Parfums
I started wearing perfume in the 4th grade. Sure, I had those solid Avon Parfumes that came on a cord that you wore around your neck? But as far as real parfum, that came in the 4th grade. My mother presented me two bottles for Christmas, that I absolutely cherished. Both are discontinued now. *sigh* Such good memories….
The first one was called Electric Youth, By Debbie Gibson for Revlon. I just loved how fun the bottle was with the pink swirly thing in the middle.
The next was by Almay Cosmetics, called ‘ALMAY‘.
I’m not sure why they discontinued the Almay one, as Almay cosmetics is still very popular right now. As for the Debbie Gibson one? She was the Britney Spears of my generation, long gone but not forgotten.When I was 16, I was down in Florida at Miami Beach, and a little girl ran up to me and asked me if I was Debbie Gibson? I never forgot her face! <3 I also never forgot the bleach blond hair and leopard string bikini that I was wearing that day! O-o
I received a bottle of Loves Baby Soft that same year, in the 4th grade. Haven’t we all worn that scent, at one time or other. It smells like baby powder, hence its name. I have bought my daughters bottles before, but they both hate it…They don’t want to smell like a baby they tell me. They also frown if I buy them deodorant in Powder Fresh!
Sooooo…Guess it ended with me..*sigh*
In the 5th grade I decided to try on some of my moms parfume one morning before I left for school.. She only wore CHARLIE, the original one. It’s by Revlon. I know they make the Charlie White and Charlie Red nowadays too. Mom wore the original Charlie though. Occasionally I will open up a bottle at CVS, just to smell it.
It may sound rather sad, but I have many memories of kissing my mom goodbye, and smelling Charlie on her every day. She would wear it to work every night, and it’s just something that has always stuck with me..Until of course she made the switch to ‘Ciara’..but Charlie always remained her signature scent.
One day while she was still sleeping and I was getting ready to walk off to school, I saw her bottle next to her make-up in the bathroom,and sprayed a whole bunch on me…Like 6 squirts! I was fine for a couple hours, and then while in class, I started to itch. I itched so badly, that it felt like red fire ants were all over me. I raised my hand and told the teacher that I had to use the bathroom, and when I got the bathroom, I looked at my neck and arms and I had all these little red dots all over the place. Apparently, I was having an allergic reaction to it. I went back to class and told the teacher what I thought had happened, and she said she was wondering who had on the strong smell! She sent me to the nurse and we waited for my mom to get there. Mom was not happy at all! Needless to say, that was the first, and last time, that I decided to ‘borrow’ moms perfume. I often wonder if I’m allergic to it still. I just don’t dare want to find out, as I have never forgotten that particular ITCH!!
In 6th grade I was given a huge yellow bottle of ‘Jean-Nate splash cologne’ for my Birthday. My mom shared it with me, and told me that she use to use it before she had my brother and I. She told me that if you place a couple cap-fuls in your bath water, it will stay on your skin until your next bath. I liked that idea, and started doing it right away…Then one day I went to school right after a morning bath in it. Before class, a boy was standing next to me at his locker, and asked me if I smelled that STENCH? I was not 100% sure that he was referring to me, so I smiled,batted my false eyelashes, and cheerfully told him that all I SMELL was myself, and I smelled real good!!
He dipped in a bit, towards me, and took a random sniff…. then assured me that the stench was indeed, me! :o(
I was more then mortified!
I stopped using it that day, and have not picked it up since. In fact, I don’t even know if they still make it. I think I will try to find it, for the fun of it.:o)
In the 7th grade I started collecting ‘Naturistics by COTY’. I managed to get all the scents. They came in these tiny 2 inch frosted bottles. Each perfume was pastel in color and the color filled the frosted bottle. There was several in the set—pink(Paradise),yellow(Vanilla),green(Botanical),blue(Sea Splash),clear(White Musk) and lavender(Mountain Fresh).
They smelled very sweet, and each time I wore them to school the other kids and teacher thought I was eating candy, or chewing gum. My favorite one was the blue one called, ‘Sea Splash’ with the runner up being the pink one, Paradise.
In High School I fell in love with one of my friends mothers perfume, called Obsession, by Calvin Klein. I could not afford the $90 dollar price tag no matter how many houses I cleaned for cash….Sooo, I opted for the generic one called CONFESS. It smelled identical, but wore off in about an hour. I went through many bottles of it!
It became my signature scent for years. Obsession is still very popular, as all of Calvin Klein’s fragrances are. Very classic, and very $$ still.
After High school I was at someones house and on this pretty mirror in their bathroom, was the first time I laid my eyes on Chanel..There it was, sitting so perfectly on this white doily…Chanel #5. I picked it up and smelled it. It was a very mature fragrant scent. I sprayed it one time on my wrist, and left the bathroom. When I came out, my friend told me that I smelled like his mother! Was that good? I don’t know. :o)
Later that same week, I picked up a issue of Cosmopolitan magazine and saw a vintage picture of Marilyn Monroe holding a bottle of, none the less…Chanel #5 Perfume. I lifted up the ‘try me’tab, and took a deep breath. Just like the week prior! $120 dollars a bottle!! Even more then the Obsession perfume. I started thinking..How can people justify spending so much for perfumes? *fainting*
After that, it seemed like that particular perfume(Chanel #5) kept popping up. I thought it was a sign that I must own a bottle…*G*
Later that year I went to spend the summer with my father and he took me to my grandmothers house, and sure enough, sitting on her dresser, was another bottle of Chanel #5. Weeks later, I went to the library and checked out a Biography of Marilyn Monroe after hearing from my grandmother, that my mom was named after Marilyn…
In the beginning of the book there was that very same picture of Marilyn holding a Chanel #5 bottle. It was her signature fragrance after doing many ads for the company, the story read..
A few years passed and I met a women that always smelled amazing! Very classy! She told me that she was wearing new fragrance by Calvin Klein called, Eternity. (I have owned 2 bottles of it myself, and it smells like a piece of heaven.A little goes a long way.) They also make an Eternity for men which smells like sage, basil, and rosewood. Very Earthy! I just smelled it for the first time a few weeks ago….Also very pricey, as all Calvin Klein’s fragrances are. The good thing is, you can by smaller bottles at affordable prices. Yay!
Other Vintage fragrances that I have owned as a teen were, Taboo By Dana, Navy By Coty,Wind Song (I Bought of Wind Song, because my mom had told me that it was my fathers favorite, while they were dating and it made me miss my father less.. somehow when I wore it) Weird, I know!
I also had one bottle of ‘Vintage 4711 Echt Konisch’ (I think this was one of the first unisex fragrances.)
I fell in love with the bottle, and even more-so over its story…
*****In 1792 a Carthusian monk presented the newly-married Mulhens couple a seemingly modest wedding present. But this gift affected their future like no other; as it contained: The secret formula for an “aqua mirabilis”, later called “Eau de Cologne”.
Wilhelm Mulhens quickly recognized the value of this formula and started to build a small factory in the street “Glockengasse” in Cologne.
In 1794, during the period of French occupation in Cologne, the French commander ordered consecutive numbering for all houses. The Mulhens building on “Glockengasse”, where “Eau de Cologne” was produced, received the house number 4711. In 1875 this number became the registered trademark for the international brand 4711 ORIGINAL EAU DE COLOGNE.
A history, more than 200 years old, has built the image of this famous and successful brand 4711 ORIGINAL EAU DE COLOGNE******
Such a Great Story!!!!
When I met my husband I was only wearing natural oil based fragrances. I had Jasmine and Strawberry. Both very sweet and I still love them both today. I’ve probably gone through about 6 of each.
My husband shared with me that he loved Elizabeth Taylors ‘White Diamonds’, That was the fragrance that his Ex-GF use to wear… I Have owned one bottle of it, and I thought it smelled ‘too mature’ if you catch my drift..
I did love the pretty bottle!
He DH bought me the fragrance ‘Narcisse CHLOE’ the day before our wedding. His mother use to wear it, and we also named our first born after this perfume. <3
I was given ‘Tresor’ By Lancome from one of my sister in laws one year for Christmas. It was a very nice scent, but not me. The bottle was simply beautiful, as pictured….
Back home I was addicted to ‘Victoria Secrets Dream Angels-Heavenly’
I still wear it occasionally. That is, when my daughter doesn’t have it in her room. :o)
I also owned Victoria Secrets Rose perfume, which pretty much smells like rose water. I love the smell, but most men do not like the smell of flowers, including DH.
I also use to love Victoria Secrets So Sexy, until they stopped making it. You can buy it on Ebay, but it is discontinued, thus very expensive. They do still make the So Sexy Hair products which smell exactly like the parfum, so that is what I buy. Generally twice a year.
After my second daughter was born I started wearing Victoria Secrets Rapture parfume. It too, was a gift from a friend and came in the prettiest heart shape bottle that you ever set your eyes on. I always thought it was funny that you could not stand it up though. I just treated myself to a new bottle a few months ago with a gift card that I had won. It’s a very strong perfumy smell, and a little goes a long way. It lasts all day into the night. It was discontinued for years, and then they brought it back, but with a $50 dollar price tag! The cute story is, I had it on one morning, and my daughter, now 13, stopped and smelled me, and commented..OMG MOM! I remember that smell when I was little! She hadn’t smelled it since then, she said…*heartbeat*
Other fragrances that I have owned…
Red Door by Elizabeth Arden. It’s a very sweet scent.
GIORGIO BEVERLY HILLS, which was VERY popular in the 80′s, and I was addicted to the smell. I don’t know why, because I have picked it up and smelled it recently, and I think it stinks.
On another occasion, I was at the mall and was sprayed by a parfum lady (do they still do that? I don’t think they do.) She sprayed a parfum called ‘WINGS’ on me. It smelled amazing and I wanted it. $90 an ounce–Dream On! lol
I use to adore Avons GOLD and Avons IMARI. I use to wear both, back when I was an Avon ‘door to door’ girl! I loved the bottles. The Imari bottle is even plastic and when it forst came out, I was thinking…This is cheap and won’t sell! But it ended up being the number one thing that I sold each week! Maybe the color maroon, which kinda makes you feel all warm inside? I’m not sure, but what ever it is, it is GREAT marketing!
I’m big on packaging! Sure, it’s great if the product is magnificent as well, but more often then not, the things that I buy on a whim, are because of the packaging.
It is a good thing that I am not a hoarder, otherwise my whole house would be filled with pretty packages. :o)
Last year I bought a bottle of 360 degrees. It was on sale for $40 dollars and it instantly gave me an Nostalgia moment when I was only nineteen. A good friend at the time would keep it in her car, and spray the car all the time with it. I had no idea it was so expensive until I found it last year, and picked it up. It is By Perry Ellis.
Once again, the bottle is so pretty. I have about 1/2 left currently.
Oh, and the ever famous Vanilla Fields–another classic that we have all tried, I’m sure. Who doesn’t want to smell like a candle? Of course we need to ask ourselves, do humming-birds actually like Vanilla? :o)
I tend to buy fragrances a lot because I associate them to people that have been a part of my life. Much like people do with music. I actually do that too..
My old pastors wife back home only word Cliniques Happy parfume. I never knew this until I moved down here, and I smelled it on someone at church, and asked her what she was wearing? I instantly reconized it, and then bought myself a bottle. It’s one of those fragrances that just everyone loves. I always get compliments on it when I wear it. It just makes you feel, Well, HApPY! Packaging is pretty basic and to the point, but they reel you in with the bright orange, as orange is a color that just revs you up and reminds you of the Summer, and just, once again..Makes you HApPY!
Currently I own a bunch of different parfum oils. Several Victoria Secret fragrances, The 360 degree one. Three by Paris Hilton.(Don’t laugh, her parfums smell Amazing!) Cliniques HAPPY. Bath & Body Works ‘Butterfly Flower’ (This smells exactly like the REAL butterfly flower plants, that you can grow in your garden to attract butterflies.) Bath & Body works Tuber-rose.(I don’t care for this one, but it was a gift.) I thought I would love it because the Tumber-rose bubble bath smells amazing. I don’t know what went wrong with the parfum.
Very Popular fragrances for ladies right now are:
Honey By MAC. I am hoping to add this one next year, if I can get a good price, which would mean, UNDER $30!
Juicy Couture Viva’La Juicy–$45-The package alone would be worth the buy, as it would look very pretty on a night stand.
DKNY BE DELICIOUS-My daughter has been asking for this one. I checked the mall last week, and its still $65!! 
