Fragrance Fetish Unleashed!

In my 20's I discovered Lancome's Tresor (1956) from a friend of mine in college. To me then the pink liquid was bohemian romance in a bottle, but I was not very knowledgeable about scents. In the mid-90s, I picked up another Lancome, Poeme (1995), which seemed more warmer and spicier. It was the end of the 1990s that I picked up Lancome's Oui (1999), which was a more fruitier and fun offering. The 2000s, I held off on fragrances as I went back to school, worked at home, and became a mother. When I look back, I am afraid I may have overused these fragrances and I apologize.

Since I have been back to working outside of the home, I have found myself in a fragrance-friendly workplace. Our employer bought a Sephora fragrance sampler for a co-worker, which brought three of us women to the store to try on scents. It awoke something in me, but I was fully pushed over into obsession when my employer shared a spritz of Diorissimo Parfum. Oh, my. Since you cannot get Diorissimo at Sephora, I tried Dior L'Adore and found it delightful on me as well. There are samples of Vera Wang by Vera Wang (nice), Magical Moon by Hanae Mori (little too strong -- need to try it but pull back on the amount I dab on), Bvlgari by Bvlgari, and somewhere I have Marc Jacobs Daisy.

My nose has put me in a disadvantage as I cannot smell very well unless it is on my skin. The parfum needs to cook on my skin for me to judge if it will work. Since I have only used EDT versions of fragrances, I need to get used to applying sparingly the parfum (not hard when the pocket book only allows small bottles).

The Internet has been a great source for getting up to speed on fragrances. I am on the trail of Mitsouko by Guerlain before it was re-formulated to replace the oak moss. The intense descriptions of this 1919 fragrance intrigues me. Dior's Eau Savage is on my list to get even though it is a men's fragrance. This fragrance would round out my collection with a citrus-green that was born on the same year I was -- 1966 (another source has it 1956). My surname de plume was Savage once and it is a good choice for Summer so it is naturally on the list. In looking around, I found a limited edition version of Dior J'Adore L'Absolu, which is supposed to be an improvement on J'Adore and an alternative to buying an ultra-popular scent.

So on the way is a bottle of Christain Dior J'Adore L'Absolu and a bottle of pure parfum of Diorissimo. On Ebay, I am bidding on a Lot of (5) Guerlain Mini Parfumes. The five are Shalimar, Champs Elysees, Samsara, Mitsouko and Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune. Each bottle is full and holds .17 fl. oz. except for the Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune which holds .25 fl. oz. Another lot is SHALIMAR PARFUM - 0.17 FL OZ 5 ML, SHALIMAR EAU DE TOILETTE NATURAL SPRAY - 0.5 FL OZ 5ML, SAMSARA EAU DE TOILETTE - 0.17 FL OZ 5ML, CHAMPS-ELYSEES EAU DE TOILETTE 0.17 FL OZ 5ML, MITSOUKO EAU DE TOILETTE - 0.17 FL OZ 5ML. I am also bidding on a Mitsouko By Guerlain Women EDT Spray NIB 1.0 oz RARE. Among the 3 bottles of Mitsouko I am hoping to find the holy grail of pre-reformulated bliss everyone is talking about.

[Lost the first group of mini-bottles by 50 cents! doh!

With any luck, I will have three Diors and some Guerlain to add to three Lancomes. Will I be wearing the Lancome fragrances? They are Eau de Toilette, so you get more alcohol than what you would get in a parfum. The Eau Savage is EDT, so I guess I won't be completely abandoning EDT. I guess I will rotate them and see if they stand up to the Diors and hopefully the Guerlain.

My fragrance fetish may not be the most healthy vice, but as I am giving up the last of my vices for a diet -- I need something to replace them. Spare amounts per day shouldn't be a problem and if it is oh heck, it makes me happy and it appeals to my nostalgic nature. It makes me feel more optimistic, feminine, and finished. Parfum is just another layer of clothing. Parfum is like having a piece of finely crafted chocolate, silk stockings and lingerie, and a shot of really good liquor in a vintage apartment in Paris reading Anais Nin's diary.

My current obsession connects me to my great, great grandmother, Salome who would get the latest perfumes and fashions from Paris back in the late 1800s and early 20th century. Her sister, Mary Jane, who was married to the famous photographer, William Rulofson would go to Paris and bring back these fragrances and clothes. Salome was a down-to-earth woman who loved to ride horses, but always smelt wonderful.

Speaking of smelling wonderful, I tried L'INSTANT DE GUERLAIN EAU PARFUM, and it is very dreamy with its honey, magnolias, and amber. Some say it is heavy for Summer, but just smells wonderful on the skin to wait for cooler weather. Dabbing a little from the sampler on my wrists, I walked in the room and my hubby commented how nice it smelled.

So, Guerlain works for my chemistry so I am hoping to get the following in my collection:

1. SAMSARA (1989)- spiritual, serene-inspired by a woman whose inner beauty captivated its creator. Created by Jean - Paul Guerlain
2. MITSUOKO (1919)-mysterious, assertive--dedicated to the elusive heroine in "Madame Butterfly". Created by Jacques Guerlain
   
3. EAU DE COLOGNE IMPERIALE (1853)-fresh, invigorating--commissioned for Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III. Created by Jean - Paul Guerlain
   
4. SHALIMAR (1925)--sensuous, seductive--inspired by the love of an Indian Emperor for his cherished wife. Created by Jacques Guerlain
   
5. EAU DE GUERLAIN ( 1974 ) -- Vibrant, Inviting. Inspired by the sun - kissed region of Provence, France. Created by Jean - Paul Guerlain
   
6. Jardins de Bagatelle ( 1983 ) -- Festival of White Flowers. This carefree celebration of sunlight and happiness evokes the joy of a lover's rendezvous in a moonlit garden. Created by Jean - Paul Guerlain
   
7. CHAMADE (1969)--feminine, assured--translated as "The wild beating of the heart". Inspired by a womans confident nature. Created by Jean - Paul Guerlain.