Perfume and Your Future

“A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.”
― Coco Chanel

Thank goodness I have a future, because I love perfume! If I don’t have some sort of scent on my skin as I run out the door to begin the day, I feel undresssed. What do you think of the quote above from the illustrious Coco Chanel, the designer behind Chanel No. 5, the most famous perfume on the planet? Was she being a little overly dramatic? Or perhaps she was the Perfume Propaganda Prophet of Paris? Being that Valentine’s Day is around the corner, I thought today I’d delve into the romantic and ultra mysterious world of scent. Interestingly enough, the more I read and delved into this topic, the more I realized that one lone blogger could barely scratch the surface of this illustrious topic.

I’m especially excited, too, because in today’s blog I also share the opinions and experiences of a few friends as to their favorite fragrances and fragrance memories. I loved their answers to my questions so much!

Well, why even wear perfume? To increase sensuality, express a romantic sensibility, show an appreciation for the artistic, complex merits of scent? According to Emile Autumn in The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls, “Perfume was first created to mask the stench of foul and offensive odors…” Ouch! Emile certainly took a pragmatic approach to say the least.

Nowadays, most women (and men) simply like the feeling of knowing they are adding to a heightened sensual enjoyment of their day. For some, it is part of their style, or fashion statement. They might even have a signature scent. For others, fragrance, like oils in particular, can be therapeutic. Eucalyptus oil, for instance, has a soothing quality to it and calms me down when I use it in my diffuser at bedtime. Many years ago, when I was going through a depression, my therapist gave me an assignment: I was to go to a perfume counter and have fun trying out different scents! I had been sad and numb, and he wanted me to begin “waking up” my senses again. Boy, did I relish that assignment!

Because scent is invisible, it has a mysterious quality that stirs the imagination and accesses our deepest memories. Have you ever smelled something that instantly brought you back to another time? For me, when I smell freshly cut grass, I always think of my mom. Along with peonies, grass was one of her favorite scents. Paradoxically, my mom, who loved exquisite clothes, jewelry and shoes, had very sensitive skin and was allergic to perfume. So there wasn’t much of it around when I was kid. As I got older, however, she would give me the perfume samples she accumulated at cosmetic counters (she only wore red lipstick and Clinique face powder). I loved those little vials of perfume with evocative names like Chloe and Obsession!

Just for fun, here is a link to some famous Perfume ads, too. Those ads definitely lent a sexy, come hither vibe to fragrance.

https://divainparfums.com/blogs/blog/perfume-ads

According to Scent Company, Olfactory Branding, “The olfactory system passes smells from olfactory neurons in the upper nose along the olfactory nerve to the olfactory bulb in the brain. The olfactory bulb then passes these signals from the olfactory nerve to the limbic system. The limbic system is one of the oldest parts of the human brain…and the sense of smell is linked to memory and evokes emotional reactions more than any of our senses.”

You betcha! I know that is a scientific mouthful, or noseful, (FYI, I just made up that word) of information but you get the gist: the nose processes scents using one of the oldest parts of the human brain. Our sense of smell is more connected to our emotions than touch, sound, sight or taste.

Scientific mumbo jumbo aside, I knew this blog wouldn’t be complete, or nearly as much fun to write, without hearing from a few of my friends! They were such good sports to let me pry into their secret perfume preferences.

Barb’s first perfume memory was going to the department store with her Grandma. Barb says, “She ALWAYS sprayed herself and ME with a generous amount of perfume as we walked past the perfume counter!! The sprays were unsolicited on my part!!!” Don’t you just love the boldness of her Grandma? Barb’s favorite perfume memory is going with me and my daughter to Sephora and sampling lots of different perfumes. I would definitely concur with that! We came out smelling like a million different things, lol. Barb’s current fav is CANDY by Prada. She says, “it’s a slightly stronger one with a little sweetness to it. Plus, who doesn’t like candy!!???” Barb is so right about that! I love the candy! She adds, “Other smells that I like are citrus, coffee (but I don’t drink it!!), baby lotion and freesia and jasmine flowers!” I definitely need to get Barb on the coffee wagon. My favorite smell and drink ever in the universe.

My friend Joy can tell the notes of a perfume like a wine connoisseur knows varietals. She says, “It is just too hard to choose my favorite perfume!  There are several that I have on rotation, depending on my mood.  I wear perfume almost every day, even if I’ll be home all day.” I think that is so glamourous! She goes on,  “I love Chanel Mademoiselle on days when I feel like dressing up.  I wear Stella by Stella McCartney (which is sadly discontinued!!) when I don’t know what else to choose. I like Aerin Mediterranean Honeysuckle in the summer months, and Aqua Universalis by Maison Francis Kurkdjian if I am in the mood for something fresh and clean.  I usually choose Gucci Bloom for dates with my husband because he really likes a white floral scent on me.”

Joy and I both wore Lauren, by Ralph Lauren, back in the day. Joy still has that bottle for the memory. I wish I had mine. Like Barb, Joy’s first perfume memory is connected to her Grandmother. She smelled Chanel No. 5 and Nina Ricci at Grandma’s house. She adds,  “I remember being so enchanted by the mirrored tray with all of her perfumes displayed on it on her dresser.  She let me spray some on and I felt so fancy!” Joy’s favorite non perfume scents are:  the scent of a leather car interior, gasoline, and the fresh clean smell of a just-bathed baby.

Yes, you read that right, GASOLINE! I thought I was the only one who loved that smell. I need to go fill up the old tank right away.

My friend Cyndy, has a very romantic attachment to Chanel No. 5, the only perfume she wears. She received a bottle from her first boyfriend at the impressionable age of 15 and has been wearing it ever since. She is in her 70s now. OMG! When she told me that I almost rolled over and squealed with delight. It doesn’t get any more romantic than that. Drop mic. Walk off.

But wait! Cyndy has tried other perfumes, but they don’t compare. “I tried Chance,” Cyndy says, “but it’s not the same. Not as sweet.” Cyndy’s mother wore Shalimar — one of my favorites from the samples my mother gave me. “I never wore it [Shalimar], but I loved the smell!” For her favorite non-perfume scents, she loves gardenia (yum!), roses (yes!), tobacco (the pipe tobacco, cherry flavored, before it’s smoked) and horse hair. Cyndy and I share a common awe for race horses, so this one did not surprise me. The smell of a corral or stable, though unsavory to some, is an earthy, heavenly scent to a horse aficionado. Cyndy adds that as much as she loves roses, she is not a fan of rose perfume, as “it doesn’t come across the same.” There are some things even scientists and perfumiers cannot replicate.

The story of Chanel No. 5 is fascinating in and of itself. If you are interested in how this incredible fragrance was born, please check out this link below. It has something to do with Coco Chanel taking a “holiday on the Cote d’Azur with her lover the Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovich.” Say no more.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-13565155

I am a bit adventurous when it comes to scent, and will try different things now and then. My current “go-to” is Maison Margiela’s Replica Beach Walk. It is light and unobtrusive — perfect for the closed quarters (aka classroom) where I work. For evenings, I might go a little heavier with Michael Kors’ namesake perfume. On my wedding day I wore two (gasp!) colognes mixed together — Jo Malone’s English Pear & Freesia along with her Orange Blossom. Jo Malone’s Orange Blossom candle is to die for. Legend has it that Kate Middleton had Orange Blossom candles burning during her Westminster Abbey wedding to Prince William. Now that’s what I’m talking about!

At Hanukkah/Christmas I asked my daughter-in-law what scent my 30 year-old son might like for a gift. She mentioned that he was a fan of Diptyque’s L’eau du Trente-Quatre. I had never heard of it so I looked it up. Here is a description from their website: “Let us imagine the boutique at 34 boulevard Saint-Germain in the springtime. The air is cool, the sun is shining through the door and windows and hitting the bottles, candles and other perfumed objects. All the scents become lighter and more lively. The air fills with the fragrances we discover: fresh spices, blond and luminous wood, and green, acidulated notes. All these scents come together in L’Eau du Trente-Quatre, in the style of a springtime olfactory mood that is only waiting to venture out of its bottle.” Way to go, son! Needless to say, I bought him a bottle.

Have a fabulous Valentine’s Day next week!

I am hoping your future is filled with lovely scents that Coco Chanel would be proud of. I am taking the week off from blogging as I will be in the passionate throes of “Love Week” as my husband and I call it. Of course, it’s Valentine’s Day, then his birthday and to top it off, our Anniversary. I will be wearing perfume, eating chocolate(s) and counting my blessings.

MANY, MANY THANK YOUS TO MY BEAUTIFUL FRIENDS BARB, JOY AND CYNDY!!! XOXO

“A woman’s perfume tells more about her than her handwriting. ”…or her blog.
― Christian Dior