Friday 15 January 2010

And As For You In Your Uniform Your Smelly Uniform You Think You Can Be Rude To Me

I received a basket of assorted bath and beauty products for Christmas. It was a very sweet gift. The products are all of the stress-relievey variety. The company that makes the products uses only fresh, organic, vegetarian ingredients, doesn't participate in animal testing, and uses packaging that is deliciously sparse. It's a company I feel good about supporting is what I'm saying.

That being said, I've not bought anything from this particular company before because every time I walk by one of their shops my eyes start to water and it gets a bit difficult to breathe. To say that they are fans of fragrance would be putting it mildly. I've only been inside one of their shops once and it was a very short visit due to the headache that started as soon as I walked inside.

Admittedly, I am a bit sensitive to fragrances. I don't wear perfume and I tend to buy unscented products when I can. I'm not anti-fragrance; I love the smell of lemons, coffee, vanilla, sandalwood ... just not blended together into unidentifiable combinations. (I feel I should point out (before Turtle does) that I have been guilty of perfume crimes in the past. Most notably, my high school years where my perfume of choice was undiluted vanilla essential oil. It was overbearing and unfortunate and obnoxious and I'm sorry.)

I would just give the smelly products away but the gift was from Shawn and I know he'll be hurt if I do. So I broke out the gift basket this morning and selected a very pink, very shimmery, very fragrant shower jelly. I think it was called "sugar plum" or some such nonsense. I can't tell you what it smelled like. Very sweet. Kind of fruity. More candy-fruity than real-fruity though. Basically, they managed to make natural ingredients smell artificial.

So I was in the shower feeling all stabby because I smell like a freaking sugar plum and I started thinking about the perfect perfume. I dislike most floral scents so those are definitely out. I'm a fan of herbal scents - rosemary and lavender top my list - but I don't want to smell like dinner. Citrus fruits make me happy but they're used predominantly in cleaning products. I don't want to smell like toilet cleaner any more than I want to smell like a sugar plum.

And then it hit me. My dream perfume is ... earl grey tea with cream and a touch of lavender honey. Now I just need to find it.

What's your favourite smell?

19 comments:

  1. I love musky, earthy scents. I absolutely love sandalwood. I like some floral scents, but only if they're very subtle.

    If you're looking for earl grey, Williams & Sonoma makes a hand lotion that is bergamot and...something else. It might be rosemary. But the bergamot is definitely the majority of the scent. It's wonderful! I love earl grey.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love Japenese Cherry Blossom from Bath and Body Works. It can definitely be overpowering so I need to use it very lightly.

    I'm usually too forgetful to use nice smelling perfume or lotion tho. When I use lotion it's out of necessity so I grab whatever is closest!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love anything vanilla, because I'm boring. And I also love that Dior Cherie stuff.

    This sounds like Lush. The idea is fab, but I agree... too much smell!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm thinking a Body Shop gift basket (I will walk around that store in the mall to avoid eye watering). Anyways, your made up perfume sounds divine, please bottle it and sell it on your etsy shop please.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You must be talking about Lush. I don't know how anyone works in there. Being 10 feet from the entrance kills me!

    I'm a vanilla girl but one of my favourite smells is an escada perfume I had ages ago.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lush gives me a headache from a block a way.

    I love fresh oranges, lilac, black pepper, cucumber...maybe not all together though.

    ReplyDelete
  7. well my favorite smell is garlic and when i was younger i did put garlic in my drawers to get my clothes to smell that way and wow was that a disaster.

    however i'd prefer to smell more like vanilla, i love all things vanilla scented, especially when they sometimes smell like cupcakes instead.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I haven't worn perfume in over 6 years and have been thinking that I need to find a scent.

    So, I have no idea. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. haha, I'm going to guess it was Lush too. One whiff is okay. Three whiffs and I have a headache for hours.

    I like smelling clean :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ha! Oh Lush.... I love their bath bombs but I have to hold my breath while buying them, I won't lie.

    My favourite scent is a slightly musky vanilla.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh my god, must be Lush, have never been able to walk into that store!

    I love perfume so you probably won't like my suggestions. But I am partial to Ralph Lauren Blue (which is sort of subtle) and the Sarah Jessica Parker ones and the Philosophy perfumes available at Sephora are great - Grace is delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm the exact opposite, I love strong scents, and the fruitier the better. I'm a huge fan of B&BW Cool Citrus Basil and Pink Grapefruit.

    However, my *absolute* favorite smell in the world is either orange, cinnamon and cloves or mushrooms sauteing in butter. I love the smell of baking bread, too. I doubt I can find sauteed mushrooms in a perfume, though.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Well, one time I took a test on Sephora and apparently I'm a fan of the following two:

    Floral: Jasmine, Rose, White flowers
    Oriental: Spices, Vanilla, Patchouli

    Go to sephora.com and fragrance finder :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Demeter Fragrances makes an Earl Grey perfume. I am sure they have something that would work for the other notes as well and you can layer them.

    Or you could try a custom perfumer and have one made for you.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'm the same way. Can't stand fragrance. But back in the day, I used to have this lightly vanilla perfume from France, and I loved it. But it's been so long since then, I have no idea if I would still like it.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'm so glad so many other people assumed you were talking about Lush. I can't go anywhere near that store.

    You might want to check out I Hate Perfume (http://www.cbihateperfume.com/home.html). This guy makes some facinating scent combos. He also does custom blending.

    My favorite scent is "Emily" from Sweet Anthem - honey, oatmeal, yuzu, almond, Turkish mocha, vanilla, coconut, and sandalwood. It's so yummy (www.sweetanthem.com).

    ReplyDelete
  17. Have I fried my brain? Am I missing where I can stalk you? I mean follow you?! :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. I also committed crimes against vanilla and humanity in high school. I feel your pain.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Smells give me big headaches too. I used to cry in the car if my mom wore perfume because it made me very sick to my stomach in addition to a wicked headache.

    I don't wear perfume but I like very light vanilla notes and lavender.

    ReplyDelete