Saturday, 8 November 2014

On Perfume Promiscuity - The Great Solo Scent Adventure - Part 1


Do you remember simpler times when you wore just one perfume?

19 year old me solely reached for O de Lancome, a superbly lemony squirt of liquid energy that groomed me for a sweaty night’s dancing at a warehouse party. There were no baffling perfume drawers housing a multitude of olfactory options to rifle through. I adored O de Lancome, I finished two bottles of it.

The smell of my raving adventures in 1992 - O de Lancome, sweat and Coca Cola

These days the finishing of a bottle is quite an event, a rarity, to be celebrated by the transference of the bottle to the ‘display shelf’ where it sits without fear of light tainting it’s juice and turning it to smell of bad biscuits or nail polish.

The other night I suffered a fearsome anxiety dream. I dreamt that I was returning to my old job in Portugal and had just twenty minutes to pack for my relocation. I frantically tried to stuff clothes and scents into a tiny suitcase, pacing my flat in panic about my collection of art books and my beloved manky old stuffed weasel. Upon awakening, I pondered my perfumes and questioned, what would I actually take with me if this relocation had been real?
I decided it was time to stop buying (clears throat and looks a bit shifty). I have enough. Especially as I often receive samples to review for Odiferess. There is perfume aplenty. 

I am an olfaction slut, a promiscuous lover, incapable of loyalty to my most valued bottle(s). I couldn’t choose my marriage whiff without taking on a whole orgy of whiffy lovers. And with this in mind, I am embarking on an adventure. I am going to choose just one perfume and wear it for three days, to see what it is like to once again be faithful. No scented candles, no odorous bath oils, no fragrant body lotions, no cheating.

It starts on Monday.

I will be joined in my adventure by five online scent buddies who will be keeping a diary to record their thoughts as they ignore the temptation of their abandoned lovers. Our findings will be published in a week or so.

A bewildering choice in the mornings

I’ve been pondering which of my favourites to select for the challenge, here is my shortlist:

Guerlain – Idylle (click here to read my review)

My most easily wearable fragrance. It projects bright and sparkly facets to enliven me in the morning, whilst it is luxuriant enough to sooth my senses post evening bath.

Clinique – Wrappings (click here to read my review)

Simply because it’s beautiful – a most vibrant and outdoorsy leathery wood that always elicits a bewitched sigh upon application.

Carven – Ma Griffe (makes a small appearance here)

I don’t own a bottle of Ma Griffe but I do have a large enough sample to fit the purpose. I’ve considered the purchase of a full bottle so wearing this one would help me to decide if I really want one or not (though I have already stated that I am not buying anymore, see how long my resolve lasts?!).

Oriza L. Legrand – Relique D’ Amour

Another generous sized sample. This one is next up for review at Odiferess. I adored this wooded lily fairy tale when I first spritzed it from the envelope. Wearing it for three days would help me to gain a strong feel for what to write about in my review.
Which one do you think I should choose?

I would love my readers to join in with the adventure. We embark upon waking on Monday morning and will not be permitted to seek the lure of another until Thursday morning. When I publish the results it would be wonderful to hear how you too fared.

Gulp…

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5 comments:

  1. Good luck :)
    I've been wearing guerlain heritage 90% of the time recently, I will rotate in one of a few others to reinvigorate occasionally. Wearing habits are fascinating.

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    1. Hi Andy,
      It's ages since I've smelt Heritage. I must go and seek it out for a sniff.

      It is fascinating isn't it? I worry that my constant alternating whiffs render me 'identity-less'. It's highly unlikely that I'll ever stick to just one though..

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    2. The identity-less perfumista. I like establishing memory and experience to a scent and by wearing heritage regularly I've managed to do that. Whilst I don't seek identity in it I have formed familiarity.

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  2. So which did you go for...? I put on Eau des Merveilles today, in the knowledge that Birgit of OT managed to wear it for weeks on end. I am not technically promising to play, but we will see how it goes, hehe. ;)

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    1. Ah good choice!
      The choices that I know about so far are really interesting in a way that I am keeping secret until it's all finished. Eau des Merveilles would fit in very well with the others. I opted for Idylle, which again fits right in. I can't wait to write about this. I'm bursting to reveal!
      Good luck if you stick with us. It's already made me think A LOT about what I desire in a perfume.

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