A argument today between stepdaughters about scent sensitivities brought me back. It has been over two decades since I last applied a little scent to my skin. The abandonment came after two remarkable experiences. 1. Reading most likely in Cosmopolitan that I had been using perfume all wrong. That one should dance naked beneath a spritz of scent. While this kind of made sense as it gave an overall essence of scent rather than a laser focused bomb of scent. Also the alcohol could discolored the raw silk that was in fashion at the time. But I thought Cosmo had such stupid and intentionally sexual content, I rejected the magazine outright.
2. I finally noticed that where ever I applied the perfumes I wore, when I applied perfume to my hand then my neck, I’d get a red outline on my skin. My skin was too sensitive for most perfumes.
As the discussion continued I fought hard to recall the brand’s of perfume I wore. I like many in the 80s used Chanel #5, and then Chanel with #9 or #19 whichever was a lighter scent. I think the scent is retired.
Now the scent I remember most is remembered more for its marketing than the scent. A history of perfumes described as follows. “It is considered to be one of the greatest fragrances created and is a landmark example of the floral genre in perfumery.” And it was also identified as the costliest perfume in the world.
It was Jean Patous Joy.
Saw this in ebay. Brought me back to my bartending days when a wealthy client friend of mine gave me a tiny bottle of what was then the costliest parfum in the world. Exciting to own, but too strong a scent for me.. I havent worn perfume in about 3 decades.
