Some fragrances are so innocent, so gently feminine that they seem to fall into their own category. If they are youthful, they are restrained. Not the twelve year old at play, but the good girl sitting in church with her hands folded in her lap. If they are romantic, they are old fashioned courtship. Not a passionate kiss of lust, but the tender and meaningful kiss of a bride and groom.
I will admit that my own perfume favorites tend to be the opposite; full of incense and spiciness, possibly backing up a flower with monster sillage like gardenia. But that is an intense way to smell on a daily basis and sometimes I desire a more delicate and simple feeling. What works for date night does not often translate for dinner with grandmother. What follows is a listing of some scents I have tried over the past year that could have been worn by a "proper young lady" from another era.
ANAIS ANAIS by Cacharel
Wearing this made me feel like a Victorian girl getting up early and washing her face and hands with a creamy white soap, then slipping into a lace trimmed cotton chemise that had been dried in the sunshine and fresh air. It wasn't "perfumey", more like warm clean skin. All of the florals are quiet and at the end of the day, the cedar and moss notes are what remained on my skin , like the nicest smelling sweat anyone ever had.
MIRACLE by Lancome
A huge bouquet of flowers! I'm not usually a big fan of Lancome fragrances, but this one is very nice for a spring day. This is very feminine. If you could smell colors, this would be pink. It makes me think of Easter, wearing chiffon dresses to church. You know how after a late spring rain, the sun comes out and the flowers smell extra beautiful? That's the feeling you get from a few drops of Miracle.
ELISABETHAN ROSE by Penhaligon's
I have a hard time with rose scents. It's an easy note to get horribly wrong, veering either toward sticky candy or old lady's bathroom. Penhaligon's has created a rose perfume that smells exactly like a real rose, one of those white or pink ones growing wild on a thorny bush at the country house. It is heady and has great staying power, so a little goes a long way. When I was a teenager I had a diary with scented pages and it was this aroma. That may be why I think of this as a youthful perfume, but I see how it could be worn by romantics of any age. Penhaligon's is one of the oldest perfumers in existence, so it's fun to think about how many ladies over the years have had a bottle of Elisabethan Rose on their dressing tables.
LILY OF THE VALLEY by Crabtree & Evelyn
This is another note that is very easy to get wrong. I love lily-of-the-valley, it reminds me of the front yard of my childhood home. It is also the "official" flower for my birth month, May. So often a lily of the valley perfume just goes sour on me, or turns into a weird celery note. It's possible that this is my own skin chemistry and not the perfume itself. However, the Crabtree & Evelyn concoction is one of two LOTV frags I can wear with no problem (the other one is Muguet de Bois by Coty which has become increasingly hard to find). It's old fashioned and simple, possessing the ease and airiness of a summer afternoon. I wore this almost exclusively in the summer of 2003 and received compliments daily. Very pretty and feminine.
PETIT ET MAMANS by Bvlgari
Innocent, soft and divine. Chamomile, honeysuckle and vanilla create a soft blanket on the skin. It does smell very much like a freshly bathed baby swaddled in a warm blanket. My son even asked if he could try some on and pretend to be a baby. It dries down to a wisp of dry powder. There must be a memory of my own infanthood that kicks in, because when I wear this I feel loved and well cared for.
Stay tuned for my next report...on the fragrances for saucy dames who break the rules!
