couer’s Fresh White Musk…$5.98 for 8 oz and has great spillage and longevity. And both fragrances remind me if my feline grandson and granddaughter, Wedge and Pickles.

    Like

    Reply

  10. I love a good cheapie, I bought Cardin Paradoxe and Choc for next to nothing. And a big bottle of Scherrer. And now a big bottle of Cleef and Arpels First is on its way to me. I also love Agent Provocateur.

    Like

    Reply

  11. Love your list as always, Portia. I bought the Cabochard the moment is was released, it almost smells like the original. Now I will search for the Florentine soap, I love soaps. Another cheapie I love is Nelum Sandalwood talcum powder with pure sandalwood oil. It’s beautiful after an evening shower before bed, a real comfort scent. Some IGA stores stock it.

    Like

    Reply

    • Hey Ingrid! So good to see you.
      We are using the Lily of the Valley soap in the kitchen and my bathroom right now for hands. It’s a pop of joy every wash.
      Since the great big J&J Baby Powder debacle I’ve stopped using powders all together.
      Portia xx

      Like

      Reply

  12. I realized that I had absolutely nothing to contribute to the list this year because I’m on kinda “no buy.” No-cheap-shit-buy, that is. I’m not being snobbish. I mean, I am snobbish when it comes to perfume in general, but in particular these days I do not need ANYTHING at all, so it makes absolutely no sense for me to buy something I wouldn’t have bought otherwise just because it’s a good deal. So, of course, if I were looking for something that I needed and found a great deal on it, I would have bought it in a heartbeat. But since I’m not looking for anything…
    I might buy a new bottle of Yves Rocher Mimosa shower gel once I use up my current more expensive shower gel because I really enjoyed it – but that is the extent of my inexpensive perfume-related purchases.

    But I still liked reading your list!

    Like

    Reply

    • OOOOHHHHH Undina! I never even heard of that Yves Rocher Mimosa. That sounds fabulous.
      Also, I totally understand where you are with this.
      Fingers crossed the next thing you fall madly for you can find discounted heavily and feel like part of the crew.

      I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks.
      Portia xx

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  13. Hi Portia! Thanks for sharing your list! I have some cheapie purchases this year that I love – body sprays! These are light enough to scent me after a shower but don’t linger that they mess up my scent of the day. The purchases included: Ariana Grande Cloud, Bath & Body Works Orange Sandalwood and Lush Jilted Elf.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  14. If you ever run out of Cabochard, please come to me. I was given a bottle as it was created in the year I was born, which is a lovely idea, but it really isn’t me.

    Then I wish I got through shower gel and soap more quickly, as I would definitely buy more! A bar of soap seems to last me absolutely ages. ;)

    Like

    Reply

    • Will do Vanessa,
      As to the soap. Seeing that we are hand washing only with soap in this house because of it’s Covid destroying properties, we go through bars lightning quick. There is a bar at the kitchen, bathroom sinks, my bathtub and laundry. So much soap.
      Also, I use the shower gels for bubble baths at least 3 times a week.
      Portia xx

      Like

      Reply

What's on your mind? (I encourage posting relating links to your posts)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.