i’m not very typically feminine in a lot of ways: i don’t have lots of shoes, i hate shopping, i don’t wear much makeup. but i sure do love my perfume.

i’ve always loved perfume – as a kid i remember first buying some toxic green stuff from the drugstore called “emeraude”. when i would babysit i was always compelled to steal spritzes of perfume from the mother’s medicine cabinet. and when i finally earned enough money to buy the nicer stuff, my first signature scent was “calyx”, a lovely floral scent reminiscent of calla lillies. when that suddenly became very popular a few years later, i changed to “sunflowers”, a happy yellow perfume. soon enough i started smelling that in every elevator i got into, so i changed to the more sophisticated “l’eau de issey miyake”, and was very attached to that for a long time. eventually that caught on as well, so i changed to the more unique “marc jacobs”, and later, “flower” by kenzo. and in between all those, there was the “tobacco flower” perfume from the body shop that i adored until they discontinued it, a brief dalliance with “sugar” (which smelled exactly like sweet brown sugar), and an early twenties love affair with “sung”. my latest infatuation, which i bought on the ferry home from paris, is “parfum d’ete” by kenzo – in many ways, it reminds me a lot of my old “calyx” days. and when i look back on my fragrant history, it seems like i was always needing a new fragrance to match a new phase in my life – if i needed confidence during a low period, then i went for something bolder. if i was in a carefree, happy place then the scent was invariably something bubbly and uplifting. and when i was single, it was always something spicier, more overtly sexy.

and cologne on guys – i remember the smell of every guy i’ve ever dated, sometimes more clearly than i remember his face. “bowling green”, “fahrenheit”, and “onyx” are all imprinted on my brain from the time spent kissing their necks, just below the ear. mmm, delicious, almost primal memories attached to those . i’m a woman lead by her nose, and i love musky smells, while i cannot stand “soapy” smelling men’s colognes.

but what i love most about wearing perfume is the way a scent can make you feel, the way it can change or enhance your mood – lighthearted and airy, brisk and efficient, or seductive and intense. it’s the liquid equivalent of a handbag collection, or a trademark scarlet lipstick. my favourite perfumes are the ones that make me think of either crushed green leaves or gently warmed wine. something fresh and light, or something red and rich. and no matter what i happen to look like that morning, i always feel incredible for that moment that i first put on whatever perfume matches that day. i may *look* rumpled and sleepy, but i smell wonderful and summery and full of confidence. that’s the kind of feeling that just can’t be bottled.

or, maybe it can

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