Crescent of a Woman

Egads lovelies. I was almost lost for words today. Rare occurrence.
Once in a blue crescent moon... but...as I looked through these images,  it came to me...born from my love, nay...need for wordplay and due to the "oh yum! What's that smell?" I got today, which I'm glad was prefaced with "oh yum!" because otherwise I would have... cried.  Anyywayyy.

What's your Signature Scent?
What fragrance sends your senses over the moon?

Mine is Vanilla.  Simple and anything but straight, vanilla. Exotic, delicious, luscious vanilla.  And the only one I use is by The Body Shop.  This is also the the only fragrance that 'sticks' to me. 
....More info after the jump... but before that... tell me, do you like this new 'phormat' I'm going with?  The photos aligned like this?  'Cleaner' or annoyingly long?

Gold Crescent Orb necklace & rings by COCO LIBERACE [the accessories brand I work for]

I don't know why but my body chemistry changed in my late thirties. This led to many food allergies and adverse reaction to products, which led to me studying Cosmetic Chemistry and then to my own natural skincare brand, have I told you about that? No? Yes? Don't care? 

Prior to that I was a prolific collector of fragrances, I say collector because perfume isn't something I used everyday... I like to have my olfactory senses 'uncluttered' occasionally... sometimes I like to be neutral...and no this does not mean I go without deodorant!!  I said neutral!!  Not putrid.

Anyway...I really will get around to doing that skincare post I've been talking about for the last 300 years.  I have 'fixed' many of my adverse reactions and am currently working on 'combating' my allergy to fruit and I can use all products again but have changed what I use.... however... perfume still doesn't gel with my chemistry... I cannot use any of my favourites...except for Vanilla by The Body Shop.  Luckily it's my favourite.

My 2nd most favourite perfume ever, that I used in my twenties was Organza by Givenchy - a blend of honeysuckle, amber, nutmeg, vanilla, iris and gardenia... it was classified as a sharp, oriental and woody fragrance and also had my favourite model of the time, Yasmeen Ghauri as the 'face' of the fragrance.

Actually... the face of a fragrance also played some part in my liking the fragrance...which is weird because I am not usually susceptible to such things... but I guess that's how it works...

Some others I have used are Holi by Kenzo [rice steam, rose, pink pepper, vanilla, sandalwood, petals of peony and frangipani...delicious!! I LOVE this not just for the aroma but for the bottle and the joie de vivre...!] ; Knowing by Estee Lauder [a blend of rose, mimosa, jasmine, oakmoss, amber and sandalwood] ; Tresor by Lancome [rose, lilac, apricot blossom and peach , musk ,vanilla and sandalwood] ; and...Kouros by YSL [yes it's a man's fragrance but...a blend of grass, cloves, jasmine, rose and coriander, accompanied by a touch of vanilla and honey...this was DIVINE...]

I also just dab some vanilla essence on to pulse points.  Try it but be prepared to have complete strangers stick their noses in your nape and ask if they can marry you.  [No that's not how my husband and I met].  I also use 'Sandalwood' by Crabtree & Evelyn.  SWOON.

Hmm...I should have written about the psychological reasons why we use perfumes, the diferences between perfumes, EDTs, etc, blah, whatnot, etcetera, etcetera...but I didn't.  All I know is that vanilla suits me and is my signature fragrance, has been the main note of all my fragrances and I love it and it intoxicates me and fills me with pleasure.

Why does vanilla suit me?  It certainly isn't because of this definition of vanilla. "plain and without any extras or adornments".  I mean... hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yeah.  Right.

If you are so inclined, I would love to know why you think your fragance suits you?  And how much importance you place upon smell.
Smell is my strongest sense of recognition, that whole invisible pheremone 'thing'.  My sense of smell, indeed, everyones, unless of course you can't smell at all, alerts us to changes within ourselves and reactions to others. 

When I think of someone I care for, I can immediately smell them.  The good smells. 
...because my sons' feet after sweaty socks... hmmm...but when you love someone, their natural fragrance, their smell is beautiful to you... my thoughts of my children, regardless of how old they are, never bring up memories of yucky smells...just their beautiful baby smells, their hair, their skin, their beautiful baby smells, which I MISS SO MUCH AND OH GOD I AM SO READY TO BE A GRANDMOTHER... and don't start me on the smell of my husband because I will... faint.... [thud]... he's my... Manilla... J