It was in a crowded train on my way home. I was working on some unfinished paperwork until I suddenly noticed the pleasant smell of a flower garden in bloom. While looking up, a bouquet of roses, jasmine, peony and orange blossom passes me by and seats herself a few chairs away from mine. It’s exactly the type of girl you would imagine wearing this fragrance; in her late teens, blonde, energetic and surrounded by a group of admirers. I couldn’t help but to stare at her. The florals, the freshness, it all smelled so familiar, I could swear it was the Elie Saab rose couture. A fragrance that is mine.
Or at least it was mine until I smelled it on her. The roses, her admirers, the orange blossom, her energy, it all seemed to fit so well. Why did I ever purchase this fragrance in the first place? Didn’t I learn anything from my great scent search last year? Floral fragrances are just not me, not me at all. I’m quite the opposite to say the least. Musky, woody and eccentric scents, that’s what makes my heart beat faster. So, why wear the rose couture? Well, let’s start by saying that it smells good, obviously. But when digging deeper, I guess I just want what every other perfume lover wants; to own a variety of odors for several occasions. During my days on the beach I want to wear a spritz of fresh citrus, romantic dinners ask for a heavy, woody fragrance and days in the park? Well, that’s where the Elie Saab rose couture came in.
But now that I’ve collected so many different fragrances over the past few years, it kind of made me wonder, did I lost my sense of self? Do my perfumes still portray who I am, who I want to be? Well, I can tell you that the simple answer is no, they don’t. Because wearing so many different odors just in case I might go to the beach or out for a picnic in the park isn’t very convenient, at least not for me. I feel that it’s confusing even. Since a typical floral girl is no longer a floral girl and a citrus woman is not a citrus woman anymore. You can be anyone these days; all you have to do is buy the right perfume, the right clothing, magazine, car and whatnot. And with that in mind I came to the conclusion that I just wanted to be me, not the admired floral girl in the train, not the woman who spends her days on the beach wearing a citrus scent, just me. It was time to remove all of those alter ego’s from my fragrance cabinet. And the next time I see that girl wearing her rose couture, I will smile at her knowing that she found her signature scent as well as I did, just one.
