I am able to live as a woman in private but am forced to act like a man in public. Private life allows me the freedom to engage in some female activities, like dressing in cute clothes. But because I'm indoors when I do that, there are some clothes I have never worn.
A simple example are coats. Since I don't go outdoors, why would I bother to buy a stylish woman's coat? What purpose would it serve? How can I justify spending money on an item that never gets used?
This thinking accepts the practical limitations on my life and ignores the intense desires I possess to have female experiences.
Another example is the subject of this post -- perfume. Why would I buy perfume if I never wear it in public or even in anyone else's company? That makes no sense (scents). While this is undeniably true, I still feel deprived at being unable to enjoy the pleasure of wearing a nice perfume. At least I did until recently...
I wear this scent now whenever I dress up. Doing that makes me happy. I love catching a whiff of the perfume as I move around. I hove to spray it on and sniff its sweet scent. Even though there is nobody else around to share this with, I've decided that making myself happy is adequate justification for impracticality.
Do you wear perfume? Why? What brands do you like?
Interesting post.
ReplyDeleteI too like you realised that pleasing myself is sufficient reason to buy perfume.
I have a few bottles now and I even manage to wear one daily for work.
There are lots of lovely perfumes out there and I would love to spend a good few hours smelling them. However that would probably be a daft idea as I'd probably end up spending a small fortune.
I'm always fascinated by scents. As someone who identifies as a super-taster, it's really more that I have an intense sense of smell. So other than my haircare/soap products, I cannot wear sprays or splashes without giving myself a headache. On the other hand, I love sniffing, testing and describing scents like one would a fine wine.
ReplyDeleteMy favorites used to be Cool Water and Ralph Lauren Ralph (a gift, that actually worked with my body chemistry). They are delicious aquatic scents that remind me of ozone or sunshine on a crisp cool day. Both dry down extremely metallic on me now so I can't wear them.
I loved Victoria Secret's Noir, and picked up a $10 sample bottle during the holidays. I still have it two years later, but I still like the scent. I only wear a small spritz on special occasions. It's very luxe. Hard to describe a smell, but it smells very "womanly" to me. Lightly musky, earthy, hint of sweetness.
For daily use, my mom gifted me a bottle of Ralph Lauren Romance body wash (she kept the lotion). I use it about every other day. It smells very masculine? on me. But I do like it.
I got obsessed with ordering from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab awhile back, thinking their outside-the-box oils could work for me. I still haven't ponied up the money on it yet.
I think using perfumes is an intensely personal thing. I only wish I could deaden my sense of smell by a few degrees and really wear something on a daily basis.
Oh! And I do have to say, I am not a fan of those VS body sprays that were so popular in the 90s. They're very overwhelming, cloying. Yuck!
I'm a fan of Demeter scents because I like it when my perfumes smell like 'things'. Not just scents. http://www.demeterfragrance.com/
ReplyDeletePerfume is a must! I think it makes you feel more confident and pretty xx
ReplyDeleteI think if it makes you happy, why not buy/wear perfume?! It's fun! lol I love wearing perfume everyday mostly because I like to smell good and it makes you feel good too. I also love going to the perfume counter and trying all the different scents. I love Vera Wang Princess and Taylor Swift's Wonderstuck lately. My mom is a big fan of Clinique Happy though. :)
ReplyDelete♥Principessa Gabriella
I was like Megan Mae when I was young and would get severe headaches from many perfumes. Then I developed asthma.
ReplyDeleteI used to like spicy smelling perfumes, but now that I have asthma, I cannot tolerate any strong odor or scent. If I even smell perfume it will cause me to not be able to breathe. That is the pits, but it is my life now. I have to tear out all the perfume ads that contain samples from all my magazines. They can be overwhelming at times. Sometimes I cannot even look at a magazine because the scent is so strong.
My biggest issue with perfumes/colognes is the people who bath themselves in them and you can smell them from a distance. Perfumes/colognes should be smelled only when you are close to someone.
But, if it makes you happy, wear it. Life is to short to not enjoy something that makes your heart sing.
I definitely wear perfume as much for myself as for anyone else. And I'm so used to wearing it that I don't feel completely dressed without it.
ReplyDeleteI actually wear a few different perfumes. I like Viktor and Rolfe Flowerbomb, Thierry Muegler Alien and I wear Aquoline Pink Sugar with Versace Crystal Noir. Mixing perfumes is a great way to "individualize" your scent.
I wear a lot of body sprays (Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body, etc)
ReplyDeleteI only wear 2 perfumes- Sensous & Amazing Grace!
Perfume is glorious...I never used to wear it, then my hubby started buying it for me on overseas trips - I have a fair variety...For every day, I like the lighter Dior ranges - Addict and Jadore are wonderful...For special occassions and sometimes I make an ordinary day into a special occassion by wearing "Angel" by Thierry Muegler....it is quite a distinctive scent...Then my absolute favourite - although very heavy and therefore I tend to wear it only in winter, and sometimes evenings, but if it is very hot, then it is a no-go is "Poison" by Dior....Carry on experimenting with different scents and enjoy doing it...Lots of love
ReplyDeleteSometimes doing something JUST because it makes you happy is a good enough reason to do it! That being said, I love perfume. I think there are few things in life more luxurious than an expensive perfume. I used to treat myself to one once or twice a year when I had more spending money ... now I go for the less expensive stuff. Anna Sui had one at Victoria's Secret a few years ago that I LOVED. And Marc Jacobs always has good ones.
ReplyDeleteI like reading about perfume to. Whenever I see an article about it in Vogue, I have to read it.
I wear perfume only when I'm dressed up for a special occasion or going on a date. I have a perfume by Vera Wang that my husband bought me as an engagement gift. I wore the scent on my wedding day so I like to save it for special days.
ReplyDeleteI don't often wear perfume, but I do enjoy it on a special day. I like the heavier, woodsy scents over the light florals. I hope you will enjoy your fragrances and feel wonderful in them!
ReplyDeleteI love my perfumes! So much so that I have to swap out the ones on my bureau by season or I just don't have enough room! If you search my blog for perfume, you'll find a post I did back in June about it. I will spritz myself with a fav scent before bed each night - even if the hub is out of town. Recently I've been experimenting and have become quite good at mixing fragrances! For winter my favs are: Halston (an oldie but goodie), Ysantis and Vera Wang's signature fragrance is good all year round!
ReplyDeleteStop by when you can! http://fortyishandfluffy.blogspot.com/
I'm wearing Rush (Gucci), which is my favorite perfume ever, for the last 20 years! (I can be a very loyal girl!). Kisses :)
ReplyDeleteThere are the days of perfumes, and, others on which I love the simple fragrance of fresh showered skin, of course with a quintessence soap bar "Rose Thé" from "Roger & Gallet".
ReplyDeleteMy perfume since ever is Rose d'Ete from Parfums Rosine. They make a superb men's perfume "Rose d'Homme" which has nothing to do with the usual as men's fragrances sold perfumes. My husband loves it!
In Oman, men use rose perfumes as well. Walking down the road, dressed in long crisp white clothes and turban, smelling like this was delicious.
So, life is to short to go through without a great perfume!
perfume might just be my favorite part of getting dressed in the morning. i think it's amazing what a subtle scent of something can do for your morale, and how it can pull you together.
ReplyDeleteandy warhol had a perfume library. understanding that scent is one of the strongest ways to jog one's memory - he wore different scents for very specific periods of time, bottling up the memories that are associated with each mini-era it was worn. to take quick and sensory trip down memory lane, one need not travel far, but merely to their perfumeria.
i wear:
santa maria novella pomegranate perfume -it's been made by italian monks since the 1300's, and the chemistry hasn't changed. it makes me feel like the definition of a woman.
so pink from the gap - light and citrusy, not overpowering, and totally inexpensive. boys go wild for this scent.
burberry the beat - spicy, good for winter, and for whatever reason, mixes really well with my chemistry.
nina ricci (it's in an apple bottle) - i tried this on at a sephora while waiting to get into the louvre in paris. it will forever remind me of wandering these halls.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_V9GGUyTIXKY/S3QkzKRJebI/AAAAAAAAAbM/erwqkizYcss/s1600/medicicycle.jpg
aqua di parma - this is men's cologne. that's right, i wear cologne. it smells incredible, i think you can get it at neiman marcus, and it reminds me of my first trip to italia. (i lived there for four months following this trip).
chanel no 5 - i just bought a little bottle of this, because, i have this notion that every woman should have something by chanel in her closet. while i can't quite afford the fashionable wears of chanel, i can definitely spritz on a little bit of this scent and feel like a million bucks.
SO HAPPY YOU BOUGHT PERFUME. Obviously, I'm obsessed with it.
xoxox
I'm always trying new perfumes.
ReplyDeleteI associate them with moments - its like they take me somewhere I'd rather be.
Right now my favorites are Amour, Amour by Kenzo and Bulgari.
You know, I don't know why you would not wear a woman's fragrance - I have known women who wear mens. In fact I have too -
I love perfume but I'm so fussy about what I like. I can't describe what I like because I tend to find an exception to the rule if I make one. My favourite perfumes are:
ReplyDeleteThe original Christina Aguilera perfume (sweet)
Davidoff Cool Water (fresh)
Theirry Mugler's Womanity (heady)
CK Eternity for women (spicy)
At the moment I can't afford new ones so I buy the base notes of the perfumes I like on the Perfume Parlour online