piratefsh wrote a short series of blog posts about allowing herself to become a perfume aficionado, starting with “Every month or so, about two weeks before my period starts, my nose gets hypersensitive.” (Content note for vomiting.) Part two: “Sales assistants at department stores are terrifying.” “But there I was, at the cosmetics section in the glitziest department stores of Kuala Lumpur, every other weekend with my feet and flip flops sweaty from trekking across the street from the nearest light rail train station.”
Part 3: “A short-lived first love”: “My first bottle of perfume was Lavandula by Penhaligon’s.”
Part 4: “Scented memories of my family”: “I hadn’t even realized that I had a memory of my mother’s perfume.”
Part 5: “What do other people smell like”: “I found myself fascinated by my male schoolmate who always smelled good. Completely forgetting that perfume was a thing, I bluntly asked for the detergent that he used.”
Part 6: Perfume in my life today: “Instead of going for full bottles, I opt for decants and samples.”
People share perfume reviews and recommendations — including from indie perfume-makers — in the smellsgood Dreamwidth community. And you can run your own decanting circle. (Disclaimer: author is a friend.)