Perfumes

It started out when I was quite young, about 7 years old. There was a rummage sale at a church and for a nickle I was able to purchase a huge bottle of Lily of the Valley Toilet Water. My very own perfume. One problem, the stuff was ancient and stunk according to my family. I freely doused myself with the pale green liquid. The more the better. After a while my treasured bottle disappeared. I was heartbroken, but in looking back I know one thing for certain and one this I suspect. The certain thing is, this old bottle of toilet water as my sisters called it, was the beginning of a great love of fragrance. The second thing I think I know, is that my mother probably threw the bottle out in self defence !

As a young girl, pre teen, someone would give me Heaven Sent for a present. Later as a teen I got Loves Baby Soft as a gift. In summer, I would take a splash from my mothers bottle of Jean Nate that she kept in the refrigerator. It felt wonderful in the summer heat. And even today I think about my mothers summer scent.

After getting a job, my love of perfumes took a serious turn. The fragrance counter was the first stop for me in a department store. They used to give you tiny sample bottles and I would wear the sample, remembering how it made me feel to wear it and how many compliments the scent would bring. Through the years there have been fragrances that came and went for me, but always there have been standards that are always on my dresser.

The list that has remained constant

Bal A Versailles......my girls always think of me when they catch a whiff of this scent. I wore it when they were babies and still love it today. Its the scent that my purse most often smells of. If you ask my children, they will say that any candy found in my purse will taste of Bal A Versaille.

White Shoulders is another old time favorite. I began wearing it before I was married. Our neighbor Peggy always wore it and she was like another sister to me. It gives me a good feeling to wear it.

Giorgio Beverly Hills... the very one Emery gave me last night....oh this is the scent I began wearing in California, love the lightness of the scent. Its a warm weather perfume for me.

Cesar's Woman... heavier for cooler weather, a bit romantic and always on my dresser.

Red Door..... a true love for me. Always gets compliments, suits me well. Even the name works for me as we had a red front door for many many years.

Royal Secret, another cooler weather perfume for me. I like it, it seems like a dress up perfume for me. One for dates and winter parties.

One of my all time favorite perfumes is no longer available. I had more compliments when wearing Bakir by GERMAIN MONTEIL than with any other perfume in all my history of fragrance wearing. Handsome men seemed to be drawn to it, which was fine since I only wore it before I was married. It was a spicy, rich winter time perfume. Exotic and very romantic.

I used to wear Zen by Shiseido but have forgotten about it until just recently, a nice light scent, perfect for summer.

I love good smells and my house is known for its good smells. Incense, carefully chosen oils in simmer pots, a wonderful essential oil defuser that sprays out a mist of good scents.

Good smells always make me feel good and gives my family something to buy me for birthdays and Christmas !