when fragrances come in casual conversation

Not a compelling topic for conversation. I state what I'm wearing if asked and move on.

People regularly talk about perfume here. New releases, oud oils and so on.

Depending on context and if I actually know anything apropos, I may or may not engage.

I like to offer useful input if it's helpful, but have no vested interest in being a know-it-all.

I'd discuss it like any other topic.

If the topic comes up I readily engage. I make no secret of my passion for fragrances around the office and elsewhere, and I see no reason for playing cloak and dagger in pretending I know nothing about them. People are going to think what they want and I really don't care.

play dumb if it isn't their hobby as well. if it is i will fully engage in a discussion lol.

Yup.



Noir, you keep asking the same question over and over, each time phrased slightly differently, but the root of the question is always the same. Clearly, the issue of fragrances in your life causes you grief or frustration, but it doesn't have to be that way.

If there's an elephant in the room, that's what people are going to talk about. If you have a giant collection of knives hanging along a wall, the topic of knives is going to come up. If collecting knives makes you feel so uncomfortable that, OMG, you have to immediately change the topic when it comes up in conversation or pretend you know nothing about knives, perhaps hanging them on the wall does you more harm than good.

At some point, you really should try to figure out why the topic comes up so often around you, and why it makes you so uncomfortable. I'm going to take a wild guess: you still live at home with your parents and you have your perfume collection displayed on a dresser and/or shelves. Your parents and their friends see "that stuff" and wonder why can afford it all but can't afford your own place. The topic comes up a lot because they disapprove of your priorities.

For better or for worse, in other people's eyes, we are what we show them. If you don't like being judged for collecting stuffed animals, don't keep the stuffed animals on the bed. Find a place out of view to store them (this example brought to you by a woman I had a crush on in college until I saw her dorm room, half of which was filled with at least a hundred stuffed animals. Uhm... Yikes? To make matters worse, her roommate was very goth. You can imagine what the other half of the room looked like. Double yikes!)

For better or for worse, in other people's eyes, we are what we show them. Think about who you truly are and how you'd like people to see you. Show them that. If your love of fragrances is one of those things, show them and be proud to do so.

I agree. Well said.

My husband outs me as a 'perfume addict' to anyone who will listen - the op-shop lady, the neighbours, all his friends. At one stage he freaked out about how much it cost and he told people how much I spent. To his surprise people are interested. Now they sniff me and want to know what I'm wearing, what's good and what I'm giving away.

Furthermore I like asking people about what they like to wear or not, and why. Who doesn't like talking about their experiences?
It's a great way to connect and hear people's stories. Many a time my poor husband has had to turn away, from a conversation he started, in disgust. Ha ha.

I'm inclined to agree with this. However as I already know how I feel about these things generally when the topic does come up I want to know other peoples opinions, what they wear or used to wear, and try to keep things positive. It's one place I do bite my tongue. I don't want to be a critic, tell someone their favourite perfume is crap, etc. Thankfully I find very, very few fragrances arn't at least pleasant to smell.

I like when people I know ask me for recommendations, though it can be a tricky subject.

I'm inclined to agree with this. However as I already know how I feel about these things generally when the topic does come up I want to know other peoples opinions, what they wear or used to wear, and try to keep things positive. It's one place I do bite my tongue. I don't want to be a critic, tell someone their favourite perfume is crap, etc. Thankfully I find very, very few fragrances arn't at least pleasant to smell.

I like when people I know ask me for recommendations, though it can be a tricky subject.