French Perfume

As I walked to my bus stop, someone outside the Alma-Marceau métro station in Paris handed me this perfume sample of Nomade by Chloé.

It got me thinking: For how many people will this perfume become their favorite or maybe even their signature scent? For how many people will this fragrance be life-changing?

Do you remember your first perfume?

When I was about 14 years old, I got a sample of L’Air du temps by Nina Ricci. I don’t recall exactly whether I was drawn to the fragrance or its French name.

I do remember feeling chic and grown-up as I spritzed some on my wrists. The nasal pronunciation of temps (“tAHn”) also delighted me as I was learning French in high school at the time. So maybe it was both: the fragrance and the name!

I adore J’adore

Nearly 20 years later, I fell in love with another scent, J’adore by Dior.

I only wear it during the winter holiday season when I get all dressy! So forget sugar cookies, pine trees, gingerbread, roasted chestnuts, or cinnamon and cloves in mulled wine! At home, Christmas smells like J’adore!

It’s true: a fragrance becomes your brand!

One of my dearest friends (my Sister from another mister) wears Eau des Merveilles by Hermès.

If memory serves me right, we first met when she asked if she could join me at my table in the office break room. I said, Sure, and offered her some of my potato chips. Then I asked her for the name of the fragrance she was wearing. She told me and described it as “the one that’s in a round bottle with stars on it.”

The rest is history, as they say. We’ve been sharing laughs for over ten years now! Although we live almost six thousand miles apart, I think of her (and immediately send her a text) whenever I happen to catch a whiff of her perfume.

Who knew perfume could lead to such a cherished friendship? Life-changing, indeed.

Do you have a favorite perfume or scent? Does it remind you of anyone? Tell me in the comments below!