Oh how I love Frédéric Malle Carnal Flower. There’s nothing quite like its succulent gardenia and tuberose riding a magic carpet of crisp, leafy green. When I spray from my travel vial, I vow I’ll buy a real bottle soon — the big one, too.
But after an hour or so, I start to feel uncomfortable. I smell languid and romantic, bigger than life, like Elizabeth Taylor in A Place in the Sun. The thing is, I’m more like someone from a slapstick comedy. Carnal Flower just doesn’t fit me.
Thinking about it, it’s easy to match a fragrance to a persona. For instance, take aldehydic florals. Who do you see? I see someone elegant, with a profile that could be carved on a cameo. How about a mainstream fruity floral? I picture someone young with blond highlights (maybe that’s too easy). Old school green chypre? Rose oud? Classic cologne? “Concept” fragrances? They all have their types.
Perfume lovers seem to know instinctively that different fragrances go with different styles and moods. For that reason, some people gravitate toward fragrance styles that reflect the kind of person they are, and some choose perfume that matches the person they want to be. You want to be sultry, so you decide orientals are where it’s at and invest in Serge Lutens. Of course, you should wear whatever pleases you, but if you’re a Doris Day type, something fresher and prettier, like Christian Dior Diorissimo or L’Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse aux Papillons might suit you better.
Then there’s the mismatch of fragrance and occasion. I’ve been in a crowded elevator in the morning when above the scent of rain-soaked wool and coffee was Calvin Klein Obsession. The woman wearing it probably wanted to be perceived as sexy, but it just didn’t fit with her office job and casual Friday attire. More than once I’ve scrubbed my wrists of whatever perfume I put on that morning because it just didn’t feel right for the day (I keep an emergency decant of my go-anywhere favorite, DelRae Mythique, in my desk drawer for times like this.)
All that said, it would be a pretty boring life if everyone wore perfume that dovetailed with their appearance or situation. It’s wit and surprise that make life interesting. Sometimes it’s good to be a little uncomfortable, to feel slightly out of character. I may never buy that large bottle of Carnal Flower, but you can bet I'll always have some on hand.
What about you? Are there perfumes that you love but don’t quite seem “you”? Do you wear them anyway?
Your insight is true as far as I am concerned. I look at it in the context of a proper perfume having a structure, which naturally has a personality. For example, the chypres are abstract, beautiful for sure, but not an easy beauty like a fruity floral. Therefore, it follows that a more sophisticated personality with perhaps a non-traditional beauty would wear a chypre. I go back and forth because I love perfume, so its less important to me if it fits. Definitely a consideration though!
I understand your dilemma–I love perfume, too, so I end up wearing perfume that doesn’t suit me well just because I want to smell it.
I like your concept of something not being an “easy beauty,” too but a special taste.
Yes! The original Divine by Divine smells great but completely wears me and feels as odd as wearing some other woman’s clothes. I can never shake the sensation of being some kind of an impostor (or a child playing dress up with her mother’s clothes and jewels) whenever I put it on.
I feel like that with Divine, too! I love smelling my sample, but I’d never get through a bottle of it.
If it helps; I wear Divine par Divine ( and the even more wonderful L’Eternel Féminin) with jeans.
You must have it “going on,” as they say!
Well I don’t know about that. ( I actually had to look up what the phrase meant but I think I have understood).
But I wonder; the Divines are very French, I am not French, but I am a continental European so maybe that helps. ( And a contrarian, I fear.)
Just naturally chic, probably.
Agreed! I’ve worn it with jeans and cashmere and it still feels like a “when I grow up, I want to be you” kind of fragrance.
Also, I just remembered feeling very unsettled when wearing SJP Lovely ( I received a free bottle with a magazine subscription years ago). If Divine is akin to wearing another woman’s clothing then Lovely was like sleeping in another woman’s bed. Alien and disconcerting. But also fascinating that a scent can evoke those emotions.
I had a similar response to Lovely. All the reviews point to it being an easy, soft scent and it was anything but. I felt awkward all day, and wondered what everyone around must have thought of me, so wrong a match were we.
Oh, “like sleeping in another woman’s bed” is a great way to describe that kind of discomfort. I wish I would have thought of it!
Sombreuil, that’s so interesting that you had the same reaction to it! It’s funny, because I can understand why so many reviewers found it an easy scent. It was often compared to Narciso Rodriguez For Her (which I liked and wore at the time) and – rationally – I could see that in many ways it was a tamer, more presentable variation on NR theme but there was something inherently …foreign about it which made it impossible to wear.
Angela, it took me a while to find a way to describe the feeling. I remember reading Luca Turin’s review of YSL Kouros and the light bulb finally going in my head when he talked about – runs off to grab the copy of The Guide- “that faintly repellent clean-dirty feel of other people’s bathrooms, and manages to smell at once scrubbed and promissory of an unmade bed”. THAT’S the kind of I-don’t-think-I’ll ever-truly-claim-this-as-my-own disconnect that some scents seem to conjure up.
It’s a terrific description. I can relate.
I feel the same about other musky scents. I love them for sleeping but not for wearing around…I wore Barbara Bui to a costume shop once and felt very self-conscious about it!
That begs the question, what perfume is best for a costume shop? I’d be tempted to try something “stagey.”
This is an interesting article Angela, it really is! Speaking about fragrances that “just doesn’t fit.” There are many of them if I’m considering myself.
I love oriental fougere perfume (and lone oriental or fougere too) I guess I still have a lot of fragrance from these families to smell, I’m on my long way.
I often happen to try something different, that would eventually excite me. Latety I tried Terre d’Hermes and I liked it, but after 1 hour (or maybe 2) it gave me a “dirty” feeling, like I would just came out of the muddy sandpit (vetiver). I was thinking of getting it for my birthday, but I’ll pass because of that feeling. Surprisingly I found something special for me in Chanel Allure Edition Blanche, although I never had a fresh, citrus fragrance & never felt love for them.
Yes, I know that feeling well, the feeling that a fragrance just isn’t comfortable anymore, even if you like how it smells. Hey, and it’s great to find a new category of fragrance you like, too, like fresh citrus!
Yes, some scents may be not that comfortable, but finding a new fragrance family in my liking sounds good. I think I’ll ask for that Chanel for my birthday
I hope you get it!
Thank You, I hope so too. It’s just another month waiting…
I think Knowing is just beautiful, but it takes me over.
Yeah, that one’s a whopper. I’m astonished how popular it is, really.
I hear you about loving Carnal Flower, but it not suiting you. I feel the same way. But Tubereuse Criminelle is something I can pull off because it has a weird edge. I’ve recently discovered a lighter, sunnier side to my character (!) and unexpectedly gravitated towards colognes and neroli frags, which suit me so well. But the MOOD led the way, the fragrance choices followed. Or rather, my nose suddenly craved lighter, brighter scents and alerted me to the change in mood. So my nose tipped me off! If I allow my nose free rein to lead me in any direction without my brain getting in the way, it usually knows what fragrance I need because it is attuned with my innermost moods and feelings. It’s a question of trusting, and playing!
There are 2 fragrances that I definitely do not suit, and they are Tiare and Azuree. I think they are both stunning and incredible and smell WOW on other people, but so do not ‘go’ with me………
How interesting about trusting your nose! It’s like you bypass the logic filter in your brain and get a connection to your real state of mind right through your nose.
I like Tubéreuse Criminelle, too, and find it easier to wear comfortably than Carnal Flower. I generally do fine with jasmine, too, or with tuberose or gardenia that’s balanced with incense (Daphne Guinness) or muffled (Esprit d’Oscar).
Neroli and cologne-type scents never fail to make me happy. Current special loves are Eau de Guerlain and Grand Neroli (the lemon in the top notes is wonderful!)
A scent that produces happiness is truly a scent to have a bottle of everywhere–office, car, and purse.
And I am finding that Neroli is in many fragrances that DON’T feel like me! I almost always note neroli in the fragrance notes when I sniff something and say “nice enough, but not me, maybe a bit too masculine?” I’m not positive it’s neroli, but it is my best guess so far.
I sometimes get that feeling from a citrus-lavender combo.
I’m the opposite on these two – love CF (for the right occasion) and TC felt very foreign on me for a tuberose frag.
whoops, posted in the wrong spot!
That’s o.k.!
I love how different perfume feels different on everyone.
Life is too short, and there are too many AMAZING fragrances, to wear something that doesn’t suit you perfectly.
No offense Angela I’m not talking about you, but some perfumistas kinda force themselves to love, and wear, cult perfumes. I don’t get it.
Forget those pricey french powerhouses and wear a $5 perfume oil if it makes you confortable and happy.
Because that what matters, really!
As a fan of Jean Naté, I agree completely! By the way, feel free to toss out the names of some good $5 fragrances–I’m always in the market for a good cheap thrill.
Angela, I am wearing today Axe Music Star!!! 🙂
It is of course a body spray, and a good one at that, one that keeps me from smelling like the man I am in a 34 degrees Celsius weather.
But it ALSO smells good. And I can layer all my good fumes over it without clashing… 🙂 Cheap Thrill!
That name is hilarious, but thumbs up for Axe Music Star!
Wow, it’s amazing to learn that Axe made something worthy of your exceptionally select collection, KG! This really proves what LT and TS said about snobbery being pointless in perfume.
You said it. My teeth nearly fell out when I read that, then I thought “why not?” True perfumistas don’t care.
xoA
I found Jovan Musk Oil 1/8 oz for $5 in Germany. Talk about a great deal! ♥
Nice!
Finding out what ‘fits’ and what doesn’t is all the fun of collecting and wearing perfume. Because it’s fun to wear something that does not quite fit if it allows you to try out different personas, dream dreams, or satisfy different moods. And I think it important to keep trying stuff you think might not fit because you just never know.
But I suppose most of us have a core collection of perfumes are ARE the ones that fit and never cause us any sudden anxieties about mood or occasion.
You’re so right–over the years I’ve “grown into” or simply just come to understand particular fragrances better, and now I love them, and they fit me just fine. Joy was like that for me, for example.
Just this morning I was walking to the office and there was this amazing perfume wafting in front of me.. It was like a jasmine thing with fruits and some amber.. really nice. The thing is that the woman who was wearing it, nevermind that she was a very nice looking woman) was also wearing work pants (like electrician pants) and a rough cotton vneck sweatshirt, with workboots and frizzy hair.
In my mind I swear I though.. “The perfume is wearing you, baby.. it is intoxicating and sexy but it has NOTHING to do with your work look”
I bet the perfume has to do with secret her, the person she wishes she were. (That, or the perfume was a gift and she doesn’t even really smell it.)
Or she really is a jasmine and fruits kind of girl who’s working a job that isn’t her because she’s got bills to pay.
I think a jasmine and fruits girl would have had a glossy lipstick and added a little flair to her work pants. (Of course, she could have been wearing pink lace underwear!)
I bet she would! I love the pink lace underwear comment, this makes soooo much sense to me! Did I already say too much? 😉
My lips are sealed!
Or maybe she just loves that perfume and does not care whatever image it may convey to others.
The best reason to wear perfume!
I swear, I just went for a “like” button!
You know, this was a fun, fascinating and really intriguing post, Angela. It encouraged me to stop and think about my fragrance choices and how in a lot of ways, they are opposite of the rest of my life. I’m a pretty shy, soft-spoken nerdy writer type but I *adore* big florals, leather, tobacco and intense orientals. Almost as if the perfume does the talking for me on most occasions and hints at the wild side of me most seldom see. But I am very fond of violet, pear and vanilla because it is like wearing my vulnerability and giving the world a sniff at who I really am in a lot of ways.
And to expand on that, I adore winter here in the Midwest. I love the cold, snow, smell of winter with that subtle hint of wood smoke and am happiest from late September to late April. But I have a ridiculous love for tropical fragrances. Tuberose, tiare, plumeria, coconut, jasmine and tropical fruits are among some of my favorite notes (especially mango), but I don’t enjoy going to the beach very much, avoid too much sun and am far happier with the notion of visiting a cold and rainy city than camping out on the beach for days on end.
And yet, Mr. Ab. Scent’s scents suit him very well and blend with his personality as if they were bespoke, and many of my friends’ fragrance choices seem to fit them perfectly.
Hmmm. I think I’ll be pondering this all afternoon. Thanks for something so interesting to think about.
So, your perfume is your alter ego! It has to come out somehow, and you’re letting it out through fragrance, it sounds like.
I agree Angela, I’m hearing the muffled voice of an inner diva. One with long bouffant hair and glossy red nails, trying to claw her way out!
This reminds me of the movie “Alien.” Ever see that one?
LMAO at the thought of that little critter scrabbling out of John Hurt with long red nails and Dolly Parton hair!!!! One of very few movies where I screamed in the theatre!
It’s twice as scary that way!
Angela, that might just be it. 🙂 I don’t have a bombshell wardrobe or the like, but can at least be one with my perfume!
And oh, that Alien scene! Perhaps a metaphor for the first time I smelled Angel or Flowerbomb. It was like they sprang out of the bottle and attacked my senses. But now, we’ve learned to happily co-exist though it can be touchy with Flowerbomb. And I won’t even bring up Untitled No. 8 or Secretions Magnifique. *shudders*
There are lots of great fragrances for one’s inner bombshell….
*snort!* I just laughed too hard for the cat, he’s above all this frivolity! Thanks for the image of the Dolly Parton alien!
As for bombshell perfumes, my fave so far is my vintage Shalimar, not unpredictable, I know, but so fitting!
Shalimar is like kohl eyeliner or red lipstick. Predictable or not, it will never go out of style.
I wholeheartedly agree — I love our winters here in the Midwest — in large part, for the reasons you’ve mentioned. So nice to see [read] that someone else feels the same way.
Enjoy those tropical fragrances, then!
Great topic again.
Fougeres, and i’ve tried a few, are just not me. There is something of the “dominant alpha male” about fougeres that just doesn’t fit with my easy-going- urban-bohemian style. I’ll wear something like Rive Gauche pour Homme from time to time, but it never feels right.
On the other hands, i also have some frags which only feel right with some clothes. For me it’s hard to imagine Gucci pour homme, CdG Jaisalmer, or Amouage Silver with just jeans and tee-shirt. The perfume you wear should work with your clothes. Heavy orientals, in my mind, should probably not be worn with flowing chiffon. But then again, we probably all have our own ideas…
I’m with you in that I’m usually thinking of what I’ll wear when I select a perfume for the day. Both items–clothes and perfume–depend on my mood, the weather, and where I’m going. Unless the chiffon was black and décolleté, I’d stay away from orientals, too. But I suppose some people could pull it off (Cher?).
Great article, as usual!
Mitsouko! I absolutely think it is stunning and absolutely cannot wear it. I feel like I should be wearing a silk taffeta opera gown. I feel that way about chypres in general, although I have been overcoming that and finding a few I am comfortable in – generally of the more modern persuasion. That old-school oakmoss does not suit me one bit.
I am very glad that Carnal Flower does suit me! I wear it with no problem at all – I would be most sad if I felt like it was wearing me. Une Rose, however, wore me right into the shower – it made me very uncomfortable. Funny how something can smell delightful and still make you run screaming.
It is strange–we love a fragrance but just can’t make it work somehow.
I feel the same way about Mitsouko, really. I love it, too, but I don’t find myself reaching for it as often as another peachy chypre, Femme, for instance.
Une Rose has to be one of my biggest disappointments. The earth, the rose from the roots up, truffle and pinot noir for goodness sake! I was sure we would be a match made in heaven, but, like an intense teen crush on a boy you’ve never spoken to, it soured with actual interaction.
Another fabulous comparison! I feel like today’s NST commenters have the most marvelous descriptions.
I read the first few lines and said”that’s gotta be Angela” and sure enough. You do the bestest, most evocative(est) reviews.! Thanks for all of them. Now, on to Carnal Flower. Now when I say this, you must know, if I like something, I’ll always get 100 ml and in the case of Gardenia 6.8 oz (but that was the DH doing, he’ s such a love). After all, what if I run out before I buy my next new thing three days later!? But with Carnal Flower because of how expensive it is and when I treated myself (Christmas) I got the 50 ml. and I’m glad I didn’t spring for the 100. I love it, I really do, but it’s hard to reach for too too often, it’s just that “large” but I’d start with the small one first. As my dear dad used to say, “That’s some serious folding money”! Oh yes, and it’s amazing in the cold and damp weather. But I’ll bet you already knew all this . . .
My favorite weather to wear Carnal Flower in is very very cold and crisp. That chilly green edge is just beautiful when you can see your breath outside.
I’m tempted to pull out the vial again and go through the whole cycle of breathless love, then discomfort (but still love)…
I adore the smell of it on my sweaters, too, the next day.
(Love the “serious folding money” reference!)
My dad had a lot of those sayings, a great many of which are NOT suitable for recounting here, but still make me laugh . . . a lot.
I love those old turns of phrase.
I posted this exact thought the other day on MUA (sometimes scenting who we are and sometimes who we want to be). I find that chypres just don’t suit me. It’s not that I really like too many of them, once in a while I crave a gentle chypre that doesn’t snarl at me with galbanum. But, somewhere in my heart, I really want to be an elegant lady and that’s what chypre seems to signify to me.
I find myself wanting to come off as more alluring than I am, so I try to add “mystery” with fragrance. I have a hunch I’m not fooling anybody.
(Love the vision of snarling galbanum, by the way.)
By the way, LOVE the photo choice 🙂
Robin chose that! Isn’t it great?
Yup.
Great article, Angela!
I think choosing a fragrance can be like dress-up for adults- you can choose your character for the day. Important meeting- confident, close- wearing scent. Romantic dinner- whatever makes you ( or your significant other) really purr. Children’s playdate- something comfy and not likely to elicit comments from small people asking who smells like dog breath ( true story- i was sampling Dzing and a nearby 4 year-old was unimpressed!) Or you can wear Bandit to collect your kids from school!
What I am really intrigued by are the fragrances you find when you are young and that you wear throughout your life. Shalimar is like that for me; I discovered it at 15 and it was immediate love, hinting at womanhood and sex and beautiful dresses and nights out dancing. And it has stayed true throughout all of those things and I now. And now I cannot imagine not having it in my collection. My daughters recognise it when they smell it on others- ‘Mummy, someone is wearing your furfume ‘ as my 2.5 year old said last week. Shalimar is sort of like a best friend, it has seen me through lots of good times and bad times and will see me through many more. The same cannot be said for other fragrances from my past!
Precious little one – smelling “Mummy’s furfume” on someone else!
That really is adorable!
Shalimar is amazingly eternal–even more so than Joy or No. 5, I think. It’s a great scent to be remembered by!
I feel the same way about Shalimar! My earliest memories include my mom spritzing it on, wearing a black sundress with coral beads, before heading out for a date with my dad. She has since concluded that it’s no longer “her” (Odalisque and Bois des Iles are not her very lovely standbys) but, luckily, it’s very me! Mythique and Patchouli 24 both also always feel like me. The list of perfumes that wear me is long, but generally tend to seem to be too “girly” for me – either too flowery or too sweet – Traversee du Bosphore, Like This, Parisienne, Le Temps d’une Fete, etc.
Oh, and I really love Amaranthine and Le Nuit de Tuberose, but just can’t pull them off.
I adore both of those, too. Amaranthine, especially, requires the right situation or it outshines me sorely.
I’ll take them off your hands. Pleeeeeease??
I think Shalimar wearers are some of the most loyal in the world. (Now I have an intense longing for coral beads to go with one of my black dresses….)
Coral and black would look marvelous on you, Angela.
My thought exactly….
I find I’ve got two main modes for wearing fragrance. One is when I choose from my collection to reflect my mood or circumstances, particularly when I’m going out. The other is when I let them take me where I hadn’t thought I’d be going — a sensory/sensuous exploration that’s a quite a bit emotionally safer than other types of trysts. It may feel like it’s “not me”, but if it’s good, and tells a story, then I’ll follow it for a while.
That said, there are notes I can’t bear: certain types of rose/muguet/musk combinations, typical masculine fougères ou what I call the “spiky woods”, amber woody materials that feel like I’ve got a cactus up my nose. Then I feel like calling an exorcist.
Hey, I think you’ve got an idea for a blockbuster new career in Perfume Exorcist! You could probably name your price in some neighborhoods.
To me perfume is mostly about smelling good. I’m far less interested in the image/ persona it might convey. As I mentioned before; I will wear very ladylike perfumes wearing jeans.
And I bet you smell great doing it! As long as your comfortable (and smell delicious) who cares?
Another lovely article, Angela – I think there are always certain types of scents that feel comfortable, that agree with our self-concepts, while there are other scents that are amazing and wonderful but just don’t “fit,” to use your phrasing.
I’ve said before that I can’t wear anything even vaguely fougere-ish because it feels like wearing men’s y-front underdrawers (uh, I’m a girl – I don’t have the body shape for tighty whities). I do NOT do heavy orientals, or colognes, or fierce chypres, or primarily-citrus fragrances, though I do try them from time to time to try to expand my boundaries a little.
But that’s always a boundary-pushing exercise, which is sort of your point. Some things are easy. Some are not. I tend to be pretty comfortable in white florals and aldehydic florals that a lot of people find too dressy for everyday use – if I had a big bottle of Carnal Flower, I’d wear it more frequently instead of saving my decant for special occasions. Same with Iris Poudre, come to think of it. And according to my records (yeahyeah, go ahead and make fun, I’m an accountant who writes), the fragrance I wore more than anything else last year, more than twice the next-most-commonly-worn scent, was Mary Greenwell Plum. All three of those have been called “frocky,” or “fragrances for dress-up occasions,” but I feel very comfortable and very myself in them.
On the other hand, a kind friend sent me some Memoir Woman because I mentioned that I’d like to smell it, even though it isn’t very “me” – and I absolutely love it. It still isn’t “me,” but it is completely fascinating. Well worth the exploration of something outside my comfort zone!
I find Mary Greenwell Plum to be really versatile–not particularly frocky at all. (But then again I haven’t put on a pair of pants in going on five years now.) You’ve inspired me to dig out my sample.
Yes, part of the fun of perfume is getting outside that comfort zone and “trying on” a new feel once in a while. Sometimes I even surprise myself and that new feel ends up feeling pretty good.
I very much like to smell green florals but almost never choose to wear them. So I guess in the end they just don’t feel like me. When I do wear them it’s usually to the gym or brunch or something, knowing that I can put something else on later!
I understand completely! Sometimes I’ll even put on a perfume, knowing I’ll be doing the dishes or washing my hair in a few minutes and most of it will wash away.
Ach, for me it’s lavender. Anything with a pronounced lavender note just seems all wrong for someone like me. I’m tall and ebullient, love bright colors and making entrances. Lavendar is composed and still, quiet and calm. None of those are qualities I possess.
Lavender is one I don’t find myself wearing much, either, but I think it’s mostly because I think of cleaning products and linens.
Thanks again for your great questions Angela, you inspire some interesting veins of thought.
I must confess to being something of a contrarian when it comes to scent and costume. I will often deliberately choose a scent that jars with my outfit. Something like Avignon with a pretty summer frock, or Ananas Fizz with a woollen skirt and blazer – the combinations are sometimes great, sometimes off-key but it is always fun. Having said that, making a perfect match is very satisfying too – I love Elixir with tweed, for instance.
I cannot wear spiky woody-ambery things (so cruel because they always get moreso as they develop, so a sample is initially nice and then – aaaaaugh! scrubber!), and I’m not happy in ozonic marine things or anything sweet either, although I’m happy to smell such things on others.
I agree–sometimes a little discord feels just right!
Angela, your articles are always so interesting and thought provoking – thank you!
When I put on a fragrance to wear, rather than just to sample, I look for something that feels “comfortable and very myself”, as mais said above. There are lots of fragrances that I love “in theory” (eg sampled on the back of my wrist, or sniffed on other people) that I don’t enjoy wearing as my SOTD/E. When I’m not comfortable in a fragrance, I find it kind of distracting, not in a good way but in an obtrusive-I- need-to-fiddle-with-it kind of way. It’s the same feeling I have if I’ve put on a scarf that I can’t manage to adjust properly, or a piece of jewelry that is a bit too clunky. It’s a feeling of being uncomfortably aware of something that isn’t quite right. The scarf or piece of jewelry I almost always end up taking off so I can concentrate – the wrong perfume can sometimes be harder to erase!
My “comfortable” fragrances aren’t all “comfort” scents though – I find Mitsouko very comfortable and life-enhancing-not-distracting, but not the scent I would put on just before going to bed.
Your descriptions of perfume “discomfort” are so good! Another comparison might be what it feels like when you’re wearing a color you’re not quite comfortable in.
LOL – I sprayed myself with Balenciaga Talisman this afternoon as I was leaving to pick up my daughter and instantly regretted it. Its a boozy, fruity number and didn’t jive with running errands in the wind and rain.
Most of my FB regrets have come from fragrances I loved for an hour or two but have a hard time living with:) I am finally learning to buy large samples and have tried to give away most of the overflow:)
It’s funny you mention Talisman–I used to have a bottle of it and passed it along for the same reason!
Oh gosh, I had the “does not fit” experience with a whole spate of recent-ish powdery-skin-scent-type releases: Love, Chloe; Baiser Vole; Balenciaga Paris; even Tom Ford Violet Blonde, which I think of as being of that genre even though it’s more assertive. I liked them all; they played nicely with my skin; but something about them felt almost oppressively ladylike and polished.
I did buy a small bottle of Estee Lauder Sensuous Nude, but haven’t worn it nearly as much as I thought I would.
On the other hand, there are four perfumes that “fit” me like veritable Cinderella slippers of scent: DSH Jitterbug, CdG Avignon, L’Artisan Dzongkha, and … Fracas. How weird is that?
(Rochas Femme is a near-perfect fit, but one time in ten it’ll start to grate on me after an hour or so. The other nine times, though … ahhhhhh.)
I really do love Femme, but Femme and I don’t take our relationship casually. As you point out, sometimes she gets contentious and I can’t wear her for a while.
Femme can be a cruel mistress, but I wouldn’t have her any other way.
That’s an unlikely family of fragrances, but then again, they are all assertive and fascinating. I can see it!
When I look at my unlikely family of favorite perfumes, I’m often reminded of John Dryden’s comment on the Canterbury Tales: “‘Tis sufficient to say, according to the proverb, that here is God’s plenty.”
Marvelous! I’d like to have that inscribed on my perfume cabinet.
Your articles are so interesting and provocative. And there are so many I’m sure I wear scents that I either have no business wearing in certain settings (like my natural habitat, a horse’s paddock) but I just plunge ahead insouciantly. On a recent bleak morning, dressed like a slob, I put on Fracas. I know, I know…how could I…but it gave me the most marvelous boost. I’m not even sure if it was simply the sheer pleasure of smelling it, delighting in the work of art and sensual pleasure it is, or if there was an element of discreet tribute to the woman I wish I were — at least sometimes — an ethereal creature dressed in a Poiret gown, on the Queen Mary. Instead of..you know, just plain me!
I admire you for putting on Fracas when you feel like a slob! If it gives you a lift, then it “fits.” If, on the other hand, you feel something is off, it isn’t working so well.
Your Fracas story makes me so happy. Every now and then, I’ll wear a bit of it to work with my ordinary office-appropriate attire — and I’ll wonder why I don’t do it more often.
Fracas is my Carnal Flower.
I used to buy perfume for different reasons– sentimentality, the desire to own a certain classic, the desire to own a favorite in each certain genre, the snob appeal of a certain house. My collection isn’t huge, but most of it goes largely untouched.
Like Le Critique de Parfum, I’ve come to believe that life is too short to wear something you’re less than comfortable in. This is why, when given enough for a new perfume this Christmas, I went with a stronger concentration of one I know and love, so I could wear it year round, rather than a brand new something.
Honestly, I have a rotation of 8 to 10 that I wear throughout the year, with one very definite standout. Once in a while it is fun to step outside myself and wear something dischordant, like Fracas, but as Timbit said, it’s a day-long tug-of-war trying to make it “work.” I think Fracas is more situational than anything, like satin heels, or an evening shade of lipstick.
That said, I don’t generally match fragrance to outfit. I used to totally think in those terms, but now, as I edge closer and closer to signature scent territory, the less the clothes I wear matter, and the more I feel I own this scent, regardless of time or place. And the more the dischordants are edged out.
It think it’s the more “diva” style fragrances that are harder to wear if you don’t feel ready for them. Perfume that feels as natural to you as your cup of coffee in the morning can go with anything, it seems.
But as you say, it’s kind of nice to have that special, standout fragrance. With all this talk about Fracas, I want to put some on! I wonder how it will layer with Chene?
What would be dive style frags
Angela???
Hi sweetie
I think of a diva fragrance as being demanding–you know what I mean? A big fragrance with a big personality.
Answer: Fracas eats Chene.
I used to wear fracas during the day in Hot and Sticky Tampa weather. People complemented me constantly at lunch where I would take 3- year old. They loves it there. No one minded or there were no bad looks. It just seemed I had to have something smell like other than. Chupre that would run off with sweat. It was so humid I used the bottle up and I was done with it. Now I’m going to try Carnal Flower, who’s it by?
It’s by Frederic Malle. Enjoy!
oh right now fracas is such i great fit…i cannot understand it..i dont feel it to be big diva..i dont feel it heady and large…it just feels perfect…i guess i am wearing it.>>(Iam so not diva…just a dreamer, an artist and simple soul who loves people and G-d) No head to explain…it just FEELS right
I never cease to be amazed at fragrances that I feel are giant on me, that smell as natural as breathing on someone else! But I can get away with some of the more pungent orientals that overwhelm others. It must be body chemistry.
could be body chemistry that is “governed” by the brain?!
That’s awesome! I bet it smells amazing on you. I keep trying with Fracas; it’s so temperamental on me. My DH loves it on me, though (I hear it something guys have with tuberose), regardless of how I sense it’s reacting. He smells something totally diferent. Wild, yeah?
And isn’t it crazy when something with such a big personality fits you like that? I totally get what you’re saying about so not being what the perfume is supposedly all about, yet it somehow feels amazing and right… like you’re owning it, making it yours. Tabac Blond is like that for me, and I love that I get to have that particular scent as my own. It’s sort of as if I’m an initiate. My soul scent could have been anything else in the world, but it gets to be this one. I love that.
Oh, I love Tabac Blond, too. I put on some Kenzo Flower Oriental just now, but now I want to bump it up with some Tabac Blond.
*And there are so many fascinating responses*
I agree!
You know, I picked Carnal Flower as my wedding perfume. It was always one of my favorite fragrances, and I wore it often. However, I think that it smelled best on me during the wedding–it just fit so well with the setting and my mood then. Even these days, I need to be completely relaxed to wear it. Otherwise, I feel like it wears me.
It’s such a jaw-droppingly beautiful fragrance. I can see it fitting well with the joy and ceremony of a wedding.
Angela, your article made me thinking… I can’t think of a single perfume that I like but at the same time think “it’s not me”. I wonder what it says about me 😉 Either I’m very conservative/limited with my likes or I’m too self-assured – and I don’t know which.
You’re lucky! Everything you love loves you, too!
Oh, I do beg to differ. Yes, certain perfumes seem to match different moods, and I suppose some seem more appropriate for work, and some sexier.
However, if you like a scent, how can it not be “you?”
As for having the “personality” for a scent,what are you afraid of? That someone will judge you as literally putting on airs (or air scented molecules) above your station.
Outside of some exclusive stores and the (virtual, and therefore scentless) world of this blog, most people know zero about fragrances. They may detect you’re scented, but they are highly unlikely to make a judgement, beyond “cheap cologne” or that smell’s nice.
Most people would not be able to identify a scent by name. Fewer would be able to identify the scent family., Just about no one, notices a lovely scent and thinks “My goodness that person is wearing Back to Black by Killian; how pretentious?” or “My goodness, she’s wearing a Prada Fruity Floral, why doesn’t she act her age?”
So, if you like Killian (and are good at begging for samples, or have cash to spare) or if you like, Jean Nate, why not wear them both? (through preferably not at the same time).
I love the Who; I love Billy Holiday; I love Charles Haden; I love Bruckner; I love Beck; I love Phillip Glass; I love Nicki Manaj ((though I can’t spell her name). Darned, if I won’t listen to some of them simply because of some image of the type of person who is supposed to live up to their music.
I love your comment!
For me, though, there are plenty of things I love that I just don’t feel comfortable in. Believe me, I’m as eclectic as the next person, but despite the Whitman-esque multitudes I contain, some things I love I just can’t pull off. To wit:
–Black velvet. I love how black velvet looks against marble-white skin, but it sucks the life out of my face, and I look like I just got out of a TB ward.
–Early 1960s fashion. I love the straight up and down that Jackie O pulled off so well. I have a definite waist and other proportionately curvy assets. If my dress doesn’t have a waist I look like a stump.
–Bright pink lipstick. So festive! So sexy! See “black velvet” above.
So for me it’s not about fear. Really, I’m pretty fearless about what I’ll wear if I like it. It’s about knowing it works for me. I could be too sensitive about this, though.
Black velvet, sheath dresses and pink lipstick – pass them my way!
You can have them! When I get my coral necklace, we’ll have to doll up and go out together.
I don’t think you’re being too sensitive Angela. While I see dilana,’s point, it’s more about how the wearer feels, what emotions it evokes. You can appreciate something for its beauty, complexity, etc but if you don’t feel comfortable wearing something, then that takes away the whole point of it giving you pleasure and therefore affects your mood in a negative way. The last scent that did this for me was bottega venetta. I liked the opening, but the dry down literally felt like a different person had inhabited my body and scented themself all over me (if that makes any sense)! And it was all I could think about for the rest of the day.
“like a different person had inhabited my body and scented themself all over me (if that makes any sense)!”
Yup, makes perfect sense to me!
Me too!
Not a good feeling! But one I can relate to.
We all have fashion silhouettes, and colors that we can’t pull off. I’d love to dress like Dianne Keaton, but I have the opposite shape. However, fragrance doesn’t have to fall correctly on my curves, and doesn’t have to be hemmed. That is one reason it is wonderful.
Diane Keaton does have amazing style, but, like you, I can’t wear it, either. I wonder what perfume she wears (if any)?
Does L’Oreal have a fragrance line?
Funny! I forgot about her ads for L’Oreal. They do own several fragrance lines, I believe.
That is a good question – “If you like a scent, how can it not be ‘you’?”.
I find it hard to put my answer into words, because I feel like I’m trying to describe a somewhat intangible quality. I don’t know what it is that makes something (perfume, clothes, makeup,etc) “the right fit”, but for me the quality of “rightness” isn’t about fear or conforming, but about finding your own personal style. Hopefully “your own personal style” doesn’t need to be synonymous with “rut” – and I totally agree with the concept of “Whitmanesque multitudes”, and the perfume collection to go with them! My “perfume discomfort” doesn’t arise out of concern about my image to other people, but my own sense that what I’m wearing just isn’t – right – for me. “Like a different person had inhabited my body” – that’s a good way to put it!
I think that the topic of how of you find your own personal style, and where the boundary between “style” and “rut” lies, would make a good topic for a discussion with friends over a bottle of wine!
Yes it would! Style v. rut deserve some more investigation, and wine would be a big helper.
I so agree with this! It is how I feel myself.
Alien EDP. I love this perfume that even bought a bottle. That amber-wood-floral base is marvelous, but the way till there is not easy. Top notes are kinda grape-juice-smell, somehow synthetic and bombastic! It’s so sharp that sometimes makes me headache. Middle notes aren’t that different from top and last ages. To me, Alien could develops faster; my preffered stage comes the day after application. Perhaps the EDT version or another flanker will work better.
I also like the popular Aqua di Gio PH, Fuel For Life Him and Dior Homme, but all these don’t like me. Hah, maybe I should see that with good eyes…
Fracas get a little grape-y on me, too. Still, it’s nice to have those kind of fragrances around to enjoy when the mood strikes.
There are just scents I love:Guerlain anything, serge, anything, profumun, everything. There is one by satellite, Papramdanja? Something like that. And I love Mazzolari. Is the spelled correctly? Idk, but if I love a scent I usually love the entire offering, settling for a big kiss from a London day and my lover says you smell good enough to eat, that feels nice. My friends always say that I smell great and owning, chase of the butterflies, joy, MITSOUKO , and Gucci rush!! About 100 bottles. Womanity, Shalimar I don’t like Fracas!! Choking on that ****! But I love middle way frags, Amouage’s, and have never smelled Bond#9. Should I?
Not many of the Bond No. 9s have excited me, really. I like Chinatown and a few of the others. It sounds like you have plenty of perfume to make you happy!
And I adore MISS DIORCHERIE
Great! You smell nice, I bet.
this excellent topic also got me thinking of how quickly our opinions toward a fragrance can change if we have regular interaction with someone who wears said fragrance, and our opinions of that person. In my pre-perfumista days I really loved clinique happy, until I noticed a fellow classmate wearing it one day…needless to say I did not like this person very much, and the scent totally changed for me from that day forward!
Oh, so true. Or how a fragrance can go from beloved to loathed if it reminds you of a doomed relationship.
I wish a scientist could chime in on this. I’d like to know which area of the brain is tied to emotion/memory and scent. Some scents make me positively euphoric with no memory association. Some scents, if I wore them during a particularly sad time, I can’t bear to wear, I’m there all over again. When my beloved dog died, my husband gave me a large bottle of Corps et Ames for Christmas that year and I can’t bear to wear it now, it literally brings me to tears. I hope I get past it because it’s really lovely, but I’m not optimistic.
I’m so sorry about your dog! I understand completely, though. Fortunately, my dog will be immortal and I’ll never have this problem (la la la, I can’t hear anyone). The scent-memory tie is strong.
I am ashamed to admit I actually have my undergraduate degree in neuroscience but I cannot remember which part of the brain is responsible for this. There is something in there though that explains it!
I’m with you Angela, my husband and I believe that our dog will be immortal and we picture her in every fantasy when we think about our future (people) children growing up with our first baby (dog).
There’s a great Johnny Cash ballad where he sings about dying of dehydration (he cries so much) and the first thing he does when he gets to heaven is finds his dog. I get it.
I usually don’t wear things that aren’t ‘me’ but I have to fight it – one of my favorites is vintage Diorissimo and it is so beautiful…and so NOT ME! I wear it to bed, to save folks from looking at me oddly during the day (Imagine Godzilla in Diorissimo and you get the idea)
xo
awww….no not true musette! u should wear it and embrace it if you love it!
Great advice! Plus, I’m sure Musette is the most gorgeous Godzilla we’ve ever seen.
🙂
That’s so funny! I usually save Diorissimo for bed, too, for the same reason.
Even Godzilla’s have their tender springlike moments!
How about the weird sensation, when other people pick-out a fragrance that reminds them of you and your style and it’s the first time you realize, that you’ve seen yourself as entirely different than how others have seen you. It’s a shocking moment.
I had that weird experience, a couple of times, when I was shopping for fragrance. In my mind, I like to think that if I were a fragrance, I’d be wild, messy and green, like a ripe and and overgrown garden. Maybe with some sultry, by moonlight, midnight spice thrown in. And then, I’m talking to a fragrance sales girl and she says, breathlessly: “THIS is the fragrance that I think would be…just perfect for you. It’s you.” And she goes and grabs Vera Wang’s “Sheer Veil”, the purple juice. It wasn’t even anywhere in the remote timeline of it being a new release, either. I was taken aback — what?! That’s not ME! I’m not a bloodless, aldehydic white floral! Do I seem that way?
This has happened, time and time again, with ethereal fragrances and lily-of-the valley, in particular and while I think LOTV is a beautiful note, I just can’t wear it. Something about it’s screeching purity causes me constant anxiety and I think taming it requires the kind of Type A personality that can command authority. But that’s not me! What is it about me that says “Lily of The Valley”? That’s not how I see myself :D!!!! I’m an overgrown fern in an ancient forest, pushing through the dirt !!!!!
Has anyone else ever experienced this?
I have not had this happen with fragrance (most of my friends and acquaintances don’t seem to care about it), but if often happens to me with other things–movies, restaurants, books, music. Someone will urge me to try something, saying “I know you would like it”. Almost invariably, I do not like it at all. I wouldn’t worry too much about it happening with salespeople. After all, they don’t really know you; they are just judging by superficial impressions, perhaps based on your build, coloring, clothing, or apparent age. Or perhaps they are pushing something that a lot of other customers have liked, or what they themselves like. T think it is more of a concern when it comes from people you consider friends; after all, it makes it seem as if your friends really don’t know you very well after all. I have to say, though, I never thought of LOTV as a note for a type A personality. I have always thought of it as very fresh, young, and innocent. Perhaps this is because my first “real” perfume was a bottle of Coty Muguet des Bois that I received as a Christmas gift from my great-aunt when I was about 10.
It’s always dangerous to suggest something is “so like you” unless you know you’re spot on.
It’s true :)! you never know how someone’s going to take something like that. I didn’t mind the sales girl’s impression at all (and like Dilana said, she was probably just pushing inventory, anyway) it just came as a surprise. I guess I’m just not the exotic, midnight forest I’d like to be 🙂 .
Oh, but I bet you are!
Or perhaps the sales associate was pushing some inventory she was trying to get rid of.
I find people associate someone with a particular subject matter, generally the most superficial aspect of something, and rarely consider that the individual might find the quality and subtleties of their favorite more than its broad outlines. So just because I like Jane Austen, does not mean that I will like all novels about slightly broke women marrying rich guys.
In perfume terms, just because someone likes Carnal Flower does not mean that they want a bottle of Fracas. (No insult intended to either fragrance).
…or if you like Jane Austen all you want to do is drink tea all day and visit country manors.
When in fact, what I love about Jane Austen are her writing about the brute force of economic systems on individuals and her observations about how horribly people can behave.
Austen is far more ruthless than people seem to be aware of. She seemed to have had very few illusions about her fellow human beings.
What I truly love about her is her wicked sense of humor!
Very true — I think people sometimes associate certain kinds of scents with haircolor, build, etc.
And then, like you’ve said, we all have our own impression of what notes conjure-up, where I’m thinking something smells authoritative and someone else thinks the complete opposite :).
As long as YOU are feeling authoritative, that’s what counts…
Yes. I won’t go into details in a public forum, but I totally understand. “Really?” I though. “This is what you think I am?”
All I can say is if someone gives me a fragrance without strict instructions from me, they better include the receipt! Sales associates never get it right with me everrrrrr. Not with foundation, not with clothes, not with hair, nothin’! I just smile politely (sometimes) and say “Yes, I can see that” then turn and go for something else. In their defense, I think they are trained to be sort of middle of the road and that’s the last thing I am. I’m sure they get a good laugh at my expense when I leave the store. “Can you believe HER?” Where was she going anyway, for a stage rehearsal?!!! As long as we all wind up smiling!
Those SAs who do get it right are cherished like gold. There’s a guy at Sephora who has never done me wrong makeup-wise. He’s the first person I look for if I need help.
I think a lot of sales people just reach for the scent that they have had the most positive customer response with. You could walk in and say ‘I love Shalimar and Habanita’ and, maybe because they don’t know the scents, they will recommend insert-bland-white-floral, since their experience tells them people like it. It’s probably not you…
Probably one of the least appealing comments an SA can use is, “This fragrance has been really popular.”
Great topic! I generally wear all kinds of scents at home just to enjoy them, and I try to apply very discreetly when I go to the office, so theoretically I’m not that concerned about what suits me or not. Sure, I get a passing buzz out of finding something I think is “me,” but then I’ll spray myself silly with Guerlain Idylle Eau Sublime because it’s such a dreadfully gloomy, cold winter day and I need to float off to olfactory la-la land, stat!
Nonetheless, the one line that usually makes me uncomfortable is Chanel. They’re just too perfect and chilly. I’m sure they’re only truly happy being worn by Catherine Deneuve swathed in Chanel couture. 🙂
I love it how we anthropomorphize perfume! (I do it all the time.)
Love this, and agree about the Chanels. 🙂
A great article and such an interesting conversation! I think I only have one thing to add this late in the chat–I think there is a real place for scents that aren’t “me” for those moments when I am out of place and need the boost.
I planned and ran my brother’s memorial service last week. It was not really “my” job, but there is no one else in my family who could/would do it–so I did it, because it mattered to me that it be done. However, it is an uncomfortable situation to be in, saying in essence the eulogy and “officiating” in the absence of someone more official.
So, I wore Ubar. I have a sample (thank you Diana!), and my general impressions were that it was lovely buy “not me.” But for that day, that situation, it felt appropriately proper, confident, formal and yet still inviting–as I needed to be to make the event a success. Maybe it’s just a device, like actors wearing a small accessory to get into character, but I was grateful for it!
Marjorie Rose, my deepest sympathy for the loss of your brother.
Thank you for sharing your story – I find it really moving, and your comments about the role the Ubar played are thought provoking. You will be in my thoughts tonight.
Thank you, Timbit!
I’m so sorry about the loss of your brother, Marjorie. That must have been so difficult for you, to put together the memorial service like that.
A sense of “respectful” distance; as if “Ubar” had a job to do and did it. I agree with you: “Accessory” for playing a role, is a good way of putting it.
I seem to remember acting lessons in school where they’d give us a prop–a hat, scarf, rubber chicken, whatever–and we had to create a character to go with it. I guess I felt like Ubar did that for me.
What an emotional time you must be having, MR. I’m so sorry. I’m glad you found a good prop in perfume, though, and I hope you’re finding comfort now in other perfume–and friends and family.
Thanks, Angela. I definitely have my moments when I’m a mess, but it has been good to feel the support of my friends and my other brother. That has been the little ray of silver lining to all of this–my older brother and I seem to be becoming closer, and I like that!
I’m glad!
Marjorie Rose, I just wanted to say how sorry I am for your loss. And minor though it is in the grand scheme of things, I’m glad you were able to find a bit of comfort in a perfume.
Comfort and a good distraction! I’m working through a lot of samples these days!
Marjorie, I am so sorry for your loss, I hope you are feeling OK. I hear you: sometimes I wear scents that are ‘not me’ because they are a good strong shield of armour, giving the impression that I am a different, more in-control person.
Thank you, Sombreuil. A shield is exactly how it feels–or like a glowing aura of energy to boost mine when it flagged.
You have my admiration Marjorie Rose. You must be very strong indeed. I don’t know how people hold it together to speak to a group at times like that, I completely fall to pieces. Your brother was lucky to have you to care so much.
Your thoughtfulness extended even to your choice in fragrance. I find Ubar to be one of the most sombre and dignified of fragrances. A fitting choice. I hope you are remembering to treat yourself kindly during this difficult time.
Thanks, Holly! I won’t say I didn’t cry the whole time! I do have the advantage of being a teacher, and at some point I kinda “switched” into my teacher voice I think. I do feel that the Ubar was exactly right. It is a lovely scent, but somber and dignified is a great way to describe it. It really felt exactly right for the moment.
You have my deepest sympathies as well, particularly since it seems as if you had to handle all the brutal arrangements by yourself.
You may or may not come to think of Ubar as invoking sad memories. However, in the meantime, perhaps you will come to realize the ability to be “proper, confident, formal and yet still inviting” is now also “you,” Even if it was not the image you had of yourself, you obviously acted with confidence, compassion towards the other mourners, and devotion to your brother’s memories,and this may be a “you” which you did not know that you had.
May the next time that you use those skills and that presence be a time of joy,not sorrow.
Thank you, Dilana. I hope you are right–I’m not sure I generally compose myself into something anyone would call proper or formal, but I did want to put people at ease and to do justice to my brother’s memory.
thank you for sharing your experience with us Marjorie. I’ve been thinking of you since you said your brother passed a couple weeks ago on the weekend poll.
I appreciate your support d.p. It has been difficult, but I seem to be slowly getting back to my routines. We’ll see if I make it through a full week a work–it’ll be a first if I manage it this week!
great article angela, but to cerebral for my simple head today(maybe thats because i have my hubbie and boys around, it’s chinese new year, and that makes it impossible for me to focus on anything) so in the spirit and with thanks to your love of carnal flower, i will wear it today…and enjoy every moment…it is one of the rare really cold days in hk.
Happy New Year! Year of the Dragon, right? Enjoy that Carnal Flower.
oh you are good! Kung Hei Fat CHoi! it is year of the dragon! and thanks…i am sooo enjoying CF ahhh
Interesting… I am not super elegant (although I like to dress) and one may find my profile less than perfect, but I wear floral aldehydes with comfort. I guess this is because my husband believes that I have an aristocratic jaw line (yes, he actually _said_ it and some other things like that too — always catching me by surprise). Perhaps, a complete stranger has only my perfume to figure it out 😉
But yes, there are some perfumes which I won’t wear. But they are the ones I don’t generally love or even like.
Your husband sounds like a keeper!
Heck yeah!
It’s those floral aldehydes I may not be sure…. 🙂
Yup. I’m met Warum’s hubby (he tagged along on a sniffa)–she’s a lucky lady!
insert “I’ve” for “I’m”!
Yep, dear. You’re so right, I am 🙂
Hmmm…I guess I tend to feel that if I love something, it *is* me, so I can’t think of any perfumes I love but that don’t fit me.
That’s a good place to be in.
I’ve been to that place sometimes: I love Avignon, L’air du desert marocain, Maharadjah, Red Aoud, Arabian Wood, Dolce Gabbana (Red cap) and Tobacco Vanille but somehow they don’t feel like me. I just know that though I have ordered samples from these more than once and wear them with pleasure, I would never manage to finish a FB, even a small one. Plus, I almost always wear them when in home, because I don’t feel confident to go out in public thinking they’ll seem completely ‘foreign’ on me.
That’s exactly the feeling I describe!
Great topic 🙂 I find that I gravitate towards scents that are EXACTLY as I percieve myself… They are generally woody florals, a little citrus, but not tooooo clean and fresh, a little rose and the like but never very sweet, and a little amber maybe. Prada’s Infusion d’Iris is my go to favourite.
I dabble with other fragrances in the way that I occasionally try out a lovely smoky eye or red lipgloss or perfectly coiffed hair, but I’m never wholly comfortable. Like the makeup, it’s a nice change but I couldn’t live there.
I like how you compare perfume to makeup and hairstyles! That makes perfect sense to me.
I’ve got weather issues. I cannot wear any tuberose scents unless it’s properly hot and sunny outside. For some reason tuberose only suits me under these conditions and mixing with that ‘vitamin D’ (maybe that’s just in my head) smell you secrete when you get hot in the summer. Anything less than that and my skin brings out a weird rubbery meatiness rather than lush buttery flower. I can’t wear any lily of the valley either – it’s way too prim feminine to me. I feel like there’s a neon sign that says WRONG over my head.
Tuberose is so funny that way–some people swear by it in the cold, others in the heat!
Angela, posts that inspire insightful, creative comments like the ones above are why anyone with a love of language – not to mention scent – should make nst a must-read. Fantastic,
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I do wear perfume that is perhaps not quite me but I love it, if I did not then I would have much less than I do. I love sultry florientals and think they probably fit me the best but it would be a bit of an overstatement if I wore Clinique AE in the summer heat so I do need other types of fragrances as well. Besides, some I just really love, my newfound love is Clinique Wrappings, I so love that. The beautiful, resinous base is still there but interestingly with greens I am generally not that into. I guess that I am just really into resins and heady florals and definitely not a piney fume or an aldehydic fragrance in general but this one is so unique I really love it and several compliments from even female colleagues have convinced me it works on me. I love layering it over AE as well. So, yes definitely wear things that are not 100 % me or otherwise I would get totally bored wearing Love, Chloe every single day of my life and yes there are days when I feel out of character. Again, another great article, very thought provoking in my opinion.
Wrappings is the one that only comes out around the holidays, isn’t it? I’ve yet to try it, but you’ve convinced me it’s worth a sniff!
Lovely topic, Angela, as always 🙂
I can’t say I have ever worn a fragrance that was not “me”, only that I have many aspects of my personality and they can’t be all covered by one fragrance. As a consequence, some fragrances are “me in winter at work”, “me in winter out partying”, “me in winter chiling out” etc and so it goes for all seasons. Some, very few, are the “usual me” or even the “profound me”and go for all occasions. Some represent aspects that I rarely display or act upon, and while they are always there, the corresponding fragrance feels a bit awkward.
One of the latter group is Chanel Allure Sensuelle, which packs too powerful a punch for comfort. I wear it when I need to make a strong impression but am having a low day. It’s a great booster, but I wouldn’t wear it on a good day, although the added accords (compared to classical Allure) are great – guess I just don’t like the basic Allure enough for everyday wear.
Another is the rose-patch combo “Midnight Poison” which feels like it must be worn on a night out painting the town red – or dark blue. I can’t wear it indoors, it makes me feel strange. But out at night in Gothic Prague, it’s just perfect.
And yet another is Poeme by Lancome, a radiant floral for one of those hot lazy afternoons when the air is perfectly still yet shimmering with heat and even busy bees are giving their favorite flowers a break. It is a larger than life, Diva of the Divas fragrance and I love it. But unless i feel like playing the fountain scene from La Dolce Vita, it is too heavy and dramatic to really be “me”.
My belief is that I need to keep looking for other fragrances presenting these notes a bit differently, until the right rose-patch , or mandarin-frankincense combo comes along.
I love your “mini-descriptions” of the fragrances!
It’s a good point, too, about taking the fact that a perfume doesn’t quite fit, and looking for another take on the same fragrance–maybe one that will fit better. I need to keep my eyes (or nose) open for more tuberose.
Lovely post!
I keep on trying to wear Nº 5 because that’s a must-have, right? And I always fail miserably at being a Nº5 wearer…
I always feel I should own a bottle out of respect, at least, but my money always goes elsewhere 🙂
No. 5 doesn’t fit very well on me, either, but, like you, I have a great respect for it.