Love Not At First Sniff: Anne Pliska, Coco Mademoiselle. Coromandel

I always thought that love should be as Bulgakov said, leaping up at you like a murderer jumping out of a dark alley. Or, to use a happier image, like fireworks going up in the sky the very moment you put your eyes on that Someone. Love, I always thought, is not something you can make yourself feel. Not something anyone can make you feel. It is something that happens and you have no control over it whatsoever. And so I have always wondered, if love is not at first sight, is it really love? When you have to work on trying to love somebody, have to wait till you see them in a different light, could the result really be love? (And, heck, that person might be the most wonderful human being on earth, totally worthy of your love, but does it matter to your stubborn, irrational heart? It has never mattered to mine.) I still can't satisfactorily answer those questions to myself, as far as human relationships are concerned. I have learned, however, that things are not as categorical, dramatic and "heavy" between perfumes and me. So many of my Great Perfume Loves were not at first sniff. And many of those that were at first sniff are not loved by me anymore. (Funny how one can be faithful unto eternity with people and ridiculously fickle with things.) And although it is certainly easier to take the high road of "if it doesn't smell good on me straightaway, I ain't wasting none of my precious time on trying it ever again", the nose, the skin, the whatever-it-is do change. I wrote a hissy fit post before about perfumes I will never try again, and I still stand by that list. Those will never work on me. Most probably. But there were some, which I kept obstinately revisiting, that have indeed eventually opened up to me in the most wonderful manner, capturing my heart and my imagination. Let me introduce you to my three newest loves not at first sniff. Anne Pliska. But only in parfum. Eau de Parfum have always been "oh well, it's amber" to me. Parfum has the richness that is almost gourmand in its smoky, ripe plumminess. I read wonderful reviews of Anne Pliska (there was one by Thisbe on makeupalley that, way back when, has actually speed-started me on the path of my niche-perfume obsession), which described the scent as cold. To me, it is a warm scent, no doubt about it, warm, enveloping, sensual and comforting. A perfect little cashmere sweater dress that you could dress up or down. I adore the patchouli-vanilla accord in the drydown of Pliska Parfum, it is soft and fluffy... a gentle, loving caress. Coco Mademoiselle. Again, only in parfum. I don't want to make it seem that I am a parfum snob. I am actually not at all. I love to spray. I hate dabbing. Most parfums, and especially those by Chanel, last poorly on my skin and have no sillage whatsoever (and I am against monster sillage, but do give me a bit of a trail!). Coco and Coco Mademoiselle are among the very few extraits that a) last b) waft around me as a discreet but discernible veil and c) smell immeasurably better (richer, denser, more complex) than other concentrations. In addition to that, although it still has certain freshness, Coco Mademoiselle parfum does not turn aggressively watery on my skin, as it does in any other form. Its candied patchouli note is a delight. Mlle is, to me, one of the sexiest scents around. Not heavy-lidded sexy, but young and playful and happily in love. It reminds me of myself, many light years ago. Coromandel. I wrote before on how it reminded me of a plethora of other scents. How one of those scents was, unfortunately, Obssession. Well, this winter the curse of Obssession has been lifted. Cormandel became Obssession-free on my skin. This winter it has been my savior on cold, miserable days. It is such a warm scent, it can be worn instead of a fur coat. And this one IS heavy-lidded sexy. Oh, it is so sexy, it makes my knees weak and my mouth dry. I absolutely adore the fact that it smells a little masculine. It smells as if His scent rubbed off on my skin. When I wear Coromandel, I have a bizarre feeling of someone gorgeous and male being by my side. And that is the kind of GWP that all perfumes should come with. What scents have you recently rediscovered?