Hello. :) Perfume has become a bit of a fixation of mine recently and I would like to share what my favourite perfume is, and why. Until this Christmas, the only perfume I used was quite cheap and nothing to get excited about. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with not spending a fortune on perfume, but there was nothing iconic or distinguishable about the perfume I used. For Christmas however, I asked for a bottle of Jean Paul Gaultier Classique from my parents. The main reason I wanted this perfume was for the gorgeous and iconic bottle, and I wasn't really bothered about the actual scent and whether it suited my personality. To lots of people, I'm sure obsessing over perfume sounds a bit ridiculous, if a waste of money. To me however, the perfect perfume gives me confidence, and manages to make me feel (at least slightly) sophisticated. It was two articles I read in British Vogue that attracted me to finding my 'signature scent'. The first featured in the November issue of 2012 and was entitled 'What's your flavour?' and written by Sophie Dahl. It highlighted the attraction of 'scents laced with vanilla, chocolate and sweets'. This article really introduced me to the maturity and sophistication that wearing perfume can embrace; and as a 15 year old girl I naturally want to feel both of these things. The other article featured in the same issue and was entitled 'At my dressing table'. Although it focuses on the attraction of owning a dressing table, it again encouraged me to embrace a new, mature approach to my beauty regime, and buying my first real perfume seemed like the perfect way to adopt this approach.
After receiving my bottle of Classique on Christmas day, it was no longer the pretty bottle I swooned over, but the sweet and unique scent that instantly made me feel more mature and chic. Buying my first proper perfume, I felt I had descended into adulthood and I feel this perfume is matched to me and my personality in a unique way. Its no wonder it has become such an iconic success, probably the second most iconic perfume of all time (after Chanel No.5 of course). Despite the fact that it is such a popular and well-known perfume, it still feels special and unique when I apply it each morning- it doesn't feel like perfume worn by every other girl. I've only had it for 4 months, but I have already used up about half the bottle. :)
However, I don't feel I am ready to commit to one perfume yet. Experimenting with perfume can be really fun (hence the enjoyment that ensues from walking round a department store and trying on EVERY perfume there is).
As a result, I now feel that perfume can represent a major part of someone's personality. In the past I laughed at the dramatic and slightly over the top perfume adverts I saw on t.v. After all, it's only perfume right? Slightly older, and a little maturer, my perception of perfume has changed completely. Walk into Harvey Nichols in Leeds (where I live), and much of the ground floor will be taken over by a range of different perfumes, representing all kinds of different personalities and women. The 'Inside Chanel' video advertising Chanel No.5 and its iconic history portrays just how influential a perfume can be- http://inside.chanel.com/en/#!/no5/history. Perfume makes me feel brave, confident, stylish and (to repeat myself) sophisticated. It signals a move into adulthood and rejects childishness. It can make any woman, regardless of her appearance, race or style, feel strong. When wearing 'Classique', its vanilla, ginger and orange blossom notes shine out the parts of my personality that I am most proud of and would otherwise probably be too afraid to show off, and provide that desperately needed confidence on Monday mornings, when I wake up feeling tired and 'fat'.
As Coco Chanel once said (a bit harshly really, but I do love quoting her :) ):
'A woman who does not wear perfume has no future.'
I believe every woman has a future, regardless of whether she cares about fashion and beauty or not, but it can be so much more fun once she has found a perfume she loves, that brings out the best of her personality.
What's your favourite perfume??? :D
Other perfumes I like:
See by Chloe
Marc Jacobs -Dot
Narciso Rodriguez - L'eau
Hermes- Jour d'Hermes
