Here’s one story: a woman I once worked with heard about my love of perfume and said, “I’ve always wanted to find a signature perfume. Will you help me?” I brought her handfuls of samples, talked passionately about Guerlain and Serge and Dior, and accompanied her to the perfume counter at Nordstrom. She was determined to find a perfume she liked, but somehow I knew she just didn’t get it. Her comments about the perfume she tried were along the lines of “this smells pretty”, “I can tell this is quality” (this polite comment was about Caron Narcisse Noir parfum, which I should have been smart enough to keep from a scent neophyte), and “I don’t know, nothing seems right.” The stories, the nuances, the power of perfume were lost on her. I think she ended up with a bottle of Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely…
Some lucky people have it all figured out early in life. They know that they want to be veterinarians or lawyers while they're still in high school. They find true love just out of high school, and they know by their mid-20s that navy blue doesn't do a thing for their complexions. Of course, they have cemented their choice in perfume as a young adult, too, and change it as they age for a graceful evolution in taste. They know, for instance, that they like subdued florals, and they stay on track as they grow older, choosing Caron Fleurs de Rocailles at 19 years old, then moving to Houbigant Quelques Fleurs at 25, then to Annick Goutal Grand Amour in their mid-30s.
