The Power of Fragrance

The sense of smell is something I hope never to lose. A cup of coffee; cinnamon; bacon are just a few of the scents that wet my appetite. An apple pie in the oven; a turkey roasting; and sauteed onions and garlic will make my head turn immediately.

Something else though are perfumes and colognes. When I was a young girl, women wore fragrances to mask body odor or to cover up cigarette smell. That habit seems to have waned with the advent of antiperspirants and so few smokers. I don't remember when I stopped wearing cologne; probably within the past 6 or 7 years.  Eliminating fragrance at work became an "unwritten" rule.

Some of my favorite memories though are triggered by fragrances worn by women. One of my favorite aunts always wore "Shalimar". The fragrance can be described as vanilla, powdery, and sweet. I enjoyed hugging her because I loved her smell.  My mother's was Coty L'Aimant - a delicate fragrance combining rose, orchid and golden jasmin softly embraced with sandalwood and vanilla. After mom passed away 34 years ago, I found her L'Aimant small solid perfume container in her jewelry box. I still have that jewelry box and perfume container. The fragrance is quite faint, but still there.

My fragrance is Chanel #5...a complex fragrance which does not allow any of the components to be isolated out of the composition. It is one of the very first gifts "sweetie" bought for me when we were dating. He kept buying me that fragrance for many years. Over time we mutually agreed to stop purchasing gifts for one another and I'm still OK with that decision; but I sure do miss that Chanel #5.
The thought of purchasing it for myself never occurred to me.

This past week while cutting through Macy's at Mayfair I walked the gauntlet of women's fragrances. Typically I ignore them and even go out of my way to avoid that area, but for some reason I walked right through the middle. On impulse I stopped at the Chanel counter and asked if they had Chanel #5 in a spray bottle. Of course they did - in two sizes and three forms. So I bought the smallest bottle. Not cheap that's for sure! Lets just say before tax; it was very slightly under $100. Of course I bought it. I love it and intend to gently spray it on every once in awhile.

I hope if you hug me, you'll like it too.