The Smell of a “Working Girl”

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Funny, how things can change. All of a sudden I didn’t like my favorite perfume anymore. I had loved it for 20 years, had wished for it every Christmas or when my birthday came around, and then it stopped. The love affair was over.

I couldn’t stand the smell any longer. It didn’t smell good. The scent was way too intense, rather the smell of a WORKING GIRL – if you know what I mean.

What had changed you might wonder.

Well, I had stopped smoking, and all my senses came back to life, just a couple of weeks after I had given up my beloved cigarettes.

I couldn’t believe it. The smell of my favorite soap was disgusting; our detergent stunk, and my perfume was too obtrusive. Also, my husband’s aftershave had to go, what was he thinking?

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I needed to find a new perfume, something that smelled good.

I was officially on a mission and off to the mall, I went. I drove the lady at the perfume counter crazy when I couldn’t make up my mind. She was not able to help me that day – I was official perfumeless.

What a punishment for someone who loves good smells and aromas. Finally, after so many years of smoking, I was able to smell again, and now I couldn’t find anything that I liked.

To make things worse, I had just gotten another bottle of my old perfume for Christmas, but there was no way I would ever use it again. It cost too much to throw it away, so I took pictures and posted it on eBay. The opening bid was low, just $5 -nobody seemed to want it. “See, they all know it stinks,” I thought. Then the bids rolled in, and the price went up and up. I sold my slightly used gift set for $60, and I was surprised.

What now?

I started to search around and made some bids myself, mainly on perfume testers and miniature perfume bottles, and it went from there.

I never went back to smoking (why would I) and now, almost three  years later, I have a nice collection of perfumes in my bathroom.

I love the smell of a good fragrance and trying out different ones became something like a hobby -or a new addiction. Every morning I stand in our bathroom, and I look at that little corner shelf and have fun deciding what smell to wear that day. It makes me feel like a little kid in a candy store.

My new hobby doesn’t cost much. I buy the perfumes and colognes and sell the once I don’t like a couple of weeks later, just to buy more.

What can I say? I am having fun, and it beats smoking. 🙂

 

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28 thoughts on “The Smell of a “Working Girl””

  2. Old Fart that I am, I have started to notice and appreciate smells/scents much more than I did as a younger working girl. I am using that term, also the title of one of my favorite movies, not in the sense that you’re using it here, of course. Same goes for notice and appreciation of the music I hear in/on TV shows and movies that I am viewing these days.

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  4. … and the bottles are always so pretty 🙂

    I’m not one of those women who can wear perfume. Even perfume I love on other people, stinks on me.
    But my favourite is that comingled smell of multiple fragrances that every cosmetic store/counter seems to have. If only THAT came in a bottle 🙂

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  5. That is some collection! So interesting about how your smell returning after quitting. I know our body chemistry changes with time which affects how perfume smells on us. What worked for us in our 20’s may not years later!

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    • My favorite was Chanel No 5, now I like Jill Sander No 4. The smell makes me happy, it’s not too sweet and not too heavy.

      I didn’t know there was a market for opened perfumes either, just be careful. They sell old perfumes as well, then it’s called Vintage. But all the testers I bought are great have just been opened. Also the miniatures are great, if you don’t know what you like.

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  9. I quit smoking almost a year ago now and my sense of smell is crazy – I am now sensitive to everything and I can smell bad odors that others cannot. And a course now I cannot stand the smell of smoke on others.

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  12. And our tastes change and mature, regardless of our ability to smell ourselves. The perfume I loved when I was 19 is suddenly bland and overly sweet now that I’m almost 57. Give Vintage Bloom a sniff. It’s my new favorite…that and Juicy. I get my tips from reading and go off to the store to give the suggested fragrance a sniff. Those two are the only ones that’ve passed the test so far, but who knows? And your new hobby is certainly a lot better for you than your old one! Kudos!

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    • The ability to taste and smell comes back when you give up smoking. One night I was sitting there sniffing myself, because I couldn’t believe the smell of my body lotion. My husband almost lost it when he watched me. Every ex-smoker has experienced that.
      All my dishes tasted too salty or were too spicy. My husband just quit 6 months ago and he stopped using his beloved tobacco.

      Our taste does mature with time, I can’t stand the smell of patchouli anymore. Thought it was the best smell ever when I was young.

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