Are perfume preferences like voting intentions, not to be trusted? We’re at the end of the summer in 2024. We all know what is going on in the world and it’s mightily depressing.
One of the current political issues occupying media pundits is the upcoming presidential elections in the United States. Lots of people are wringing their hands worried about the outcome in November and following polls very closely. But anyone with an ounce of memory will recall that polling predictions were spectacularly wrong during the 2016 presidential election, predicting an inevitable victory for Hillary Clinton. We all know what happened. This begs the question: how can pollsters get it so wrong?
One explanation is of course that people are not honest about their intentions. It’s not a surprising phenomenon. After all, since our childhood we are reluctant to share information that we think will reflect poorly on us or get us in trouble. From your mother’s queries about how many sweets you had before dinner to, later in life, questions ranging from your weight or age, to reading preferences, political inclinations or religious habits, to name but a few, these questions don’t always elicit an honest response. Most people have in mind an idea of what they should reply or want to communicate to others, while their true feelings or habits might be quite different.
The social media world we live in has of course only compounded this issue, as people are constantly advertising their tastes and habits online, creating a digital version of themselves that reflects their imaginary fantasies about who they should be.
So, as a perfume lover with a sizable collection, it made me think of how this phenomenon also affects perfume tastes that are touted online. If one doesn’t consider “influencers” that may have ulterior motives at times for promoting this and that perfume but focus solely on genuine perfumista’s Instagram feeds, I wonder how many people talk about certain perfumes because they genuinely like to wear them versus because it is trendy in the perfume blogosphere?
I reflected about my own choices. Although I do not keep a daily log of which scents I wear and although I clearly wear a lot less perfumes since I’ve started creating scents, I still have a rough idea of which scents I wear the most. Not all perfumes are going to be the kind you wear every day. It is easier to wear Un Jardin sur le Nile by Hermes than say Cuir de Russie by Chanel or L’eau Trois by Diptyque. But there will be the day when only one of these “more challenging perfumes” speaks to you. Or you may just want to smell the scent without wearing it for a full day. And some perfumes, especially if you are studying perfumery, are good to have as a scent reference to understand their construction. With all of this said, I still suspect some people talk about scents they think they should like but don’t really wear, as it makes them feel more sophisticated to be in line with the arbiters of good taste.
For the sake of self-criticism, I have looked though my own collection for scents that I admire but never wear…
- L’air du Desert Marrocain, Andy Tauer
I think I already mentioned this, but to me, this is testosterone in a bottle. Beautiful but unwearable.
- Shalimar, Guerlain
It’s hard to wear a monument. Beautiful but not for me, although I find it fascinating to deconstruct. For a full review check my article on Chanel’s Le Lion versus Shalimar’s comparison.
- Portrait of a Lady, EdPFM
I know the whole “frag com” will disagree, but I don’t find POAL very enjoyable to wear, beautiful as it may be. It shouts and I prefer a lady with more manners.
- Cuir de Russie Chanel
A fantastic evocation of a bygone world. Mesmerizing but hard to pull off a on a day-to-day basis. Maybe if I drove an Aston Martin and wore leather gloves…
- Sa Majesté la Rose, Serge Lutens
Queen of roses. I don’t really have an explanation, I just find it too baroque, so I look at it in awe but never wear it.
- L’eau des Immortels, Voyages Imaginaires
So an immortelle soliflore is challenging and needs subzero temperatures to work. Hot sand in a bottle, I would need to live in a different time zone to appreciate wearing it.
- Woman, Ormonde Jayne
I want to love this one but really, I never reach for it. On paper it’s my jam. Hemlock absolute, green and woody. But it doesn’t sing to me. I regularly try it to see if it gels. So far, no luck.
- Le Cri, Parfum d’Empire
This is a real beauty, a poem in a bottle, but something about the powdery aspect of this rose, iris, patchouli combo rubs me the wrong way and I don’t wear it often but smell it and smile.
- Dryad, Papillon Perfumery
Well, a narcissus woody chypre, what’s not to like? The worthy descendent of Vol de Nuit.. But while the Guerlain is indeed “dated”, it is a work of art, period. You feel lucky just to still be able to smell this. Dryad, on the other hand, is a very well done “modern vintage” scent. And sometimes, that is even harder to pull off.
- Ostara, Penhaligon
An ode to jonquille flower and narcissus. Easter in a bottle if you will. But something slightly sour about the composition makes it hard for me to wear. I love smelling it and if I was chic enough to live that way, would enjoying scenting my fan or handkerchief with it to have an occasional whiff of meadows in the spring.
So there you go, my guilty confession of scents I admire, and am very happy to have but don’t really wear very often (discussions about consumerism for another post). Something to think of in our age obsessed with online image. For me, deep down, perfume is personal. Wear what you want for yourself, choose something that speaks to you, that touches you, not someone else.
For anyone with a perfume collection: let me know your list, you know you have one!
