The Best Cheap Perfumes For Women

While selecting perfume is an exciting process for a woman, finding the best affordable one is a fun adventure. The wearing of a favorite scent is as important and signatory of her style as her shade of lipstick or style of dress.

With the thousands of scent options available, choosing a cost-friendly model can seem challenging. If you are new to wearing a fragrance, how do you know you are selecting the best fragrances to complement your aesthetic that is also appealing to others?

Brands of fragrances, such as Chanel and Victoria’s Secret, are collections. They are meant to have a familiar feel about them so that they make a lasting impression.

The following are four fragrance examples that we have found to be affordable, but not cheap in quality, that cover the ranges of scents that might be what you are looking for:   

The Best Cheap Perfumes For Women Reviews

Brand
Our Top Recommendation
Vera Wang Embrace
Clinique Happy Heart
Elizabeth Taylor White Tea
Product
Vera Wang Embrace Eau de Toilette Spray for Women,...
Happy Heart By Clinique For Women. Parfum Spray...
White Tea by Elizabeth Arden, Women's Perfume, Eau...
Size
1 fl oz
3.4 fl oz
1.7 fl oz
Perfume Notes
rose and mandarin orange
mandarin orange, cassia, cucumber, primula, carrot, water hyacinth, sandalwood, and white woods notes
white tea, mate, and iris
Rating
Our Top Recommendation
Brand
Vera Wang Embrace
Product
Vera Wang Embrace Eau de Toilette Spray for Women,...
Size
1 fl oz
Perfume Notes
rose and mandarin orange
Rating
Brand
Clinique Happy Heart
Product
Happy Heart By Clinique For Women. Parfum Spray...
Size
3.4 fl oz
Perfume Notes
mandarin orange, cassia, cucumber, primula, carrot, water hyacinth, sandalwood, and white woods notes
Rating
Brand
Elizabeth Taylor White Tea
Product
White Tea by Elizabeth Arden, Women's Perfume, Eau...
Size
1.7 fl oz
Perfume Notes
white tea, mate, and iris
Rating

Vera Wang Embrace

Our Top Recommendation

Sale
Vera Wang Embrace Eau de Toilette Spray for Women,...
  • MODERN, SOPHISTICATED, CONFIDENT: Vera Wang Embrace Eau de Toilette Green Tea & Pear Blossom is the...
  • PEAR BLOSSOM & GREEN TEA: Splash on this eau de toilette from Vera Wang after your morning shower...
  • MODERN & SOPHISTICATED: Spray a fine mist of Vera Wang Embrace Body Mist after showering, dressing,...
  • A TIMELESS GIFT: Vera Wang women's fragrances truly embrace fantasies & passion. Intimate,...

​If you want to save yourself a bunch of reading and see our final vote, Vera Wang Embrace wins as the top choice for the best cheap perfumes for ladies.

Known for quality, elegance and an insanely affordable price, Vera Wang blends crisp green tea with fruity, floral, pear blossom to create a refreshing, floral scent. The Vera Wang Embrace Eau de Toilette draws inspiration from modern emotions and intimacy. 

This floral fragrance leaves a balsamic, citrusy trail from the top notes of rose and mandarin orange, up to the dry down of iris, musk, vanilla, and sandalwood. A hint of magnolia and cyclamen creates a citrus-honey scent that makes you think of lemon-based drinks. 

Versace Crystal Noir

VERSACE Crystal Noir Eau De Parfum Spray for...
  • New and sealed
  • Perfect for anytime
  • This item is not a tester
  • The package dimension of the product is 4"L x 5"W x 6"H

The Versace Crystal Noir is a timeless and sexy classic that boasts confidence and passion. It has top notes of black current, black fig, and violet for a fruit forward feel. 

Its middle notes of tuberose and jasmine build a feminine sensuality. As the day comes to an end, the Versace Crystal Noir finishes with delicious sandalwood and vanilla for a very sensual and mysterious twist.   

Hot Couture Eau de Parfum

Sale
Givenchy Hot Couture For Women. Eau De Parfum...
  • This item is not a Tester
  • Packaging may vary
  • Beauty and personal care product
  • Packaging for this product may vary from that shown in the image above

A favorite of the fragrances collection Givenchy for nearly two decades, the Hot Couture Eau de Parfum consists of notes of spices and aromatic woods. This parfum has a fresh and sensuous aroma with light undertones of musk. 

An amazingly fresh yet sharp opening comes from the dominant entrance of raspberry, orange, pepper, and bergamot. With transitions from raspberry nectar to magnolia to amber vetiver, the sensuality and femininity make it perfect for a romantic night out.

Clinique Happy Heart

Sale
Happy Heart By Clinique For Women. Parfum Spray...
  • Launched by the design house of Clinique
  • Increase attraction
  • This is woody fragrance
  • A blend of mandarin orange, cassia, cucumber, primula, carrot, water hyacinth, sandalwood, and white...

The Clinique Happy Heart is a cheerful and lovely treasure for the first-time buyer. Despite its affordable price, this fragrance features notes of cassia, mandarin orange, and cucumber for a fresh and fruity fragrance for women of all ages. 

The unique addition of water hyacinth, carrot, white woods, and sandalwood results in a refreshing dry down. The Clinique Happy Heart is one of the most pleasing fragrances to wear after a shower, as the watery tones enhance the cooling sensation.  

Elizabeth Taylor White Tea 

White Tea by Elizabeth Arden, Women's Perfume, Eau...
  • Delightful and indulgent, this musky-woody floral preludes with crisp, sparkling Italian Mandarin...
  • Its blisfull, Zen-like heart of White Tea Extract and Mate Absolute Paraguay steeps in graceful...
  • Lingering Madras Wood, Ambrette Seed Absolute Trio of Tranquility Musks lead to a harmonious finale.

Inspired by the simplicity and purity of sipping a cup of white tea, the Elizabeth Taylor White Tea is a classic from this beauty brand. This aroma evokes a blissful and solace experience as you whiff fruity notes of mandarin orange, sage, and fern. 

It continues with a rejuvenating touch from white tea, mate, and iris, then transitions to a sweet floral facet of orange blossom, jasmine, and rose. This is also one of the fruity-woody fragrances that use amber, tonka bean, and exotic woods for a long-lasting dry down. 

Avon Far Away

Sale
Avon Far Away Eau de Parfum Spray for Women, 1.7...
  • Avon LIMITED-EDITION Far Away Gold Eau de Parfum Spray

One of the most valuable products from Avon is this classic beauty from 1994. Even for its affordable price, the Avon Far Away contains potent floral notes of ylang-ylang, rose, jasmine, and gardenia. 

Peach, coconut, and vanilla bring a sweet twist for the dry down. Each spray feels like spending time on an exotic tropical vacation. 

Gloria Vanderbilt

Women's Perfume Vanderbilt Vanderbilt EDT
  • Material: 100% high-quality high temperature fiber natural wave wig powerful double weft, no...
  • Material: 100% high-quality high temperature fiber natural wave wig powerful double weft, no...
  • Material: 100% high-quality high temperature fiber natural wave wig powerful double weft, no...
  • Material: 100% high-quality high temperature fiber natural wave wig powerful double weft, no...

The Gloria Vanderbilt is another heavenly fragrance that smells more expensive than the price suggests. Woody and powdery fragrances like this one opens with a light and casual mist of aldehydes, green notes, neroli, pineapple, and bergamot. 

It continues with a spicy and oriental profile consisting of cinnamon, musk, sandalwood, vanilla, and civet. The Gloria Vanderbilt also includes some sweetness with the addition of rose, ylang-ylang, jasmine, and orange blossom.   

4711 Original

Muelhens 4711 Cologne for Unisex, 13.5 Fluid Ounce
  • Muelhens 4711 Cologne for Unisex, 13.5 Fluid Ounce
  • This is high quality product
  • A classic designer fragrance for men
  • Perfect for gift giving on any occasion, all year round

Another classic from Maurer & Wirtz, the 4711 Original sends a delightful blast of citrus notes containing orange, lemon, and bergamot. It mixes Bulgarian rose, jasmine, lily, cyclamen, and melon for a floral and citrus vibe. 

The dry down makes you think of citronella compounds, adding a grassy aroma on the skin. At an affordable price, you can douse in this spicy yet cooling fragrance. 

What Are the Benefits of Wearing Affordable Options?

While choosing more affordable alternatives provides many benefits, smelling great remains the primary motivation. Since we’re talking about our strongest sense here, fragrance acts as a mood enhancer, lifting your spirits and reflecting your personality.

The right scent will also make you more attractive to others as perfumes are saturated with pheromones, act as an aphrodisiac because of the pheromones or even trigger pleasant memories in your brain.

In a similar way, perfumes can act as a form of aromatherapy, assisting in alleviating many problems like insomnia. If a scent contains essential oils, it can even help to alleviate a headache.

Since your aroma reflects your mood, it is fun to play with several options. Keep that in mind as you browse and sample.

How To Select the Most Affordable Option

What is most important, when selecting affordable scents or fragrances that you love, is that you enjoy how a fragrance enhances you. What environments and fragrances are you attracted to? As you explore your fragrances options, use this as a guide to direct your sampling.

Choosing one is easy but important to follow. It is helpful, when first starting out, to test if the cologne complements your natural body odor over the course of a day and responds well to your skin.

Spray or dab the fragrance on your pulse point, such as your wrist or elbow, so that as the aroma warms up, it comes alive. Do not rub the fragrance as it breaks down the aroma quicker, not allowing it to flourish.

In between testing perfumes, refresh your palate by smelling coffee beans or tea leaves. If you are in a store, avoid using test papers as it does not give the range of scents you will experience on your own skin.

When it is time to purchase a fragrance, buy smaller bottles of multiple fragrances so you can continue to narrow in on what you love; your preferences may change. Bottle size is usually between 1 oz. to 3.4 oz. but larger sizes may be available as well.

The Four Ranges Of Aroma

Perfumes contains a higher concentration of essential oils. There are four ranges of aroma to choose from in women’s fragrance, and may come off stronger than in a cologne:

  • floral;
  • oriental;
  • woody;
  • and fresh.

Perfumes feel different on each person because of chemistry, diet, and hormone levels. As you test perfumes, notice that each has lighter to bolder notes within their range that shine through depending on the length of wear and time of day or evening. 

Play with the different ranges of notes to see which is most pleasing to you. A note of caution: you do not want to choose a cheap one that is too overpowering. As the saying goes, any fragrance you choose should be discovered, not announced.

What To Notice When Buying Cheap Options

Fragrances have a three-part cycle of strength and smell.

The lightest notes of any scents are detectable when you first apply any of the aromas you choose. These are normally the most aromatic or citrus in odor.

You can find the main elements of any model you choose during two to five hours after application. This is considered the heart of most aromas. During this time you will find the aroma’s most floral, spicy, or green elements will be detected.

As the day comes to an end, you will find that the boldest, longest-lasting notes will arise to finish the cycle. The woody or smoky tones will appear to surprise you.

Conclusion

Playing with your aromas is one of life’s joys! Selecting the best affordable perfumes for ladies is magical and memorable. Have fun with it! And remember, just because the price is inexpensive, it does not mean that the aroma is cheap.