Nordstrom's Early Black Friday Sale Has Begun—10 Elite Fragrances On Rare Sale
I'm talking Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Parfums de Marly, Frédéric Malle, and more.
Every year, holiday shopping seems to start earlier. Case in point: Nordstrom's Early Black Friday Sale is already here, a whole three weeks before the actual day. We used to shop Black Friday to get a head start on holiday gifts, and now we’re getting a head start on Black Friday itself. Hey, I’m not complaining. I’m Siena, Marie Claire’s Beauty Editor, and I happen to be a sucker for a good deal. While I’m always hunting down skincare and makeup markdowns—glowing skin is part of the gig, after all—fragrance is where I really get excited. Unfortunately, I also have very expensive taste in perfume (and please, don’t get me started on my laundry detergents and candles).
Nordstrom must have read the minds of my fellow scent obsessives because the fragrance selection is particularly good. And I don't say that lightly. We're talking 15 percent off Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Parfums de Marly, Frédéric Malle, and other names that rarely make it into the sale section. Even better, we have until November 11 to shop Nordstrom’s sale before the real Black Friday chaos begins. Will these bottles be marked down again? Maybe. Am I willing to take that chance? Absolutely not. Here's everything I'm eyeing (and trying very hard to justify buying).
Cult Status
Some products are so good, you don't need much convincing to buy them at full price. Which makes finding these cult favorites majorly discounted feel like a huge victory.
MFK’s Baccarat Rouge is a year-round staple for me (and seemingly everyone I've ever met), but I love it most in the winter. Between the nutty almond notes and warm amber sweetness, it's basically a compliment magnet in a bottle.
Want to stand out in a room? Portrait of a Lady is the rose perfume that’s become iconic for its bold reinterpretation of the classic floral.
Sweet Enough
I love how comforting gourmands can be, but I can't stand a fragrance that smells like a bakery (sorry!). These two have just enough sweetness, with a little more depth to keep things cool.
Cassili is a bit of a wild card in the gourmand world, leaning more fruity and floral than sugary sweet. But it's the peach mixed with sandalwood and vanilla that wins me over—creamy and oh-so yummy.
Blueberry and vanilla might sound like a recipe for dessert, but a hit of lemon and woody notes keeps Poets of Berlin from veering too heady. Oh, and it was inspired by David Bowie, so naturally, it has a little edge.
Come Closer
Skin scents are those no-brainer, everyday perfumes you can't go wrong with. They're intimate, personal, and a little sexy without trying too hard.
The name pretty much sums it up: I don't know what makes this warm, inviting scent so good, but I'm not asking questions. Wear it alone or layer it with your favorite perfume to make an already good thing even better.
My ideal Sunday morning involves cuddling up in my luxurious bamboo sheets, especially in the dead of winter. When I'm wearing this on a Wednesday in the middle of the workweek, at least I can pretend, right?
Warm & Bothered
'Tis the season for all things warm, spicy, and woody. Give me all the fragrances that smell like a chilly fall evening, please and thanks.
Zephirine has become a staple in my fragrance wardrobe for its luxe-smelling notes of fig leaves combo’d with leather and saffron. If quiet luxury had a signature scent, I'm convinced this would be it.
This is one of Beauty Writer Ariel Baker's all-time favorites, and I can see why. Greek saffron oil meets a slightly leathery, almost hard-to-pin-down richness.
Not Your Average
If you avoid the classics because everyone else is wearing them, this section is for you. I've been stopped more times than I can count over these two unisex scents.
When Team Beauty first smelled Blue Talisman, we collectively “oohed” and “ahhed”—it was that good. We ended up giving the woody, bergamot-laced scent a Marie Claire Fragrance Award and proceeded to fight over the bottle.
This might be the sexiest take on a boozy fragrance I've ever smelled. Tobacco, vanilla, rum, and cinnamon sound like a lot on paper, but somehow the result is so sensual.
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