metaphortunate son (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
metaphortunate) wrote2015-10-21 08:09 am
metaphortunate) wrote2015-10-21 08:09 am
Entry tags:
binary smells
The other day the temp I didn't like came to my desk to ask me a question. But first she stopped, sniffed the air, and asked, "Is that your perfume or someone else's?"
"I don't know," I said. It could have been me, or the person next to me, or the woman who had just walked by. "What does it smell like?"
"Huh? It smells like perfume," she said.
We stared at each other. "Then I don't know," I said.
I understand that lots of perfumes are complex and I personally cannot chirp "It smells like a spiced floriental with an amber drydown" off the top of my head. Nonetheless, perfume strong enough to notice does provide more than one bit of information!
Incidentally, I was wearing Lush's Breath of God. Tautologically, it does in fact smell like perfume, since it is a perfume and it smells like itself. However, if you sniff someone wearing it (and it is not a sillage monster) you are less likely to describe it as "perfumey" and more as "did you have a cantaloupe soaked in barbecue sauce, Vicks Vaporub, and Ivory soap for lunch?" It is deeply weird and I love it.
"I don't know," I said. It could have been me, or the person next to me, or the woman who had just walked by. "What does it smell like?"
"Huh? It smells like perfume," she said.
We stared at each other. "Then I don't know," I said.
I understand that lots of perfumes are complex and I personally cannot chirp "It smells like a spiced floriental with an amber drydown" off the top of my head. Nonetheless, perfume strong enough to notice does provide more than one bit of information!
Incidentally, I was wearing Lush's Breath of God. Tautologically, it does in fact smell like perfume, since it is a perfume and it smells like itself. However, if you sniff someone wearing it (and it is not a sillage monster) you are less likely to describe it as "perfumey" and more as "did you have a cantaloupe soaked in barbecue sauce, Vicks Vaporub, and Ivory soap for lunch?" It is deeply weird and I love it.
no subject
Yup. BPAL works great for me, Arcana okay, essential oils are fine - I mean some smell bad to me in that I don't like them, and some are like omg too much, but none have the burny-stabby chemical note.
I am intrigued that you suggest a possible cause! What is iso E super for?
no subject
I personally do not have a good enough sense of smell to pick it out; but I know that some perfume people describe it as harsh, chemical and overwhelming, which sounds like what you're talking about.
no subject
I was delighted to find that the all-naturals worked: I've always found the idea of perfume fascinating, but yeah it's sort of like those super-tasters who actually want very bland food because strong tastes or particular tastes just overwhelm everything. I inherited my mom's sense of smell, though thank god not quite as bad - she can smell cat pee in the basement from the door at the other side of the house, kind of smell: I have to run my stuff by her first if I'm going to wear it, including Aveda body lotions.