Perfume proper

A few decades ago, it was very fashionable for women to wear perfume. No woman on the go would leave her house without a touch of the magic elixir, and the scent of various fragrances permeated the air.

The smell of these fragrances used to be as familiar as the aroma of freshly cut grass, but no more. The politically correct vigilantes saw to it. According to them, chemical fragrances could trigger all kinds of debilitating ailments in some people and should be banned… at least in public buildings.

And so it went. Scent-free policies were established and implemented in the workplace and the smell of perfume almost completely disappeared. Personally, I don’t mind being subjected to it… but up to a point.

You need to remember that above all, perfume is a weapon. A subtle one, but still a weapon. It has been used for ages by women to soften their target’s defenses…  but not to kill them. Like any weapon, it should be handled carefully and judiciously. You don’t use a machinegun to kill a rabbit, and you don’t douse yourself with perfume to be noticed.

“If I can smell you before I see you, you definitely have too much of something on.”

Subtlety is always the key. But some people don’t understand self-restraint… especially in America where bigger always seems to be better.

This brings us to our recent encounter with a couple a middle-aged woman. We knew that they were in our table’s vicinity way before we saw them. The scent was overwhelming…. I don’t know if it was meant to cover some unpleasant body odor, but it was very potent. Enough to subdue anybody in a radius of 5 meters. After a full year of pandemic, you would think that people know the meaning of social distancing… but these two women obviously didn’t or didn’t care.

“User discretion doesn’t cut it for some people. Having a perfume spray measurement guide should do just fine. Something like a mechanical lock that jams the spray from working after 3 to 4 puffs.”

Don’t get me wrong, I love the aroma of a good perfume, but it has to be used sparingly. A touch of it works like a small wink. It is alluring when it is done discreetly, but it is disturbing when done in excess.

Most of us are too poor to buy cheap stuff. If you invest in some perfume, splurge and purchase a proven brand. A fragrance identifies you; buy a cheap one, and you will be seen as cheap; get a nice one and you be remembered as classy.

Alain

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