Obsession

   Old ladies slowly make their ways to cosmetic counters all across America to ask for the same product, Youth-Dew from their local Estee Lauder counter.   Why oh why ? 

   The answer is simple. Youth-Dew came out in 1943, and for anyone who’s been wearing it for over 30,40, 50 or 60 or more years…it’s like spraying on memories from decades gone by.

   Fragrance brings back memories and feelings of the past.  I actually have an old bottle of Youth-Dew in a small suitcase with things belonging to my mother who had passed away16 years ago, at age 51. My mom always had expensive and strong smelling perfumes on, and although she often referred to Youth-Dew as her “cheapy,” she loved it anyway for the memories it brought forth. I recently opened it up, to inspect and see if the bottle of Youth-Dew exploded or evaporated, only to find it was still there. Once I’d sprayed it, the room filled with the presence of my mom. The perfume seemed a bit stronger than Youth-Dew normally smells, but other than that, it was still the same ol Youth-Dew. Very strong and bold. It’s not a sexy scent at all by today’s standards, however, over 250 million bottles have been sold and the product has a devout following, more than anything, due to the memories and feelings it brings and it would seem those who have coveted this frangrance for decades are truly addicted! I actually saw an Estee Lauder customer that was 106 years old, about a month ago, and she was there with her family buying the fragrance!

  After having a conversation with a 19 year old about Youth-Dew sales today, it occurred to me that she and her friends might possibly be 80 years old one day, going to the mall to purchase the current Justin Bieber perfume, called Girlfriend! (A sweet, young scent.)

   Wearing a scent…repeatedly…leaves an imprint on those around you.That being said, it is important to choose wisely if a positive lasting impression is your goal.  Fragrances have the abilities to tap into our memories and influence our moods, feelings, emotions and mental functioning.

  Vanilla, lavender, jasmine and cinnamon have all been tested and shown to be very alluring to men, with vanilla being the most sexually arousing scent! There is no suprise then, that my personal signature scent, that I wear 75% of the time is Angel by Thierry Mugler !  I adore the scent of vanilla and I have an innate desire to feel sexy and desirable at all times! I wear it more times than not, because years ago, I’d read it was a way to imprint your image into someone’s memory. Hey, we may break up, but for the rest of his life, when he smells anything vanilla, he WILL think of me!

   Light scents and musks don’t do as much for a man. Stronger scents with a punch have more impact.

   My other go-to is Shalimar by Jacques Geurlain which was released in 1925, but it competes with Angel for my love.  It is rich and bold yet soft!  I used to wear it when I was a little girl, my mom would buy it for me for years from about 4th grade  through high school. Weird, I know but that was her way of making me feel pretty, I suppose. Shalimar can be described as vanilla, powdery and sweet, so you see, my top two scents of choice include the same note of vanilla, yet have various other qualities so no matter which of the two I wear, a lasting, positive impression will be created by my similar yet different fragrance wardrobe! This enables me also to choose vanilla based bath and body products which will be in harmony with the perfumes.

   Choose your personal “base” scent, such as rose, ylang ylang, cinnamon or lavender and then stay within your scent’s realm in order to build and maintain your personal scent imprint!

-August 8, 2012

–SDS