"You stink pretty."
That's something my Grandpa would say to me when I had used perfume. Seeing as how I was pretty young, I'm sure I had no concept of judicious perfume use and probably did stink and not at all prettily. But that is a real Grandpa kind of thing to say, isn't it?
My mom used to buy perfumes and make-up from Avon. They sold their products through door-to-door sales and I have childhood memories of the Avon lady making her routine visits with the new catalog and samples. To this day I love getting samples and it was super fun as a kid to get a tiny lipstick or tiny vial of scent.
In my preteen days, I really liked Roses, Roses (1972). It allegedly has other notes but I remember this as having a pretty strong, single note and that was rose. I remember this as a pretty powerful scent, as if a bouquet of lush roses dragged you in a back alley and had their way with you.
My mom used to buy me Sweet Honesty (1973). I can't remember it as viscerally as I do the Roses, Roses but it had a lighter, sweet, powdery scent. Probably much more appropriate for a young girl!
She also bought me Cotillion (1934). She probably got that one not for the scent but because it came in a Siamese cat bottle, which I still have after all these years! Poor guy, he's looking a little rough and somewhat piratical with the one eye but he's over 40 years old and has made several interstate and international moves! There's still perfume inside and I would describe the scent as "old ladies." In a good way! Kind of powdery and floral.
In my teen years, I started getting my perfumes from the drugstore. I was still a fan of floral scents (descriptions from Fragrantica):
- Windsong (1953) - Top notes are Coriander, Tarragon, Neroli, Orange Leaf, Bergamot, Mandarin Orange and Lemon; middle notes are Carnation, Cloves, Ylang-Ylang, Rose, Brazilian Rosewood, Orris Root and Jasmine; base notes are Sandalwood, Vetiver, Cedar, Musk, Benzoin and Amber.
- Chantilly (1941) - Top notes are Lemon, Neroli, Bergamot and Fruity Notes; middle notes are Spices, Carnation, Ylang-Ylang, Orange Blossom, Rose and Jasmine; base notes are Sandalwood, Vanilla, Benzoin, Oakmoss, Tonka Bean and Musk.
- Jean Nate (1935) - Top notes are Lemon, Bergamot and Lavender; middle notes are Geranium, Spicy Notes, Rose, Lily-of-the-Valley and Jasmine; base notes are Musk, Sandalwood, Virginia Cedar and Tonka Bean.
- Love's Baby Soft (1974) - Top notes are Lemon Leaf and Orange; middle notes are Rose, Lily of the Valley and Jasmine; base notes are Powdery Notes, Musk, Sandalwood and Vanilla.
I think it's interesting that so many of the scents I liked are ones that were around decades before I was born!
As I got into my older teens and young adulthood, I started liking scents that were actually made in that decade (mostly) but they were still floral:
- Vanderbilt (1982) - Top notes are Aldehydes, Orange Blossom, Pineapple, Lavender, Bergamot and Green Notes; middle notes are Carnation, Tuberose, Ylang-Ylang, Orris Root, Jasmine and Rose; base notes are Vanilla, Sandalwood, Cinnamon, Opoponax, Musk, Civet and Vetiver.
- Passion by Elizabeth Taylor (1988) - Top notes are Aldehydes, Coriander, Gardenia, Artemisia, Ylang-Ylang, Bergamot and Lily-of-the-Valley; middle notes are Spicy Notes, Sandalwood, Honey, Tuberose, Patchouli, Heliotrope, Orris Root, Cedar, Jasmine and Rose; base notes are Incense, Civet, Leather, Oakmoss, Sandalwood, Musk, Cedar, Vanilla and Coconut.
- Red Door by Elizabeth Arden (1989) - Top notes are Rose, Plum, Violet, Orange Blossom, Peach and Anise; middle notes are Carnation, Honey, Rose, Tuberose, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine, Lily, Lily-of-the-Valley, Freesia and Orchid; base notes are Sandalwood, Amber, Benzoin, Musk, Heliotrope, Vetiver and Cedar.
- Magie Noire (1978) - Top notes are Galbanum, Cassis, Cassia, Hiacynth, Bulgarian Rose, Raspberry and Bergamot; middle notes are Honey, Narcissus, Cedar, Orris Root, Ylang-Ylang, Tuberose, Jasmine and Lily-of-the-Valley; base notes are Oakmoss, Spices, Civet, Patchouli, Incense, Myrrh, Amber, Vetiver, Sandalwood and Musk.
- Ivoire de Balmain (1979) - Top notes are Aldehydes, Chamomile, Galbanum, Marigold, Asafoetida, Artemisia, Bergamot, Lemon, Mandarin Orange and Violet; middle notes are Orris Root, Narcissus, Carnation, Nutmeg, Pepper, Turkish Rose, Iris, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine, Lily-of-the-Valley, Neroli, Cinnamon and Raspberry; base notes are Oakmoss, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Incense, Patchouli, Labdanum, Musk, Tonka Bean, Amber and Vanilla.
I gradually started wearing perfume less and less, especially once I started working in the medical field. I also found myself getting sensitive to the smell. I could like something just fine but if I had to keep on smelling it all day, then I started feeling a little bit sick. I didn't totally quit wearing scent, I was just very selective about what and when.
One scent that I really enjoyed that I could stand smelling all day was something a friend gave me for my birthday, Casmir Chopard (1992), which smells deliciously vanilla. If you look at the scent breakdown at Fragrantica you can see it has the powdery notes that a lot of my favorite classic scents have. There are some fruity and floral notes but I just really notice the vanilla.
For a few years now I've been into small batch, artisinal perfumes. I was either reading MetaFilter or Reddit (or both) and got sucked into a rabbit hole of indie perfumes that came in wonderful, multi-layered scents.
There are several makers but Solstice Scents is where I've been buying my scents from. They got me with their sample packs! I've gotten so many samples! Strangely enough, given my previous perfume history, it is NOT the floral scents I'm attracted to. Out of all the many scents I've tried, my absolute favorites are (descriptions from their site):
- Library - Leather Bound Books, A Carved Rosewood Mantle, Dying Fireplace Embers, Wood Wainscoting, Cedar Shelving and Aged Paper.
- Foxcraft Fairgrounds - Cotton Candy, Cream Soda, Vanilla Taffy, Funnel Cakes, Powdered Sugar, Crisp Fall Air, Woodsmoke, Incense.
- Thornwood Thicket - Sugared Blackberries, Amber, Oud, Guaiacwood, Oakmoss.
I could wear and stand smelling any one of those all day long. It looks like I've moved away from enjoying florals to embracing gourmand scents. Well, except for Library, which smells like old books and is an equally delightful scent.
What about you? Do you enjoy wearing perfumes or colognes? What scents do you prefer? Is there any scent that brings back memories? I had an aunt who always wore Emeraude and smelling that brings me back to spending summers in Mississippi with her. And Estee Lauder's Youth-Dew brings me back to first grade because that's what my teacher wore.
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