Last week I
announced the launch of ‘The Great Solo Scent Adventure’, an experiment
designed to discover how we promiscuous perfume lovers fared when restricted to
wearing just one scent over a period of three days and nights. I intended to
write a single post featuring our results but the responses from the participants
were so intriguing that I posted two of them as stand alone articles. You can
read Tresor’s story of Clinique Aromatics Elixir here and Nancy’s tale of
Armani Privee Ambre Soie (and some extraordinary memories of Hurricane Katrina)
here.
Read them? Best
get the kettle on as it’s going to be a long one!
By far the most
interesting outcome of the experiment was the fraught process of selecting ‘the chosen
one’. My own priority was to choose a fragrance that would feel comfortable
throughout the period. This was tricky as I am very much governed by an AM/PM
feeling. During the evenings I douse myself in something rich and
decadent, an opulent oozy oriental such the original Gucci EDP or Olfactive Studio's Chambre Noire. If I applied these whilst dressing for work in the morning I’d
most probably vomit up my cereal. Mornings find me reaching for the brightest
sparks of my collection, Clinique Wrappings often assists in my awakening with
it’s crisp woody aldehydes and citrus Prozac. At nighttime, it feels just too
darn perky.
The chosen one
needed to fit both criteria, a sparkle in the morning and some evening
sumptuousness. It must not shout at my senses at either end of day. Which is
why I selected Guerlain’s lush floral - Idylle. You can read about my adoration for Idylle by
clicking here.
It struck me that
we all need an ‘Idylle’ i.e that which can safely offer us enjoyment without
being over demanding, a source of
comfort and a reliable ally. One that will elicit a gentle sigh rather than a
fearsome growl upon application. Whilst perusing my collection, I realized that
I have only a couple of bottles of this type of best friend scent. The
diversity of genre is vast, meaning that I pick scents for really specific
moods and times. Most of them are
inappropriate for at least 75% of my sensitive brain’s day.
I surmise that
the next bottle I buy will be another best friend scent. The trouble with
keeping all of these ‘special mooders’ is that although it is fabulous to have
an atmospheric drawer of wonders, they are ultimately going to go off. With
cool dark storage there’ll be no problem whilst they are reasonably full, but
as the bottles empty over the years the oxygen is most likely going to give
the dregs a severe kicking. With this in mind, I sniffed at my beloved bottle
of special mooder - Serge Lutens’ Fille En Aiguilles. The sorry looking final
10 mls still thankfully smelt as it should. Did this count as breaking the rules?
I didn’t spray any but I felt a little concerned that something that wasn’t
Idylle had sneaked up my nose. Perhaps we perfume lovers could benefit from
anti-depressants to stabilize our moods to the point where we only feel a
pleasant blandness. Then all we’ll need will be just one bottle of best friend?
Andrew said of his chosen scent:
“I’m choosing Dior Privée Patchouli Imperiale because
of the private collection that I’ve tried so far, this may be one of my least
favorites so I want a chance to get to know it better, especially since I think
it would be appropriate for Fall.”
And of his
general perfume choice habits:
“Mood, outside temperature, activity, proximity to
others, clothing choice, and general curiosity about new scents all factor into
why I choose a scent. There’s a
level of appropriateness which I generally try to follow, but as I primarily
wear fragrance for myself, I find myself breaking the rules ever so slightly
just because I can. For instance,
I’ll wear Etat Libre d’Orange Rien or Comme des Garçons Black in the Summer but
maybe not applied as heavily. So
even though seasonality does have something to do with the decision, I mostly
wear whatever I want whenever I want.”
Similarly, Charlotte
was not restricted by seasonality:
“I think my mood is the predominant factor in
selecting my fragrance. I don't
wear any of my scents as being for cold weather, or those that are for warm
weather. I have found that some scents
that are deemed cold weather scents such as orientals and some that are deemed
warm weather such as florals are even more beautiful when worn in the opposite
season. Florals take on a new
character in the winter and orientals or heavier scents literally bloom in hot
weather. I never allow season to
dictate my choice of fragrance.”
One factor that
linked all of the participants was a passion for a wide range of fragrance
genres which could be worn at any time we feel like it. Perhaps this scattergun
style appreciation is a contributing factor to the sizable mass of scents that
we own?
On her selection
process, Charlotte said:
“I chose Prada "Infusion d' Iris" because I
think it can be worn by both women and men and during any season. It is one of my favorites, but will I
tire of it after 3 days? Only time
will tell.”
I think that
Charlotte’s choice represents a ‘best friend’ scent in that (alike my Idylle)
it is beautiful but not challenging. Was Charlotte adopting a similar approach
to me for the adventure?
Linda’s choice was:
“David
Yurman’s Exotic Essence (I will be calling it EE here)
It
had to be safe for all times of day/night, not too heavy or too light (skin
levels bore me fast). Something I really liked that wouldn’t kill me if I could
no longer stand to wear it. I looked for one where I had a full bottle and a
purse size or samples to take with me, and hopefully a lotion also. It would be a versatile, semi generic,
sweet, vanilla, floral or fruity”
Prior to the
adventure we experienced mixed feelings. Personally, I felt some excitement in
the idea that I would be returning to the days of not obsessing about perfume
(I know I write about the stuff prolifically, but it can often be overwhelming
in it’s intrusion of my life). Here’s how the others felt:
“Frightened,
I know I will be bored within the first day and what if I ruin that scent for
me. What the heck have gotten myself into?!?!?!” Linda
“I
think it will present a real challenge because I like to change my scent at
least twice a day if not more.” Charlotte
“I
could do it but it would be a bit challenging. We’re not exactly the same people for three days at a
time. Life isn’t static and
neither are our perfume choices.” Andrew
The Diaries:
Andrew
Monday:
9:00AM - I nearly
forgot this was the week I was wearing the same fragrance for three days
straight! Nearly…well, after three
spritz and hitting the road, I’ve unfortunately come to the conclusion that
that was two spritzes too many.
Yikes! The projection on
this thing! Tonight, I’ll have to
tone it down and stick with just one tiny spritz.
I chose Christian Dior Collection Privée Patchouli Imperiale because of
the other Dior Privées that I have or have had, vintage Bois d’Argent, Cologne
Blanche, Ambre Nuit, Eau Noire, Leather Oud, and Oud Ispahan, this one gets the
least amount of use and I’m not sure why because I love patchouli. There’s also something Dior has going
on with all those I’ve mentioned; I’ll call it the Diorade, à la
Guerlainade. It’s something that’s
common about all of these, a similar base that tells me without a doubt, this
is Dior Collection Privée, and I recognize and welcome that in Patchouli
Imperiale. Still, there’s
something in PI that I’m not naturally gravitating toward as often as the
others, outside of the Dior house as well. Maybe I just need to apply it more sparingly and get to know
it more slowly.
6:30PM - One
conservative spritz in the evening and my suspicions were proven correct. I’m enjoying this far more, able to
explore more distinct notes without the intensity of the beastly projection I
afflicted myself with earlier this morning. It’s a creamy patchouli, coupled with that recognizable
Diorade I mentioned earlier.
Qu’est-ce que c’est, ce Diorade?
Hmm…let me try to describe it.
It’s a clean heart or middle note, a little marine, slightly ozonic in a
neutral kind of way, sweet, nutty, a little powdery but not too powdery. Depending on what gets added to it, for
example, turn it into a Cologne Blanche and you get more powder, but go the any
of the other directions and, though it remains a common element, it’s not as
pronounced.
Tuesday:
8:30AM – Just one
spritz. Okay, probably just half a
regular spritz. Interesting…I find
that the less I use, the more I like this Dior Privée. Rather than overwhelm, it plays out
sort of a salted caramel note and I can explore the slightly powdery patchouli
without being distracted by the sweetness. In fact, it actually takes on a nuttier vibe. I even think I’m getting something
slightly animalic. And no, I did
not check out any of the accords or note classifications prior to or during
this experiment as I want to be certain what I’m perceiving is actual and not
merely by suggestion.
7:30PM – Caramel
corn…with peanuts. Maybe, I don’t
know anymore. With an additional
mini-reapplication, I’m getting really different notes, maybe as it’s mixing
with my chemistry more and more.
This isn’t that far off from that O’Driu Peety perfume that encourages
you to add a little of “yourself” to personalize it. We do that with our own sweat, don’t we? And yes, we all sweat, so there’s no use
getting grossed out there.
10:30PM – Slightly
spicy, earthy, caramel corn – on account of the sweetness accompanied with a
butteryness. Today has convinced
me that where Patchouli Imperiale is concerned, less is certainly more. And to be perfectly honest, though it’s
been tough not trying on or wearing other fragrances, I’m determined to stick
to this three day challenge. It’s
actually rather nice not spending the excess time pondering what fragrance to wear,
not that this took up an enormous amount of time usually, but just that that
part of my life was instantly simplified at least for three days.
Wednesday:
7:30AM –
Okay, I feel like I may need to do this with all fragrances I’m unsure about
and even with those that I am because I really feel that by the third day of
this mini-adventure, I’ve really gotten to know Dior Patchouli Imperiale.
There are quick, cursory judgments in so many things we do
in life, like what we instantly think of that person on the road cuts us off
and who also happens to have an inspirational bumper sticker expressing their
view on life, or when you take the time to open the door for someone who glides
through, their nose stuck to their smart phone, not even acknowledging your
existence or courtesy…I think perfume suffers the same kind of mishap. It’s a two way street, how the perfume
performs, expresses itself, and how it performs and expresses itself when
combined with you; it’s really a chemistry experiment and sometimes there’s a
connection, sometimes it takes time, like dating. And everyone’s chemistry is so unique so there are more
factors at play than what the sales associate at a fragrance counter can tell
you or what a fragrance blogger’s opinion may be. Those are all subjective assessment and you’ll never really
know until you go down that road for yourself.
I actually had one sales associate do a very unique fragrance
consultation on me, asking me about my diet and nutrition. He said that your body’s PH levels also
greatly affect how a fragrance performs on you. I forget the particulars of our discourse, but I recall that
at that very time, I was exploring Veganism, which, even excluding carbs, would
make me more alkaline than usual.
Apparently, that matters.
Great, you’re thinking; now I have to worry about how my diet is
affecting my fragrance and not just my waistline. But if you think about it, next time you wrinkle your nose
at a fragrance you’re trying, don’t take it all out on the fragrance because you
actually have a contributing factor as well. And don’t take other people’s word for it either.
And now, back to Patchouli Imperiale…I get an almondy note this morning
with a smooth patchouli that evokes polish and clean lines, not crunchy and
hippy-dippy vibes. Worn lightly,
this might even be appropriate for work.
2:04PM –
Butterscotch/floral something?
4:57PM – Sweet,
earthy floral. A very clean
patch. If
anything, these three days have taught me to slow down, take time, and really
appreciate the fragrance I put on and not merely spritz and go, or to keep a
wandering eye as to what’s new or next in the search. Knowing what I now know, I’d wear this
more. But then again, I feel like
giving more of my fragrances this kind of a field trip to really get to know
them one on one.
7:38PM – Re-spritzed
after the gym and shower and no, I didn’t overwhelm anybody at the gym
previously. I just had on what I
put on from the morning, which had settled in and mellowed nicely into that
non-descript Diorade. Now, if I
could smell my own neck, I could probably tell it was Dior Patchouli Imperiale,
but otherwise just a cozy, slightly warm, close skin scent.
Right now though, post-gym, my body temperature is still a little
elevated so even the tiniest spritz is projecting right up to my nostrils but
by now, it’s a familiar scent, one that reminds me that this is what fragrance
is all about, enjoying the composition bit by bit, having it play a part, like
a soundtrack in the things you do day in – day out, but most importantly, how
it makes you feel; inspired, nostalgic, adventurous, somber, mysterious, sexy,
beguiling, safe, comfortable, or just natural.
I feel like I’ve really gotten to know my Dior Collection Privée
Patchouli Imperiale or better yet, it’s gotten to know me better, and together,
we’ve reached a mutual understanding.
Almost tempted...
Charlotte:
Monday
After
my shower this morning, I liberally sprayed on my Infusion d' Iris. I love the clean notes of this
fragrance. I am anxious to see how
tomorrow will be as I apply the same fragrance.
Tuesday
The
Infusion d' Iris is beckoning me to apply it for a second day. My other bottles are gazing longingly
at me though, saying "pick me".
This evening after a warm shower, a manicure of my nails and general
pampering, I felt a strong urge to try something new, but I resisted the
impulse.
Wednesday
I will
stick with this 3 day project, I told myself as I applied Infusion d'Iris for
the third day. My new bottle of
Amouage "Sunshine" was calling my name though because it is a cool
dreary day here in the Tundra. I wore
my committed fragrance all day and it is evening. I have taken my shower and will apply one last spray of the
Prada, but my heart longs for just a spritz of the "Sunshine".
My
conclusion, I am a confirmed and dedicated fragrance whore, who would find it
impossible to be faithful to just one fragrance!
Exotic Essence
Linda
"Weekend
before: EXTREME panic, worry, stress!!!!
Monday
AM: Loving the scent as usual, a lot less panic.. Maybe this
will work out okay, going to the San Francisco coast, a different weather there,
windy salt air, should be okay.
Afternoon: Sprayed. Still nice, enjoying it. EE is going fine
in the cool windy SF, in both the salty pier and in the spicy Chinatown areas.
Evening: sprayed, okay & still appreciating the scent but
after 10 hrs I am starting to get a bit bored with the peach & wanting a
heavier scent as I usually wear a strong floral or heavy oriental at this time.
Bed 1am – definitely getting tired of but doing okay, it’s
sweet enough to what I usually spray on bedding.
Tuesday
AM: sprayed, still like EE but not enjoyed it as much as
usual, It didn’t make me do the “smile, & close my eyes while taking a deep
inhale and savor”
Afternoon: I
think I cannot smell EE as strongly as usual. A half hour after spraying I need to sniff right above my
skin to smell it. Mix of feelings,
boredom and bit of frustration. I
still like it but not enjoying it.
If I had to rate the scent on parfumo now, which allows rate by
increments of 10, I’d only give it a 70 instead of the 90 I usually feel
towards it..
Evening:
Sprayed. Canned peaches in heavy syrup? How did the sweetness get so heavy? Where did those lovely
oriental notes go? My eyes keep going to my bottle of Fancy Nights, the heavy,
sharp patchouli in it is so calling to me like an old-time siren.. LOL Nope, I am staying strong..
Bed: not
spraying my linens, think going without is preferable at this time. Hope changing my habit is not cheating…
But I need a break, clear my nose and maybe I will enjoy EE more tomorrow.
Wednesday
AM - delayed until almost noon, hesitation, apprehensive, but
once I did spray I liked the scent, and EE is back to her normal yummy
self. So although I’m bored and
the excitement is missing, I can pretty much still enjoy her. Can’t look at my other bottles thou, they are getting just
too tempting. My mind is remembering
Gres’ Cabotine Rose and how perfect she’d be right now..
Afternoon – Frustration is really kicking in, I’m getting
snippy over little things. Right
after spraying I got a headache.
I’d do anything for a change of scent right now, am going to cut a bunch
of the last of my roses to bring indoors.
Evening – Want to bath in Ysatis instead of spraying EE
again, but did.. Even LouLou or Chl#5 are looking good to me right now and I
can rarely take wearing them..
After an hour I broke down and spray the room with a strong air
freshener, Scentsy’s Green Tea and Cactus. I actually feel much better, almost
like I’m clean again. Yeah I
probably cheated even if I didn’t put it on me, sorry but even people who have
a signitature scent are occasionally surrounded by other smells.
Bed - Sprayed my pillow & sheets with EE, couldn’t take
spraying myself again. The cloying
sweetness is starting to make me nauseous. EE is sweet but not nearly as heavy
as she seems to be to me right now. I don’t dislike EE but I think it will be a
long long before I can wear her again. My mind is racing with trying to decide what
wonderfully different scents I get to wear tomorrow, think I’ll start with a fresh almost greenish floral in
morning, Tigress in the afternoon,
then something really heavy..
O all the possibilities!!"
Back in the UK, two of my fragrance buddies Margaret and Avril decided
to join in. Although I didn’t give them the questionnaire that I sent to the
others (for fear of the article being too huge, aherm…), they did send me some
thoughts on their experiences. In similarity to Linda, Margaret did not enjoy
it:
Margaret
“Experiment
time was BORING!! I have
discovered that I’m not over impressed by Visa compared to Fracas and it did
not last on me, but what’s new there?
I actually got through a full 5ml decant in an attempt to keep myself
scented. My hands were itching to
spray something different with more oomph. It felt wrong somehow and I felt I was being disloyal to all
my other babies. I thought it
would be easy and yes I managed but I’m so happy I can wear something else
tomorrow as I have discovered I need to change perfume to match mood and
weather and I feel out of sorts if I do not. I honestly did not think I would feel like that and its
strange I think in the future I could manage to go without ANY perfume for 3
days rather than wear the same. How crazy is that?”
I can understand Margaret’s point. Although
I loved each spritz of Idylle I did not feel the need to spray at my usual
frequent intervals. Perhaps the multiple spraying habit tends to be driven by
the necessity of ‘newness’?
Avril also had issues with being able to
smell her choice of scent:
Avril
“This
3 day thing was amazing!
Day 1 I was delighted I chose Le Parfum de Therese. I
hadn't worn it since I bought it a couple of months back and really enjoyed
getting wafts of it. I could pick up on the individual components a lot more
than before like the tangerine, melon and slight vetiver… It gets a bad rep for
longevity and sillage but on me it lasted a good 4 hours which is a miracle for
me. The drydown is beautiful too.
Normally
I wear a daytime frag and always wear something else in the evening. I get
bored easily and no matter how much I like a scent I need a change of scenery
as the day progresses. So I just reapplied and still enjoyed it as much as I
had during the day. I was quite taken aback at how lovely it still smelled, as
if I had freshly applied. It's rare I get that on reapplication. So day 1 was
fab!
Day
2 I woke up excited to wear it again as I'd enjoyed day 1 so much. I also
enjoyed not spending an hour at bedtime deliberating on what fragrance to wear
the next day. This is an annoying part of my bedtime routine as I chop and
change my mind and get into a panic if I can't make my mind up! It's a bit like
the comfort of a school uniform. So day 2 was rather like day 1. Longevity
wasn't as good as day 1 though and even when I reapplied I couldn't really
smell it. I reapplied again in the
evening and was disappointed I couldn't smell it like before.
Day
3 I still got up and wore it. Although I couldn't smell it at all and it
wore off really quickly. At this stage I had received some perfumes I'd bought
with lots of decants and tried one on a jumper. The smell was incredible and I
was so dying to try it on my skin!!! So I had a shower, and then I caved in. I
couldn't resist. I had to smell
it. I needed some olfactory stimulation! !!
So
all in all a very interesting experiment.
I will definitely do it again with another scent but for 2 days I think
rather than 3.
As for me?
Well, I’m glad the others contributed
so thoroughly to the adventure because my own experience was, from a literary
point of view, rather boring! I began with adoring Idylle and ended with
adoring Idylle. It was, indeed, ideal.
In the days preceding the adventure I over
thought my choice of scent, spending too much time spraying my potentials and
pondering which one would be consistently pleasing. This was the only genuine bit
of drama in my experience.
On night two, Margaret spoke to me of Visa
which initiated my only wobble. Because although she regretted her choice, Visa is one
of my most beloved scents. After I left our Facebook conversation I sat by my
dressing table and held my miniature bottle of Visa. I managed to resist
temptation and left it out ready to apply at the end of the challenge. When the
end came I dopily reached for Idylle post morning shower and went off to work
smelling exactly the same as I had for the last three days. It was pleasant…
So what have we learnt from this experience?
Several of the participants concluded that it gave them the opportunity to thoroughly get to know their scent which perhaps does not happen when we wear them infrequently. In particular Andrew and Nancy seemed to develop a strong sense of the different facets and subtle changes during the wear of their chosen ones, ultimately deepening their appreciation of them. I personally found that I was more sensitive to the beauty of the dry down of Idylle, a factor I had previously missed due to plastering on a stronger scent as it wore off.
I have thought for some time that owning a vast collection of scents was somewhat pointless due to the dreaded molecular disintegration that occurs when you can't get through those bottles fast enough. Perhaps it's time to get rid of the lesser loved and cherish only those that would survive a few days of continuous wear? I'm not saying that I'd care to part with my rarely worn wonder - Fille En Aiguilles, but I do believe now that there is only room for a small handful of these exotic occasional scents in my collection.*
* I reserve the right to change my mind about this in the near future and continue to amass a stash of daft scents.
Thank you so much to all of those who took part, your responses were fascinating and I'm enormously grateful. Thank you also to my readers who managed to find time to wade their way through the almighty word count of this adventure. The next one will be brief, I promise.
If you enjoyed this article and would like to be notified of new posts, you can use the 'subscribe by email box' on the right hand side. Feedburner will send you an email asking for you to confirm the request. Alternatively, hit 'like' at:
https://www.facebook.com/odiferess
