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The entire cleansing process will also have a staggering impact upon my later choice of fragrance because everyone knows you can't pair Lush's coconut soap with Chanel #19 . Upon stepping out of the shower I like to keep things simple - unscented deodorant and unscented talc. After the shower I will brush my teeth - a ritual that is no longer relegated to mere call of duty: Imagine my excitement when I found a line of flavored toothpaste whose variety is something akin to the Demeter display at Sephora . My current favorite is white peach, and a tube of pumpkin pie is waiting for the fall. I then light some incense (don't even get me started) and move on with my day. What I'm trying to say is that scent is a huge part of my life - it finds its way into my home and every aspect of my day.

The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning, and the last thing I do before sleeping is to troll the internet looking for fragrance discounts, news of fragrance launches, and to check the boards at Basenotes all while an Illume cucumber candle gently glows by my bedside . This obsession (pardon the pun, to those in the know), while seemingly harmless, has pretty much taken over my life which leads me to ask "When is it simply too much?"

So now that I've asked the question, do I really want an answer? Let's look at my recent shopping habits: I have 5 items being "watched" in MyEbay , 2 items I'm personally watching in Basenotes Marketplace , and 2 other items I purchased from Parfum1 before writing this column. I have 3 packages I have to mail out today for pending swaps and am expecting 2 packages within the next couple of days and that's just here in Japan - my father has emailed me twice this week to let me know that he received 2 packages at his home in Florida!

It could be worse. This is what I tell myself. At least I'm not shooting up. I'm not running up unmanageable credit card bills. I don't spend more than the GNP of New Zealand. At least I'm not hurting anyone - although with all these recent reports about toxic chemicals in fragrance perhaps I need to re-think this last one.

Here's the answer - I'm moving half-way across the world next spring and have decided that because the costs of shipping my collection could basically feed a starving child for a year I'll have to slim it down. Because I can't possibly get all of this home - and believe me, I've pictured myself standing in the Osaka airport and pondered just how many fragrances I could reasonably carry in my carry-on bag - "too much" will have to become "just enough."

Sadly, I'll have to leave behind the large pillar candles, though the incense should be a piece of cake! I've started giving away fragrances that just don't interest me and in one recent swap, instead of a decant, I just sent the whole darn bottle of Armani ! And here's the crazy thing: I'm ok with this. I sometimes think "Which fragrance did I give to Takahiro?" and because I can't really recall, I suppose I don't miss it. And I'm ok with this. Ok, so I'm not moving for another 7 months, but just the idea has led me to conclude that I don't really need 5 bottles of patchouli fragrance, or 8 bottles of sandalwood fragrance. I could pick just one or two and I'd be ok with it, really. Of course, a fragrance addiction has nothing to do with need...or does it?

About the author

Marlen Harrison is the creator and editor of PerfumeCritic.com. As well as a column for Basenotes.net, Marlen's other writing has included regular contributions to NowSmellThis blog, BeautyAddictMag, and The Washington Blade.

All articles by Marlen Harrison

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