Marie (not her real name) is a 44-year-old history professor in Virginia, married, and a mom of two boys, aged nine and five. So far, she sounds like a lot of us.

Her perfume history sounds familiar, too. Her first perfume was a sample of Nina Ricci Nina she sent away for in a magazine when she was 10. As an adult, she dabbled in the 1980s “Holy Trinity” of Calvin Klein Eternity, Christian Dior Poison, and Giorgio.

Where Marie diverges from many perfumistas is in how she stores fragrance, and, more interesting, her awareness of why she enjoys perfume…

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Christy doesn’t know the name of the perfumer who developed her favorite fragrance, and she’s not geeky about notes and structure. She’s heard Chanel No. 5 is nice, but it’s never crossed her path. At the same time, she loves perfume and makeup, and she’s loaded with style. I couldn’t wait to talk with her about her perfume collection.

When I caught up with Christy, it was late Sunday night, and she was ironing school uniforms for her daughters. Christy is a single mom in Georgia with three girls between the ages of two and nine, plus a full-time job. Not surprisingly, she lives on a budget. She’s more likely to buy perfume at the mall than toss down her credit card for the latest $400 niche bottle…

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