Oct 10
 |
Ambushed by perfume
I went perfume shopping the other day. Okay, I'll confess. I wasn't actually shopping for a scent to spray upon my hot flashing skin, but that's where I ended up. At the perfume counter in Bloomies, with a very nice saleslady well versed in the historical, sociological, psychological and physiological theories of perfume.
As it turns out, buying perfume is not as easy as I thought.
My daughter knew exactly what she was looking for. And so, like daughter, like mother, I decided I would buy the same bottle. Why not?
Well, I'll tell you why not. Wearing the same scent as someone you hang around with is an absolute no-no. According to perfume etiquette, every woman must wear her very own fragrance.
Well, if that's the case, then back in high school, I along with everyone else I knew committed a huge "perfume faux pas" as we all wore the same scent: Ambush.
We seemed to be just fine with this. I was never confused as to who I was and never mistaken for someone else. Although, it would have been nice if my crush did think I was one of the popular cheerleaders.
But back to my current dilemma--finding a fragrance to call my own. This entailed being ambushed with a questionnaire the likes of those meme things that go around the Internet. What's my favorite smell? Am I a fruity person? Spicy? Citrusy? What scent turns me on? What smell makes me hungry? What kind of soap do I prefer? What element am I--air, earth, fire, water? What's my sign?
Honestly now. All I wanted was a nice fragrance to mask the sweat which turns the back of my neck into a slip and slide and my armpits into a wading pool.
How about a vodka fragrance? I asked. Or one with a blue cheese olive aroma? I'd rather smell like I'd been drinking than a locker room.
In the end, I was too confused to buy anything. And all the different smells, from coffee to chocolate to roses started to affect my thinking.
I left with a few samples. And with the question zigzagging through my brain--If I were a scent what would it be?
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Comments (56)
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Report Sun Oct 21, 2012 - 5:42 amI'm with you Janie! If it came in a vodka or better yet margarita scent sign me up! I have stayed with the same scent for years and no one has complained or complimented yet so I figure I am doing ok. There is no way I can approach a perfume counter in Macy's and come out sane.Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Tue Oct 23, 2012 at 7:20 am
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Report Mon Oct 15, 2012 - 6:19 amI always hate when they all ambush you as you walk into the department. Everyone is determined to spray you from head to toe in the most vile perfumes ever. I've noticed over the years that the mainstream stuff doesn't agree with me. It either sets off my allergies or turns into something unpleasant after an hour or two on my skin. I prefer to mix my own essential oils. Tangerine, vanilla, Linden. Yummy.... :DReply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Wed Oct 17, 2012 at 9:04 am
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Report Sat Oct 13, 2012 - 4:38 amVictoria's Secret Pink, Fresh & Clean! And Bath & Body Works Midnight Pomegranate... mmmmm! Both of these scents calm my mind and senses.Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Sun Oct 14, 2012 at 11:37 pm
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Report Sat Oct 13, 2012 - 4:09 amLove it Janie. You always take me back into my past. I'll have a little Canoe to go with my Ambush. If you remember that all the girls wore Ambush, you must remember that all the boys wore Canoe!!!Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Sun Oct 14, 2012 at 11:36 pm
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Wed Oct 10, 2012 - 7:05 pm
I'm terrible at this very thing. I like anything that smells like food. Vanilla? Yes! Lime, orange? Um, yeah! Chocolate? Bring it. So I've opted to dissolve donuts in orange juice and dab it in my mouth hole.Reply -
2 replies, Last reply by SEO on Fri Oct 12, 2012 at 11:38 am
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Report Thu Oct 11, 2012 - 6:33 pmMy husband's becoming increasingly allergic to everything I put on--so lately I've been using eau natural.Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Thu Oct 11, 2012 at 7:17 pm
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Report Thu Oct 11, 2012 - 9:37 amFragrance - Oh, yes. My mother wore White Linen and Dad wore Laugerfeld - those are still two of my favorites - although I don't wear White Linen and my husband doesn't care for Laugerfeld. My #1 choice for years has been Chloe but I also like 'Clean' that's under the Sephora name.Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Thu Oct 11, 2012 at 9:54 am
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Report Thu Oct 11, 2012 - 8:47 amJanie-u know I remember the smell of Jergens Lotion @ your house long time ago. Love those memories. Ok-you know I always smell like cookies or the like. I can't really wear perfume as it makes me sneezy, but I do love my Ecco Bella Vanilla Lotion with a gentle spritz of The Gap's "Heaven" Eau de toilette! There! That's my secret schmelle! OMG I used to luv Rive Gauche! This was a really good read. If ibhafbut my way, I'd like to make a combo scent of Tequila & Tomolives!! xxxxReply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Thu Oct 11, 2012 at 9:33 am
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Thu Oct 11, 2012 - 1:30 am
Janie - the idea of you smelling like a blue cheese olive made me laugh out loud. Thanks for that image! XOReply -
1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Thu Oct 11, 2012 at 5:27 am
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Report Wed Oct 10, 2012 - 11:25 pmI remember Ambush and used it like all of those other girls. For years I was obsesed with Obsession and got lots of compliments on it. Maybe I should try it again. My mother also uses Jean Nate and it smells refreshing. I also love cinnamon and vanilla, and I adore the smell of saute garlic with onions....mostly the garlic....but as attractive as I find it, don't think it would be such a great choice for my signature smell. Ahhh, Janie, you never disappoint.Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Thu Oct 11, 2012 at 5:26 am
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Report Wed Oct 10, 2012 - 11:05 pmWhen I was in high school THE scent was Jungle Gardenia, one of the heaviest floral scents ever. My own personal fave is the classic Chanel No. 5. Except I'm a singer, and singers don't wear scent of any kind, even moisturizer, because it irritates other singers. Sigh.Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Thu Oct 11, 2012 at 5:25 am
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Report Thu Oct 11, 2012 - 1:07 amI love perfumes but I don't wear any. Often a woman will pass by and I'll think she smells SO good, but it never translates to me when I wear the same scent. And going around the counters at Nordstrom's or whatever makes me crazy. I used to love those scented papers in Vogue magazine. It was a great way of "trying" out a cologne.Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Thu Oct 11, 2012 at 5:25 am
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Report Thu Oct 11, 2012 - 12:35 amMy mother's signature scent is Wind Song by Prince Matchabelli. I think everyone in my family thinks of my mother when they smell that fragrance.Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Thu Oct 11, 2012 at 3:49 am
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Report Wed Oct 10, 2012 - 10:44 pmIn high school it was Avon's Candid. For about the past 20 years, it's been Eternity. I've actually considered re-trying Candid. The issue that I have is, that now that I'm not working outside the home, I have a hard time remembering to put the darn stuff on!Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Thu Oct 11, 2012 at 2:24 am
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Report Wed Oct 10, 2012 - 10:24 pmI want to smell like cinnamon and fresh bread.Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Thu Oct 11, 2012 at 12:05 am
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Report Wed Oct 10, 2012 - 10:23 pmI tend to like perfumes that have a vanilla scent to them.Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Thu Oct 11, 2012 at 12:04 am
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Report Wed Oct 10, 2012 - 10:01 pmIn my 20s, I wore Liz Claiborne in the red triangular bottle. Everyone at work could find me from my scent (and I only did one spritz, honest!). In my 30s, I wore baby powder because I had babies. In my early 40s, it was Coco by Chanel. Now in my 50s, I waver between Eternity and a new, rose-based scent that I don't remember the name of. I also use a body spray by Dirty Girls that I really like - a light floral. And...that's probably more than you wanted to know, lol!Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Thu Oct 11, 2012 at 12:04 am
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Report Wed Oct 10, 2012 - 9:47 pmI actually never thought about perfume until I was in my thirties. I was such a tom boy that even in high school, I was sitting in the bleachers watching the football team practice and wishing I could be down there playing with them. This is all about being born too early for Title Nine...maybe that would be a perfume that many women of my age would be interested in buying. I love your blogs, Janie. They make me remember my youth. .Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Thu Oct 11, 2012 at 12:03 am
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Report Wed Oct 10, 2012 - 9:24 pmI lost my sense of smell around 10 years so I have to stick to the scents I used when I could still smell. I like musk and a perfume I've been using on and off since high school. (Shalimar) I almost died once because there was a gas leak in my house and I couldn't smell it. My husband arrived home from work in the nick of time and realized our gas fireplace was malfunctioning!Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Thu Oct 11, 2012 at 12:02 am
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Report Wed Oct 10, 2012 - 8:13 pmYou are a brave woman. When I worked retail, I'd try a variety and had a bit of Rive Gauche and Norelle. But I went back to my standby and love it--Chanel No. 5. And when I married Handsome, he gave me Joy, pure roses. I like citrus bath stuff mostly. Good luck on your quest.Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Wed Oct 10, 2012 at 8:47 pm
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Wed Oct 10, 2012 - 7:53 pm
I like Bath&BodyWorks Moonlight Something-or-other. It's purple, comes by the pint, and smells nice. Once I got a sample of Chanel no5, and that was nice, but it's out of my price range. I am pretty sure my husband would LOVE it if I wore a Smoked Andouille Sausage fragrance..Reply -
1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Wed Oct 10, 2012 at 8:47 pm
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Report Wed Oct 10, 2012 - 7:48 pmInteresting post. I switch between two fragrances, but light, and both scents I've worn for over twenty-five years. My everyday go-to fragrances is one originally sent to be by a pen pal when I was twelve--4711. I still buy it today. The other is one I have to send for from Ireland. I bought it on my first visit there in '89 and have loved it ever since.Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Wed Oct 10, 2012 at 8:46 pm
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Report Wed Oct 10, 2012 - 7:25 pmYou should check out Demeter Fragrance Library. They have hundreds of different scents based on everyday smells. My favorite is birthday cake. I never liked real perfume scents. Would much rather smell like something I love.Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Wed Oct 10, 2012 at 7:41 pm
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Report Wed Oct 10, 2012 - 7:16 pmMine would be cinnamon or vanilla. What do you mean AMBUSH? Everyone at my school wore JONTUE!Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Wed Oct 10, 2012 at 7:40 pm
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Report Wed Oct 10, 2012 - 7:10 pmLOL, Janie. When one of my granddaughters was about four, she wanted to hold me hand in the car. Then she announced, "You smell like your house." I suggested my house smells like me. I think it's the Jean Nate I've worn for years.Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Wed Oct 10, 2012 at 7:40 pm
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Report Wed Oct 10, 2012 - 7:04 pmHey, Janie, last week I was in an airport in Europe with time to kill and went into Duty Free and played with the perfume samples. What I did was try the really, really expensive ones, just because, why not? In the end, I didn't like any of them better than my refreshing (and cheap) bath sprays, so I didn't make a purchase.... But it was a good time killer!Reply
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1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Wed Oct 10, 2012 at 7:39 pm
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Wed Oct 10, 2012 - 5:43 pm
Hey Janie, It's a conspiracy, with the jeans people. I wear White Shoulders. Yes, grandma's perfume, and it doesn't even cost $100.00 for .0001 oz. or have baby rose tears, or solid gold unicorn sperm, or beach surf air, it just smells good. I like vanilla extract too. A couple of Christmas's ago I went with a friend to get one of the"Juicy" perfumes - excuse me parfumes - a particular one - not the one we found at the 20 different stores we went to, a different one, the one that was sold out, or only came with "the set". She finally just bought the wrong one, on purpose. Now it is everywhere. This is a little off subject but not really - My son's girlfriend saw a lady spray herself with febreeze, before going into - yes - Walmart. BTW - You look like you smell good all the time.Reply -
1 reply, Last reply by Janie Emaus on Wed Oct 10, 2012 at 7:38 pm
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