I love fragrance, perfumes and colognes

I love fragrance. I grew up in a poor family so I did not have access to the “great scents,” but we liked to smell nice and took it for granted. My mother is a life long wearer of Jean Nate, partly because she cannot tolerate sweet fragrance, or in fact, any other fragrance but Jean Nate. My first fragrance was No. 4711, the redoubtable, wonderful German cologne. I still love it. It is a refreshing, classic, and totally unique fragrance, worn by men and women. In high school I added two other fragrances, one called “Meadow” that I found in a pharmacy when visiting my best friend near Rochester, and “Evening in Paris.” My sister in law bought Avon, but she did not share! My niece works for Mac and she does not share! Speaking of Mac, I love “Asphalt Flower,” which I bought as a necklace that carries a slide in glass tube of fragrance.

My first upgrade in perfume was with my first job, when I started wearing Channel No. 19. My ex was walking by a fragrance counter with me in Macy’s and detecting a fragrance he loved, he tracked it down and found it was “Cinnabar,” which he insisted I buy and I wore for quite a while. I also wore “Anais, Anais,” “Pavlova” and after some trepidation, did go for the power fragrances, such as “Opium” when they became popular in the 1980’s. I bought the obligatory “Ralph Lauren” and while I consider it a very good fragrance, it never became a favorite of mine. I love the Caswell & Massey “Number Six,” which was George Washington’s cologne. I really went into a phase of collecting fragrances, since I enjoy so many of them and consider them a part of my day to day wardrobe (including to athletic practice. Once when at my fencing lesson in college one of the fencers stopped his bout and ran around trying to sniff out who was wearing the great fragrance; when he found me he pointed saying, “It’s her! It’s her!”) I bought and still wear these fragrances: “Royal Secret,” “Metal,” “Coriandre,” Guerlain’s “L’Heure Bleu,” “Giorgio Armani,” “First” by van Cleaf & Arpels, “Winter Sweet” by Molton Brown, “L’Air du Temps” by Nina Ricci, “Oscar de la Renta,” “Calvin Klein,” "Tresor" and others that I can’t think of now because I’m listing what is in my “train case” and I have much more in storage. When Giorgio Beverly Hills came out with their signature fragrance I could not stand its sweetness and it was so heavily promoted that it was sprayed all over department stores at that time. But I liked their later entry, "Gio," in a beautiful bottle that just reminds one of the acqua seas. I have a bottle of “Red” that I bought when I was having a jones to buy some perfume a few years ago. I buy Carnation scented fragrances when I can find them.

For years I wore Jean Paul Gaultier because it was given to me by an ex. I liked the fragrance, but hated the headless woman bottles. Sometimes, just because it is possible to do something “edgy” and “arty,” it still is not the right thing to do. I know why people design things like that, and it’s not the sex or sensuality (which I have no objection to) but it’s the schizophrenic implications that have been baked into “art” and “culture,” to everyone’s detriment. When the relationship went defunct I threw away the remaining perfume and bottles.

I’ve bought a few vintage Avon bottles with product remaining: Hawaiian White Ginger, Bird of Paradise, one that’s shaped like an upside down bell shaped flower, Island Parakeet Moon wind Cologne, Her Prettiness Cream Sachet (in a wonderful jar that is shaped like a blue fountain with a gold fish in waves leaped on top), and After Shave Spicy (in a large silver container that is a reproduction of the Indian Head Buffalo Nickel.) I guess you could call that last one a Spice Buffalo Head.

One of my favorite fragrances was a gift to me by a friend, who thought it would be perfect for me, and it was, “Apple.” I made that bottle last to the very final drop. My best friend knew I wore “Poison” so she gave me “Poison Light” to try, which I liked. She also brought a perfume back for me from France which was great, but got thrust in storage in my haste of selling my house. I treasure the bottle of “Realm” that I bought in the shop in the mall in the World Trade Center as a reminder of that sad place that I commuted through daily for many years. My favorite all around fragrance is “Pheromone” by Marilyn Miglin. I’ve recently worn a lot of “Shalimar,” but am outgrowing that now.

Recent fragrances I’ve bought and like: Doce & Gabbana “light blue,” Estee Lauder “pleasures delight.” I stopped having high paying jobs before I could try such great fragrances, recommended to me by celeb acquaintances, such as the Creed line. I’m reading about them to enjoy the ingredient list. Living jobless in Mississippi I’m not finding many samples handed out in department stores ha ha ha.