Stop and smell the fragrances
I grew up in a “no-odor household:” my parents would wrinkle their noses at the slightest hint of fragrance. I resorted to spraying “Charlie” (purchased because I was in love with a boy named Charlie and I thought Shelley Hack looked gorgeous in this print ad) in the air and quickly walking through it. 
I rarely got away with that, and it quickly lead to living a fragrance-free life. Oh, I had collected perfumes here and there (White Linen, Shalimar, Miracle) but application was sporadic and took a bigger dive into oblivion when I started raising children. Since I never left the house, I thought, ‘Why should I try to smell nice, look nice?” But I recently grew out of that funk and lately have noticed the pleasure fragrances have given me in the most unexpected places. There was the clerk at the local Alsup’s who when asked what she was wearing, responded with a huge grin, “Sexy by Victoria’s Secret”, and the woman who sat behind me last night at a basketball game who smiled wide when she responded to my inquiry with “Opium.” Even though I may be with myself and the dogs during the day, I have started touching my neck and my wrists with the slightest whisper of fragrance, most recently the newly released Chanel Les Exclusifs. 
I read about the line at my once-a-day obsession - Blogdorf Goodman. My favorite is 31 Rue Cambon. Before coaches wives balk at the price, I found a site - Fragrant Fripperies - where you can order samples. It was perfect for someone with a tight budget and limited access to sampling fragrances. So, now when I lean over the sink clearing away breakfast dishes and the soothing smell rises above the Palmolive suds, it reminds me that I am a woman, and that gives me pleasure. What are some of your favorite fragrances?
