Perfumes for First Dates, Weddings and Future Queens

Yesterday Patty from the sassy, classy and wonderful Perfume Posse blog asked herself a profound, heartfelt question that only a true Parfumista would ponder upon: “If I had lost everything in my life, my family, my position, my dignity, and was about to lose my head and there was nothing left, what bottle would bring back the memories of how sweet my life had been, even as it was ending?” Searching for the answer she came up with a poll. I have a weakness for making lists and answering polls, so here are my answers. Perfume for a first date. That would depend on what image I would want to convey. Most probably I would opt for Elegant Gentle Femininity, and nothing expresses that better than Climat by Lancôme. In case I wanted to step up my game a little bit and leave an impression of a woman who is Intellectual, Sophisticated And Sexy In A Not Too Obvious Way, I would reach for Le Parfum de Therese by Frederic Malle (Edmond Roudnitska). And finally, if I were in a mood for Getting Straight To The Point, for seducing, conquering, enslaving and having a breakfast together on the very next day, Musc Ravageur by Frederic Malle (Maurice Roucel) would be my weapon of choice. Perfume for my wedding. If I had to do it all over again, I would walk down the aisle wearing Songes by Annick Goutal. That is truly one of the most weddingy fragrances I know, so very feminine, so very beautiful, so full of warmth, sensuality and promise. Perfume for my honeymoon. Again, it would be Songes. The honeymoon would take place in an exotic, tropical location and Songes, that luscious bouquet of frangipane, ylang ylang and jasmine, would fit right in. Besides, wearing the same scent for so many days in a row I will surely leave in my new husband’s subconsciousness the indelible memory of our happy days as a newly wedded couple, conditioning him like Pavlov’s dog…one whiff of my Songes and he is unable to resist me and refuse me anything. Perfume for begging for forgiveness for something really horrible I have done. Should I ever feel a need to punish myself and to express how truly sorry I am for my terrible sins, I would reach for the scent that is a torture for me to wear. It’s name is Luctor et Emergo by People of the Labyrinths, a.k.a POTL. Oh, POTL, how I hate thee. I particularly hate you, because your notes make you sound as if you were a custom scent, created especially for me. In reality you were made to torment and eventually kill me, the cloying, sweet, ambery mess, you! Perfume for a long lunch with my best girlfriends where there will be liquor and gossip. Some time (too long!) ago, when I was visiting home (now that is a contradiction in terms), I had a dinner at a Chinese restaurant with my best friend, T. There was great food, there was plum wine and there was jasmine tea…Ever since, I have been associating the smell of jasmine tea and jasmine tea perfumes with my friend. When I finally get another chance to dine and chat with her I will be wearing The Pour Un Été by L’Artisan, my favorite jasmine tea scent. Perfume for my coronation as Queen of the F*&^ing World. My favorite question. I gave it a lot of thought and still I cannot choose. It would have to be either Muscs Koublai Khan by Serge Lutens or Ambre Russe by Parfum d’Empire. These might not seem like obvious choices, so here is my reasoning. When I finally get to rule the world, I intend to do so by taking inspiration from such worthy examples as Elizabeth I, Catherine the Great and Marie Antoinette. That means that I will be ruthless, devious, extravagant and have lots and lots of lovers. If that does not spell Muscs Koublai Khan with its pseudo-refined perfumey veneer and its hungry, insatiable, brutal smell of a beast, then I don’t know what will. However, Ambre Russe is a strong contender. It was inspired by Tsarist Russia, it has vodka, leather, incense and all sorts of other fun and sinful notes, and has Excess and Imperialism written all over it in golden Cyrillic letters. What is a Queen to do? I might just wear both and never mind the terrifying sillage. I am the Queen of the World and I do as I please. Perfume to take to the Guillotine. It’s not hard to imagine reading the above paragraph that I will not be the most popular Monarch. My reign (tyranny, rather) will be overthrown and my head will be cut off. To taunt and further infuriate my frugal, prudent executioners, I will wear a scent that is very expensive and very sensual. It would also have to be something deep and soulful, something that would leave a profound impression on the masses and the historians who would be undoubtedly present to witness the momentous event. I might have been a cruel, loose-living dictator in my life, but I will die as a beautiful, tragic martyr. With that goal in mind, I will be wearing Parfum Sacre by Caron, in pure perfume form, naturellement. The first image, Top Date, is by Al Buel. Let the Games Begin is by Anne Tainor (AnneTaintor.com) as is They Completely Redefined “Made For Each Other”. The image from the movie Elizabeth is from Newberry.org. Marie Antoinette on The Way to The Guillotine is from Gutenberg.org