Everything Girl

We often talk about the crisp essence of fall, or the soft perfume of a summer night. Just as the seasons have their own flavors and tones, so, too, do the perfumes we use to enhance our own personal scents. Are you getting the most out of yours? Here are six tricks which have helped me appreciate not only what I’m smelling, but how I think about it. I’m sharing them with you in hopes that you’ll find a little bit of magic the next time you spritz, slather, or dab a bit of perfume on your skin.

1. Sniff first with your mouth closed, then with your mouth open..
   Opening your mouth when you take the first whiff of a new scent is very much like boosting the bass on your music player. Wow! There is a whole world down there that you only get to through those oral olfactory pathways. Giving your target scent an open-mouthed “huff” can tell you a lot about where your interests lie.
2. Examine the exhale.
   Yes, we all think of the inhale, but the exhale has a point, too. As with opening your mouth, this is an area where you will find richness you didn’t previously experience, so savor this part. Sometimes you will also find an unexpected sensation when you exhale. Some of the most common are heat, coolness, or bitterness.
3. Smell things outdoors as well as indoors.
   The scent you get outside is often different from what you smelled in the closed, air conditioned environment of your home or office. Sometimes the scent isn’t as nice as you remembered, and sometimes it is better by far. Time of year counts also: some things just smell better in autumn, or spring.
4. Educate yourself, but don’t get educated by someone else.
   Experience as much scent as you can. Find out about the stuff that some folks consider unpleasant as well as the pleasant stuff. Take it all as being a “professional smeller” and be honest about what you like.Do you like all that childish foodie perfume out there? That’s fine. It’s your prerogative and no one can take it away from you. Revel in what you love, and eschew the things to which you are indifferent. The more you know, the more you will learn to love, when it comes to scent. This is why so many people begin with a modest collection of perfumes that quickly mushrooms. They get it, they learn and understand, and they find more things out there which thrill them – and this is the point: to find as much as possible in the world that makes you happy.On the other hand, there is a veritable army of people out there who want to tell you that you are wrong, bad, or stupid because of your perfume preferences. For a fee, they will tell you how you can improve yourself and be considered one of Those In The Know.Do not let this happen! Keep your appreciation of perfume without allowing to let others’ opinions rip you away from what you like. After all, the sense of smell is the most intimate, and should never be sullied by other people’s trenchant views. If you like treacle, go for it; if you only like the most sophisticated potions, go for that. Scent is one area where you absolutely must be allowed to enjoy what you love without any one-upmanship, false sophistication, or any “nannies” telling you what you should and should not like.
5. Take your time.
   You will be astounded at how you feel about a scent after you are away from it for a while. This, again, is for good and ill. Amazingly enough, our scent memories and the intervening thoughts have a tremendous impact on how we perceive a smell years from now or even days from now.
6. Your emotions will color your perception of a scent.
   I loathed Rochas’ Byzance. It wasn’t me at all. It is too heavy and much too musky. I had smelled it before and rejected its earthbound character as utterly charmless. Then my husband gave me a big bottle of that perfume for Yuletide one year, with the corresponding mass of body lotion. He was grinning from ear to ear and I was outwardly thrilled and inwardly I was thinking, “Oh, I really don’t want to smell like Sunday morning in the cat house.” When I put it on, however, the good feelings generated from his gift worked wonders. I found the really pretty parts of the scent buried under the dank murk and to this day I will always have a soft spot for it all.On the other hand, if you get a bad association with a scent, that’s it. So the bubble bursts and you are left with spent bubble skin. Phfftt. Fights with whoever gave it to you, unpleasant things said about it by your friends (and enemies), nose fatigue (you wear it too often and you stop smelling it) – all these things will ruin a scent for you faster than storing it above a radiator. So, if you value your perfumes, keep an upbeat mind and rotate through your collection.

Perfume is like a love affair. Actually, it’s like a series of love affairs when you are young and expected to experiment, except that you are allowed – even encouraged – to be fickle in the realm of scent for your entire life. This is where you can sample and enjoy, fall deeply in love (while cheating on the side), have a love for special occasions and not feel guilty. So, love a little here, keep fiercely independent in your taste, and enjoy being the true queen of your tiny kingdom. Scent is one of the nicest gifts we ever got from Mother Nature.

Fabienne Christenson is the perfumer who owns Possets Perfumes, and designs the scents sold under that name. She always dreamed of being able to mix and sell her own scents in her own way, and she believes there is a time and place for just about any perfume. Vist her website at Possets.com, and watch for our interview with her – and a very special giveaway opportunity – in the October update of All Things Girl.

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