To Find the Signature Scent for the Soul
by Raegan Densmore
The colder seasons have the most beautiful scents; cinnamon, vanilla, pumpkin spice, pine trees, peppermint, etc. Sometimes for fun, I will go across the street to Winners just so I can smell the candles. These scents are particularly my favourite. Recently, I have been getting into perfume. Which is much harder to be sold on than candles, for numerous reasons; their scents are so much more intricate, and just because you like a scent does not mean others will, they may not last that long or be disgustingly strong, and of course, their extreme costs. And so I have spent too much of my free time going out to smell perfumes to see if I can find one for me.
Over the summer I was given a travel sized Libre by YSL. I liked it, despite not being much of a floral fan. And I received quite a bit of compliments. Because of this, I was thinking of playing it safe and buying a different Libre, specifically the vanilla one, which is even more my style, because I prefer warmer scents and tis the season of course. However, I just found out a full sized bottle is around $320, which is a little out of my price range…
The issue is that the travel size or cheap body mists do not last that long, so the cost accumulates over time. I would like to get something of great quality, something that will last for a long time. I’ve always been quite scared of that in general, blind to the fact that my cheap costs were adding up. However, at the same time, over my dead body will I purchase something more expensive just for it to be awful, that is double the loss. I am aware that is also a very real potential case. Thus, this makes my search quite a bit more difficult.
I adore a nice vanilla scent. Something warm yet sophisticated, not too sweet. A nice warm smell that is not intolerable and distracting, but is complementary and welcoming. I find this is quite hard to find. Perfumes are either extremely sweet as a gourmand, too woody, coming off quite masculine, or they are too fruity or too floral. I’ve also smelled playdoh, toothpaste, celery and B.O. all of which, I am not trying to smell like. With perfumes for women, I find the majority are floral. They can be pretty and refreshing, but I find myself more drawn to warm and cozy scents, as I do with candles. Something not too risky because I prefer not to bother the people around me. Vanilla is quite accepted, and it is found in both male and female perfumes.
I’ve spent hours in different stores trying out the numerous scents. There are many to choose from. I prefer going to Sephora because there are tiny descriptions of what the scent is like; fruity floral, warm floral, woody spices, warm and sweet gourmands, warm and spicy, fresh & citrus, etc. I tend to reach towards the warm and sweet ones, as they are the nicest smells and not always too sweet. Plus, you can sample everything. I like to carry a handful or pockets full of fragrance blotters back home with me (as ridiculous as it sounds), and have both wrists sprayed so I can get more full of an experience with the scents. Fragrances often smell different once they dry down, or they lose their scent quickly. I would much rather have the full experience with a scent before I make a final decision on it.
How grateful I am to live extremely close to a Winners, a Sephora, and multiple Shoppers. Going out on a walk to go smell some candles and now perfumes is an enjoyable pass time for me, and I never expect to buy anything. If I keep it up, maybe eventually I’ll be able to describe scents as though I am a professional; portraying a beautiful story in each bottle.
Or I will end up with migraines.
Comments