Olfactory Apothecary

by Ann

Being sick is never fun for anyone, but having a cold
or sinus congestion as a perfume lover is especially difficult.

A stopped-up nose means we might have to go days and days
(or heaven forbid, even a week!) suffering the loss of our precious
sense of smell, a real tragedy for those who love scents as we do.

I got walloped last week with a late-winter/early-spring cold that came
on like gangbusters. I didn’t know what hit me — one minute I was
fine and the next I had a raging sore throat and it all went rapidly
downhill from there.  I know of at least one of you out
there who has had this nasty business as well.

And of course, it would have to make its appearance just as the
highly anticipated Serge Lutens’ Jeux de Peau was debuting.
My sample arrived in the mail and I could only look at it
longingly, awaiting the day that my nose was back up to snuff.

Now granted, we can’t comfort ourselves with scent
much while we’re olfactorily-impaired, but there are plenty of other times
when the right fragrance can do a world of good.

I know when I’m feeling chilly, achy or in need of some cozy
warmth, I turn to Costes 2 with its cuddly mix of benzoin, cinnamon,
orange blossom, rose and gaiac wood, or its cousin,
Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Cologne Pour le Soir.
The lovely, soothing (but alas, discontinued) Fendi Theorema
works nicely as well.

Feeling sluggish? Not for long. A shot of L’Artisan’s Nuits de Tubereuse
or Serge’s Tubereuse Criminelle gets my attention as surely as
a dousing of cold water, and they keep me on my toes.

If financial worries rear their ugly heads, my vintage
Cartier Must scents assure me that I’ll soon be on the sunny
side of the financial street. And nothing makes me feel like
a million bucks quite like Amouage Memoir Woman.

When the blues come calling, I reach out
to the gorgeous Carnal Flower to help raise my spirits.
My citrus-grove childhood memories beckon me
to “c’mon, get happy” with Serge’s elegant Fleurs de Citronnier
or the bright, sunny tang of Bond No. 9’s Little Italy.
Apologies for “The Partridge Family” earwig there, but
David Cassidy was on “Celebrity Apprentice” last week and the
song has been in and out of my head since then.  🙂

Although it doesn’t get a lot of ink in the online
fragrance community,Kai’s simple, uncomplicated beauty
proves a most welcome comfort for me in uncertain times.

So if you will, please share with me what you reach for in
your perfume medicine cabinet when you’re feeling less
than your best.

And for those of you suffering from colds, the flu
or other ills, I send you a big hug, a comforting cup of tea and
the reminder that this, too, shall pass.

photo:  sore throat/yourmedicament – some rights reserved