A Scentsitive Subject

A woman’s perfume tells more about her than her handwriting.

~Christian Dior

Have you ever stepped into a crowded elevator and suddenly been assaulted by someone’s cologne, aftershave or perfume? Have you ever hugged someone who has been a bit over zealous with their scent application? I’ve done that several times only to step away and find their unwanted scent clinging to my clothes. For sure one of my pet peeves involves those who wear too much perfume and leave an aromatic wake wherever they go.

I try to be careful and sure hope I haven’t offended anyone else who might be as scensitive as I am. I prefer light colognes over heavy perfumes any day and love a fresh, clean scent more than anything. Perhaps I should recount my personal history with scent to set the record straight.

I love the fresh scent of Johnson’s Baby Powder. Moms in the 1950’s used this after each diaper change but now the use of baby talcum is a no no. Oh, it’s okay for adults, but not for babies. I don’t think my 11 month old grandbaby has ever had her behind powdered. But I’d like to thank my mother for using it on me because I still love it. Let’s call that my first introduction to smelling good.

Other first memories of scent include bath soaps such as Ivory, Cameo, Sweetheart and Dove. My mother was a talcum powder user herself and always kept powder and a puff on hand to use after she bathed. I don’t recall the name of the scent, but it was light and flowery. When I was a youngster she also sold Avon products for a while and had lots of samples of cologne and perfume which were always fun to try out. One of my grandmothers, Mom Mom, used Evening in Paris perfume and I was always fascinated with the little cobalt blue vial it came in. One time she even gave me an empty bottle and that was a treasure to a young girl like me

When I was a freshman in high school a couple of kids in my study hall used to primp instead of study. They always intrigued me when they produced their bottles of Canoe or English Leather and gave each other a spritz. Since these two were the “popular” kids it seemed appropriate that they use two of the popular colognes at the time.

When I was a teenager someone gave me a bottle of Chanel No. 5 perfume for a gift. I tried to like it but it just wasn’t for me. The lovely bottle looked nice sitting on my dresser scarf, but I’m sure I finally threw it out. Another gift was a bottle a spray cologne bottle of Estee Lauder. That was nice, tolerable, but a bit strong so a little dab went a long way. I used that off and on for a few years. When I was in college a roommate introduced me to the light fresh scent of Love’s Lemon cologne. I used a couple bottles of that before I came to the conclusion that I didn’t like smelling like lemons. I’m still not fond of fruity or spicey colognes. I don’t want to smell like vanilla either.

At some point I stumbled upon a cologne made by Coty called Musk. There are many variations of musk available, but the one by Coty is the best for me and my own body chemistry. That one has remained a favorite for a long time and I have used several bottles of that. I try to buy it when the Christmas gift sets go on sale at the end of the season, even though the regular retail price is not very expensive.

Another favorite I like to use especially in the winter months is the signature perfume from Tiffany’s. In 1992 I first set foot in a Tiffany’s store in New York City and came away with a sample fragrance card of that scent. For Christmas that year my husband gifted me the first of several bottles. Today I’m longing for fall and cooler weather so I can bring out my Tiffany’s. It does cost many cents, but my sensational husband knows it makes a scentsational gift for his scensitive wife!