A Word (or Ten) About Me
posted Wednesday, 24 January 2007
I have loved fragrance ever since I was a kid--Mom always said I had a "good sniffer." After decades of wearing passable commercial perfumes, I've decided to delve more deeply into the world of scent. I want to experience it and learn about it and can no longer be content with wearing the same three fragrances day after day.
Testing them all all may well take the rest of my life--there are more fragrances available than I considered possible. I thought Sephora and Nordstrom had good selections, but that was before I discovered the world of niche perfumes and e-tailers like Luckyscent, Beauty Habit, and La Creme Beauty, not to mention all the folks who sell samples and decants from their own collection, and lovely people like my Fragrance Fairy Godmother (FFG from here on out) who are more than generous in their willingness to spread the good perfumed word.
Has all of my research made me into a scent snob? No! Although there have always been things that I will not wear under any circumstances (body sprays from the Dollar Store, for example), I will still wear what I like when I like it. Whereas lots of folks who label themselves Perfumistas will turn their noses at Aquolina Pink Sugar, I like it, own it, and wear it. My husband likes it on me as well. And if I do not like it, I'm not going to wear it! I've had people tell me that they try a fragrance they don't like at first over and over (what might be called a challenging scent) so they can develop an intellectual understanding and appreciation for the composition. Basically, they force themselves like a fragrance because they think they should, or because other people like it, or because it's classic, around forever and people still buy it so it must be good. What a load! For me, the enjoyment of perfume is visceral. Do I like the way it smells? Do I want to continue to have this scent on my body for an extended period of time? If the answer to either of those questions is "no," then I put that scent in the reject pile and don't revisit it. If you like it, fine, you can have it.
Yeah, I have opinions. Hope you enjoy my blog anyway. :)
Testing them all all may well take the rest of my life--there are more fragrances available than I considered possible. I thought Sephora and Nordstrom had good selections, but that was before I discovered the world of niche perfumes and e-tailers like Luckyscent, Beauty Habit, and La Creme Beauty, not to mention all the folks who sell samples and decants from their own collection, and lovely people like my Fragrance Fairy Godmother (FFG from here on out) who are more than generous in their willingness to spread the good perfumed word.
Has all of my research made me into a scent snob? No! Although there have always been things that I will not wear under any circumstances (body sprays from the Dollar Store, for example), I will still wear what I like when I like it. Whereas lots of folks who label themselves Perfumistas will turn their noses at Aquolina Pink Sugar, I like it, own it, and wear it. My husband likes it on me as well. And if I do not like it, I'm not going to wear it! I've had people tell me that they try a fragrance they don't like at first over and over (what might be called a challenging scent) so they can develop an intellectual understanding and appreciation for the composition. Basically, they force themselves like a fragrance because they think they should, or because other people like it, or because it's classic, around forever and people still buy it so it must be good. What a load! For me, the enjoyment of perfume is visceral. Do I like the way it smells? Do I want to continue to have this scent on my body for an extended period of time? If the answer to either of those questions is "no," then I put that scent in the reject pile and don't revisit it. If you like it, fine, you can have it.
Yeah, I have opinions. Hope you enjoy my blog anyway. :)
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