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.
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But then -- why ask? And how do you expect the person to answer?
(Unless it's just a passive-aggressive way of trying to imply your perfume is too strong.)
A friend of mine also loves "Breath of God" but cannot wear it without finding herself yearning for a ham sandwich, because there's a note in there that reminds her of ham.
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And yes, ham!