Of smells, senses and smelly thoughts…

I credit my mom for making me want to explore the perfume world beyond the IKEA and Carrefour counters. She is a fragrance junkie, and naturally, I became enamored with perfume. I have collected perfumes since I was a teen and probably have well over 400 different ones–from vintage to modern day.

Whenever I mention to a new acquaintance that I’m obsessed with fragrance and we plunge into a discussion of perfume, most people remark that they never thought that scents could be so fascinating. We take our nose for granted. But without the sense of smell, our food tastes bland, our libido suffers, our world loses color and even our memories become so much poorer. Perfume is such a great adventure. It cheers me up when I feel down. It makes me feel elegant. It indulges my fantasies and wanderlust. Exploring scents for their rich history and fascinating craftsmanship gives me as much satisfaction as art and music, and it is just as rewarding.

I see fragrance as a source of personal pleasure. One can collect an entire wardrobe of fragrances, which seemed outrageously excessive, until I realized that it made perfect sense to have one perfume for each season. In a few years I had amassed a large collection of fragrances, along with an increasingly detailed taxonomy for each based on the occasion, weather, or mood it suited. You could see this as a serious shopping problem, but it was also something else: a growing sensitivity to the nuances of scents and how they speak to me, which in turn gave me a better awareness of my own moods, personalities, and whims. I became aware of how a perfume fit a social occasion or set a tone.

Here are some of the more specific “occasions” I’ve paired with perfumes — or in some cases, only became aware of when I had a perfume to match them:

· Date nights (In)

· Date nights (Out)

· Work

· Rainy weekend

· Vacation

· NSFW

· Writing/working alone

· Working with colleagues

· When I go out

· Reading

· For sleeping

· For airplane travel

· When I have deadlines and need to focus

· Poolside

· Boys’ night out

· Business meeting

· De-stressing

· Off-roading

· Cleaning

· My hot date scent

· My calm, Zen scent

· My cozy scent

I now have an extensive wardrobe of scents, and match them for occasions, moods, weather etc. – I never know from one day to the next what I will be wearing and that wardrobe is bulging! Sometimes, fragrance will just pop into my head and that’s the one I will wear. Other times I match my mood with my daily scent.

Applying perfume just before going to sleep is my favorite way to choose. There are no limits then, no concern about fumeophobes or what is appropriate. I like the idea of bedtime as an “anything goes” time! Bedtime is when I test those fragrances I’d feel out of place wearing in public. I find it classy but also intimate.

When I was in hospital, I used to wear perfumes that were very comforting and calming. Maybe it would be good to have some decants for really special (problematic) occasions like going to the dentist, hospital, tax accountant, mother-in-law (joke) etc.

I’m terribly specific about perfumes for certain occasions. It’s interesting how location and culture affects what perfumes fit. I do tend to adapt fragrances when traveling, especially city versus rural locations.

Fragrance is a personal statement. A long-time signature. What’s yours?