
Originally Posted by
lizzie_j
I'm not as articulate as many, but for me OBSESSION started last January. Here are some thoughts about that time, and what keeps me interested...
About a year ago, I was going through my things, and organizing (I have a touch of OCD, so I organize a lot, and the OCD certainly plays into my perfume obsession as well), and I found a handful of perfume samples from Sephora that I had not used. For some reason I decided to try several at once, on different patches of arm, and I had this epiphany that hough some were quite 'MEH' on me, a couple of samples were really quite wonderful. And I loved the tiny bottles, so cute and self-contained. I arranged the samples from best to worst (If you have OCD, you'll recognize the need to make orders of things) and soon got on the internet (another obsession) and found Lucky Scent! I had no idea that niche fragrances even existed, or that one could so easily purchase samples! After going through their lists of 'top picks' and reading their descriptions (especially for the vanilla-centric fragrances) I was thoroughly intrigued. I placed a large order for vanilla based scents, and I've been drawn in, hook, line and sinker, ever since. From there I discovered The Perfumed Court (and bimonthly sample ordering soon ensued), eBay, etc...
I think for me the draw is multifaceted. Certainly it involves the exploration of a sense that is often subservient to our other senses (but shouldn't be); the link between smell and our 'reptilian' brain stem, where deeply rooted memories linger (I love the way certain scents conjure up a very detailed landscape or moment in time for me); the possibility of an almost infinite number of scent combinations to discover--including those yet to be developed or marketed (I'm looking forward to the JC Ellena Vanilla scent almost as much as if my favorite band was coming to town!!); and the opportunity to interact with others who share this passion, and who are, generally speaking, well read, well spoken, thoughtful and interesting.
In some ways it's like a drug addiction, though without the negative connotations. When I find a fragrance I love, it's a moment of delight that FEELS good. Doing the Basenotes salute all day to re-sniff a new found love is like taking more drug! And it's a perfectly acceptable addiction without the negative health effects of most of the others I can think of. (One must simply be judicious with the pocketbook..sometimes easier said than done, eh?)
Enough said....interesting question and I look forward to what others have to say!!!