"subtle smell" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe a faint or not very strong smell. For example, "The subtle smell of the gardenias filled the room."
£35, Clinique, clinique.co.uk Rose for Reines Solid Perfume This alcohol-free solid perfume is ideal for topping up your scent throughout the day with the subtle smell of rose.
* 4. Basetball court covered in tiny white blossoms: a subtle smell like fresh linen (could be black locust). 5. Elegant lobster pie (East 45th Street): did not try it.
Even today, the subtle smell of sulfur dioxide gas pervades the island, and a landscape dotted by trees killed by the gas and lava flows are reminders that, with eruptions occurring every 20 years, islanders can expect to experience several major volcanic events in their lifetimes.
I used to wander around campus in awe of its beauty, especially Sage Chapel, the subtle smell of incense luring me in like Sunday mass at Cristo Rey.
They simply hate the subtle smell of the cloves You will be amazed to see how all of a sudden all the flies disappear in a short time.
They simply hate the subtle smell of the cloves and will never come again to "share your meal" as long as you have this ornamental clove apple on the table.
Now, the move is towards more natural, subtle smells - like scented candles.
It may have happened gradually, a slow procession tiptoeing from my senses: first, the subtlest smells; last, the most obvious ones, starting (say) with the woody fragrance of pencil shavings and ending with the reek of farmyard slurry.
You'll awaken receptors and be able to pick up on subtler smells after awhile.
Lying there today, they were aware of the subtle smoke smell, as well as of something fouler — a whiff of excrement.
The smell alone is worth the trip downstairs for the true book aficionado: the subtle scent of yellowing paper complemented by the sweet reek of sawdust -- it's where all those bookshelves are built.
