This past week I’ve been ill. I’ve also been annoyed that the world around me is sunny, flowery — summery — in spite of my discomfort. When I’m not feeling well, I prefer looking out the windows and seeing clouds, fog, rain and bare branches on trees (I guess you could say I wallow in my misery). If I’m sick or depressed, I still “eat a little something” and wear perfume (I’m lucky enough to be alive after all) but those flavor and fragrance selections are carefully chosen. Warm, rich, nutty and chocolaty desserts go down easily during hard times (who cares about calories if you’re physically or mentally hurting?) I don’t reserve certain perfumes for sick days, but when I’m feeling low I reach for “darker” perfumes that will “support” me as I move through my day (or don’t move at all); these perfumes must have some heft, act as a “scented crutch” if you will, but should not contain jarring/strange notes or progress through multiple stages of development. Sparkly, bright Eaux de Cologne, frivolous fruity-florals, and ozonic-moronic sport fragrances get on my nerves when I’m under the weather, and they seem to disappear into thin air the moment I really need a “shoulder” to lean on.
Perfumes for Illness must provide the comfort, the familiarity, the simplicity and the satisfaction of a warm brownie, a dense, fragrant gingerbread, a cup of hot chocolate made with cream (insert the name of any food you love). I usually reach for oriental fragrances when I’m humming the blues, and for a few days this week I turned to Chanel Coromandel…
