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Inside the Perfume Cabinet ~ Christy

Posted by Angela on 9 October 2017 57 Comments

Christy doesn’t know the name of the perfumer who developed her favorite fragrance, and she’s not geeky about notes and structure. She’s heard Chanel No. 5 is nice, but it’s never crossed her path. At the same time, she loves perfume and makeup, and she’s loaded with style. I couldn’t wait to talk with her about her perfume collection.

When I caught up with Christy, it was late Sunday night, and she was ironing school uniforms for her daughters. Christy is a single mom in Georgia with three girls between the ages of two and nine, plus a full-time job. Not surprisingly, she lives on a budget. She’s more likely to buy perfume at the mall than toss down her credit card for the latest $400 niche bottle.

Christy says there wasn’t a lot of perfume in her life before high school. Her mother had allergies, and Christy was the only girl of four kids — in fact, the only girl among seven or eight cousins — so no sisterly bottles to sample. Her first bottle of perfume cost two dollars, and she picked it up while waiting in line at Walmart. It was an Impulse brand — you know, the “if you like that, you’ll like this” type — called “Midnight Something,” Christy says. “Fortunately, my taste moved on.”

Today, she has about 12 bottles of perfume, and her favorite fragrance is Lace, a perfume from the Charming Charlie boutique’s house line she bought at Peachtree Corners. Christy describes it as “summery, soft” and “like a bottle of wine in a perfume bottle.” She also loves the Ed Hardy line, and has all but two from the line. “I would probably die if I could meet him.” She likes the extremes of the packaging — Villain has a mermaid etched on the bottle — and they smell “amazing.” Love Kills Slowly is one of her favorites.

The Victoria’s Secret Pink line makes up a good portion of her fragrance collection, too, including Sweet & Flirty, Fresh & Clean (with glitter), and Sweet & Fluffy which her two-year-old girl loves. Which brings us to another reason she wears fragrance. “The girls watch me get ready for work. I want them to take pride in how they dress and put themselves together.” She lets them spritz themselves lightly with perfume on Wednesdays, which is Professional Day at the school her two oldest daughters attend.

Christy’s favorite season is winter, around Christmas, when she can snuggle up at home with a blanket and read (reading is something else she likes her daughters to see her doing), so it’s not surprising that her dream perfume would be based on a warm sandalwood and vanilla “with a hint of lemon, like a lemon drop.” Her favorites smells in general include vanilla extract and cinnamon.

One of the things she values most about fragrance is that “it doesn’t have a particular demographic.” You can be any gender or age, rich or poor, or any race or ethnicity and wear the same fragrance. "It’s something we share," she says, something that unites us. I couldn’t agree more.

Possibly of interest

Inside the Perfume Cabinet ~ Nancy
Inside the Perfume Cabinet ~ Geri
Inside the Perfume Cabinet ~ Kevin

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: inside the perfume cabinet

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57 Comments

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  1. chocolatemarzipan8 says:
    9 October 2017 at 2:21 pm

    Oh, how I loved this post, Angela….modesty, humility and integrity all wrapped up in one individual with a beautiful perfume collection. I like the sound of her dream perfume too 🙂

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    • chocolatemarzipan8 says:
      9 October 2017 at 2:22 pm

      and it just goes to show that you don’t really need or need to spend a lot of money to enjoy perfume, right?

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      • Angela says:
        9 October 2017 at 2:26 pm

        Yes, exactly! A good lesson.

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    • Angela says:
      9 October 2017 at 2:26 pm

      I felt the same way talking with her! She has a bit of sass, too, that didn’t come out much in my post, but that I admire.

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  2. flopper says:
    9 October 2017 at 2:28 pm

    That was fun! Brought back some memories for me seeing the Pink and Marc Jacobs bottles. I’m eyeing those makeup brushes that are in the background.

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    • Angela says:
      9 October 2017 at 2:32 pm

      Christy’s a big fan of makeup–I bet they’re good brushes.

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    • ChicBrownChik says:
      9 October 2017 at 10:38 pm

      Hi! The makeup brushes are the oval set I got for a sweet deal on AmPrime. Between the kids and makeup. It’s a wonder how I have anything left in the budget for amazing scents. Yet. The collection is growing!!

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  3. lucasai says:
    9 October 2017 at 2:35 pm

    Hi Angela, my apologies for an off-topic comment, but I thought you might be curious that the idea of cuddlefluffs that was born thanks to your post from 2 weeks ago found its continuation on my blog.

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    • Angela says:
      9 October 2017 at 2:36 pm

      Ha ha! I’ll have to check it out–thanks!

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  4. mals86 says:
    9 October 2017 at 2:58 pm

    I love it that Christy’s kids get to watch her prepare for work, and that perfume is a part of that! And that’s a pretty vignette photo, too.

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    • Angela says:
      9 October 2017 at 3:02 pm

      I know! Isn’t that nice? I hate to think of the example I’d set, since my biggest beauty secret is that if you don’t do dishes, you don’t get dishpan hands.

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      • ChicBrownChik says:
        9 October 2017 at 10:39 pm

        That’s hysterical. Little Secret. The dishwasher keeps those dish pans hands to a minimum!!!

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    • tiffanie says:
      9 October 2017 at 5:24 pm

      I love that too. Way to go, Christy!

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      • Angela says:
        9 October 2017 at 5:58 pm

        I second that!

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      • ChicBrownChik says:
        9 October 2017 at 10:47 pm

        Thank you Tiffanie!!

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    • Angela says:
      9 October 2017 at 5:57 pm

      Isn’t it sweet? I imagine the little girls lined up, storing up images of mommy’s lipstick and perfume….

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      • ChicBrownChik says:
        9 October 2017 at 10:48 pm

        That is my life everyday. Sometimes I let them play in the makeup on the weekends. They can’t sit still with excitement!!

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  5. johanob says:
    9 October 2017 at 3:52 pm

    Wonderful collection and a great post on how and why to wear perfume!!I share a love for the Ed Hardy perfumes with Christy!And the bottles are awesome,yes yes yes!

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    • Angela says:
      9 October 2017 at 5:58 pm

      I clearly need to get to the store and try a few of the Ed Hardys!

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    • ChicBrownChik says:
      9 October 2017 at 10:40 pm

      Ed Hardy has to be the most modest yet sassy line I’ve come across!! So creative yet simple. My fave hands down!!

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  6. Aparatchick says:
    9 October 2017 at 3:55 pm

    Ooh, I see that Christy shares my love of Prada Candy! And I love that she’s teaching her girls about the good things in life – books and perfume. 🙂

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    • Angela says:
      9 October 2017 at 6:02 pm

      Books and perfume should be at the center of everyone’s lives! (Okay, maybe not everyone’s, but it sure sounds good to me.)

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    • ChicBrownChik says:
      9 October 2017 at 10:41 pm

      I originally picked it up for the unique bottle. After catching a sniff of the actual fragrance I had to buy!!! My older daughter loves it. My middle daughter goes for the Marc Jacobs. I have to keep them out of the bathroom or they will bathe in them

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  7. helenviolette says:
    9 October 2017 at 4:16 pm

    What a lovely post! I loved the perspective/reminder of what is really important in life. And if Christy is interested, I would love to send her a decant of Chanel No. 5 so that it may cross her path.

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    • Angela says:
      9 October 2017 at 6:03 pm

      You are so sweet! We’ll see if she shows up here.

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    • ChicBrownChik says:
      9 October 2017 at 10:43 pm

      Hey there. I am definitely interested!!! Angela sent some sweet smelling bottles that I have been admiring for days now. You are such a doll to offer up a bottle. I would never be able to get it without feeling a little guilty. God bless your heart!!

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      • helenviolette says:
        10 October 2017 at 1:08 pm

        Hi Christy- just send me an email with your address and I will send some your way. I don’t have a bottle to send, but I can send a decant from my bottle, and I will throw in a few other things to sniff. (helenpetry at gmail)

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  8. tiffanie says:
    9 October 2017 at 5:39 pm

    Christy and Angela, thank you for sharing. The way we use fragrance, the difference it makes in our lives, is always fascinating and inspiring.

    Christy’s girls will most certainly remember her example. When I was a child my mum was always happy to let me sit and chat with her as she was doing her hair and makeup. That’s why I must have at least a swipe of mascara and neatly combed hair before I leave the house.

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    • Angela says:
      9 October 2017 at 6:03 pm

      Oh, that’s such a sweet story! I love it.

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    • ChicBrownChik says:
      9 October 2017 at 10:44 pm

      That was my mom too. I still watch her primp when we go to visit. And she likes to sit in my makeshift makeup studio and play in my makeup now. Oh how the tables have turned!!

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  9. SFguy says:
    9 October 2017 at 6:07 pm

    Charming post. Here’s another vote for vanilla and cinnamon.

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    • Angela says:
      9 October 2017 at 6:11 pm

      It does sound nice. (And now I’m hungry for snickerdoodles!)

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    • ChicBrownChik says:
      9 October 2017 at 10:45 pm

      I bet I’d gain a few hip pounds just by smelling it. I fill the house woth cinnamon branches starting from Thanksgiving until after New Years. I pray for a year long scent that I can use forever

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  10. lizbee says:
    9 October 2017 at 6:07 pm

    I love this peek into another perfume lover’s collection and habits. Thanks so much for sharing. I also adore the idea of Perfume Wednesdays. ???? If my mom had been a perfume wearer, I would have snuck in for Perfume Thursdays and Fridays, too.

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    • Angela says:
      9 October 2017 at 6:12 pm

      And your mom probably would have sniffed that out and pretended she didn’t know!

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  11. Coin-op says:
    9 October 2017 at 7:31 pm

    Loved this post! And I hope Christy does show up 🙂 i’ve always loved looking at pictures of vanities. If I were one of Chrisy’s daughters, I would be obsessed with the Victoria’s Secret with the hot pink top and Mark Jacobs Daisy bottles.

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    • ChicBrownChik says:
      9 October 2017 at 10:47 pm

      They really are. It’s so weird to see them take interest in my things. I have all brothers and male cousins so I never got to share or swipe my sisters things. They are extra careful with the bottles and I catch them sniffing them whenever they get a chance.

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    • Angela says:
      9 October 2017 at 11:18 pm

      I love photos of vanities, too! I’m always trying to identify the perfume bottles in movies.

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      • Veronika says:
        10 October 2017 at 1:14 am

        I do that too! I always try to recognize perfume bottles! I’d like to know what Bertie Wooster wore but I can never see his cologne bottles clearly))

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        • Coin-op says:
          10 October 2017 at 1:49 am

          Oh, good question! What would he wear? I’ll guess Guerlain Eau de Fleurs de Cedrat – simple, expensive, unisex.

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          • Veronika says:
            10 October 2017 at 3:56 am

            I think he wore English brand. Geo F Trumper maybe?

          • Angela says:
            10 October 2017 at 10:48 am

            I bet he wore a Creed!

        • Angela says:
          10 October 2017 at 10:47 am

          I’ve tried freezing the frame to figure it out. What I need is some sort of CSI equipment that would let me scan old movies and fine-tune the picture!

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  12. hajusuuri says:
    9 October 2017 at 8:17 pm

    How neat! I love how she and her girls share a love of perfumes and how she is setting a good example with reading!

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    • Angela says:
      9 October 2017 at 11:18 pm

      I know! Isn’t that nice?

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  13. Jessica says:
    9 October 2017 at 8:53 pm

    I really enjoyed reading this post! I think I saw her reply to your post on FB and I was hoping she’d follow through with you. I think her vanilla-lemon-sandalwood dream perfume sounds wonderful!

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    • Angela says:
      9 October 2017 at 11:18 pm

      There must already be some delicious perfume like that out there…..

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      • helenviolette says:
        10 October 2017 at 1:12 pm

        I will say Mona di Orio Lux comes to mind. I might have a sample I can throw in with the Chanel No. 5.

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  14. behemot says:
    9 October 2017 at 10:55 pm

    I love this story so much. I would like to share samples from my collection with Christy, including different Chanels. I do not have #5 though, but someone else already offered a sample. Christy or Angela, please, let me know.

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    • Angela says:
      9 October 2017 at 11:19 pm

      You are so nice to think of her, behemoth!

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      • behemot says:
        10 October 2017 at 1:40 pm

        🙂

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  15. Anna Stromberg says:
    10 October 2017 at 8:15 am

    Thank you for this post. I’m intrigued by the Charming Charlie Lace, can anybody tell me more about it?

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    • Angela says:
      10 October 2017 at 10:48 am

      This is a new one to me, too.

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  16. anngd says:
    10 October 2017 at 12:58 pm

    Lovely story, Angela. Christy sounds wonderful. As to her dream perfume – perhaps Shalimar? It has vanilla and lemon, not sure about sandalwood. I could share some. Not super-vintage, probably an 80s bottle.

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    • Angela says:
      10 October 2017 at 1:18 pm

      Shalimar definitely hits the notes, although I’m picturing something softer, somehow. But, who knows? That’s the beauty of perfume–trying and discovering what it is you really like!

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      • anngd says:
        10 October 2017 at 1:56 pm

        So true. The new Luckyscent sample pack is vanillas – some sound quite good and it’s an inexpensive way to discover new things.

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        • Angela says:
          10 October 2017 at 2:13 pm

          That would be a good one for winter, too.

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