Signature scents

"It was there [inside Chanel's home] that it became clear to me what Beaux managed to bottle when he stoppered that first flacon [of Chanel No. 5] in 1921: an attitude. Chanel was the ultimate self-made woman, someone whose confidence and sense of purpose rendered her indelible."

I became really interested in perfume in late '08. I started to think that having a "signature" scent would be incredibly glamorous and sexy. I was further encouraged after reading this piece about the magic of Chanel No. 5 in Elle a while back. This scent was pretty much genius; no one has been able to come close to formulating something so classic. For me, the scent of Chanel No. 5 is gorgeous, but also reminds me of many random things (my aunt, clubs in Ireland). When I started to look for a "signature" scent, I wanted to look for something else, something that didn't trigger those associations. (Tough, 'cause how could you not want to smell like "the ultimate self-made woman"?)

I'm really sensitive to smells and didn't want something too fancy, so I looked for a clean, simple, soapy or laundry smell. I tried Philosophy's Pure Grace, but I randomly started to get headaches after smelling it too much.

Once, I popped into L'Artisan Parfumer on the Upper West Side. The very Frenchness of it all lured me inside the tiny shop. I smelled many of their perfumes, but couldn't bring myself to spend a lot of money on perfume, of all things. I started to think the whole perfume thing was a silly idea...that cash could go toward MetroCards and meals. The nice shopgirl sent me home with a sampler tube of one of my faves, Mimosa Pour Moi. A snippet from the description:

"A reminder of weekends spent at the Riviera, the perfume carries you away to the elegant shores of the Cote d'Azure..."

When I visited Bali, I brought the sampler tube with me. I wore it every day. I grew to love its light scent and formed my own associations with it. I was giddy when I opened my Christmas gift from Chris last year and found a whole bottle of this for my very own. I wear it all the time now. Even though it's a summery scent, I even wear it in winter sometimes to perk me up.

Now I'm a perfume addict. While Mimosa will remain my "signature" for now, I would love to see the top of my dresser covered in pretty glass bottles. (Damn those bottles! So hard not to buy!) This stuff's been on my list to check out (frangipani flowers are everywhere in Bali), and this Carolina Herrera perfume is tempting me, too.

Do you have a signature scent?