I turned the cold object over in my hand. The golden liquid inside caught the light, looking all the more expensive. The glass walls encasing that gold liquid were angled and cut prettily—so very unlike my perfume previously owned. There was a feel of opulence along those smooth glass sides.
The eras of a woman’s life can be explained by the bottle of perfume that sits on the counter just above her sink. And sometimes a change to that bottle is the most obvious sign of a transition.
The Body Spray Era
I think the first era of perfume starts sometime in the late teens, carrying on into the early twenties. The bottle of choice is plastic, it generally falls under the category of “body spray,” and has a generic scent—something like “Caribbean Mist.” This is of course partly because that low paying first job isn’t exactly affording anything fancier, but her tastes aren’t exactly refined either.
The Body Spray Era is a lovely time, because pretty scents really are frivolous when the body is at its peak state of beauty.
My Body Spray Era blurs many years together. Old car seats cracked beneath thighs exposed in very short shorts—old seats, but excitingly new to me. A new job, new independence, new late hours away from home, a new boyfriend, and the lingering memory of the smell of him while smelling me.
But body spray leaves no scent behind about two minutes after spraying it. It disappears into the air. And the Body Spray Era does too. I’ve got no regrets. By the time it has come to an end it is high time to seek a scent with a little more staying power.
The Vague Glass Bottle Era
The Vague Glass Bottle Era beggis. The perfume isn’t really all that fancy, just something with a smooth glass bottle and a common name. The spraying mechanism frequently fails, but that’s alright, it gets the job done, and one can catch the scent at the collar bone now and then. It is a perfume of efficiency, like the mid-twenties to mid-thirties. It’s a hard-working era.
Business attire is more likely to occur in the closet. Babies may be born, with their soft cooing noises jumbled up in the memory along with homemade dinners and bedroom walls getting a new paint job. It is an era of responsibility, and the smell of practicality is sprayed onto the throat every morning.
But now I’ve been given this beautiful gold liquid in this ornate bottle.
The Unknown Era
It was a gift, which makes it all the more telling I think, because someone with an outside perspective felt it would suit me, and they were right. I love it. One spray and this talisman brings out the sophisticated side of me. The smell lingers on my clothes—a heavy scent but with depth. It smells mature.
So here we are, baby. At age thirty-four, I am finally mature. What should we call this era? I have no idea, and I suppose I won’t know until I hit the next one.
But I trust that the next era's perfume bottle will be really fancy.
Still got them descriptive chops!! :0)
I came back and checked in on you, but you have been fairly quiet. At first I wondered what you were up to. Thought maybe everyone had moved on somewhere else again, and I had missed the memo. Things do move fast around here.
They move fast and they don't move at all!
Yeah, been a bit quiet. So has this place to be honest. I think the two are linked
Yeah, I think you have to want to write just for the sake of writing for it to be worth it here. Which I do, but only in spells. I imagine you are the same.
Yes, definitely. I find as well with the various lockdowns and the like I am not actually doing much in my life to write about. A sad state of affairs! Maybe I should give myself a serious kick in the arse :0)
Yeah it certainly has changed things in our lives. Back in April and May the grocery stores had very little yeast and vegetables, so I started really focusing on my garden and doing things like making sourdough so that I did not need to rely on store bought yeast. I get obsessed about things, so I was 100 percent focused on that and could not really write here. But things are pretty much back to normal where I live now. Hope things get more normal for you soon.
Yeah, I did the sourdough thing too as my first thought was, what if I can't get yeast! Things are quite normal except the working from home bit. And not being allowed to visit other households or may friends indoors. Do life experience outwith the family and house has been a bit shite. Still, can't last forever... Can it? 😱
I’ve missed your writing. I think you are right about the perfume and how we mature with our scents. Luckily my body spray era didn’t last long, and I skipped the vague glass bottle too, instead using a celebrity branded one, but I think they might be in the same category. I’ve been on the somewhat fancy perfume train for years already, but luckily there are more levels to this opulence. I’m quite curious on what your gold perfume is.
I don't think my body spray era lasted quite a ten year time frame either, or rather, I just neglected to put anything on for good stretches of that era. Perfume, that is. I did wear clothes, at least most the time ;)
I am excited about the new levels of opulence as well. I am currently traveling out of town and neglected to bring my new bottle with me. I don't recall the name, as it was foreign to me. Which is a bit of a problem, because that means I have left my sophistication behind. I am going to a Halloween party for the weekend hosted by a close family member, so I suppose I can do without the sophistication there - just have to eat pretend worms and drink wine. I think maybe I can manage that on my own. ;)
Hey Ginny, good to have you back. I got your email yesterday too, will shoot you a reply soon. :)
P.s. Quite clearly your writing hasn't suffered. :)
Thanks. I think my neck has suffered. I apparently sat in a weird way while writing last night. I suppose a neck suffering is better than a writing suffering.
Your poor long-suffering neck...Well, you know what they say though, no pain no gain right?
Oh I hope I don't gain anything tonight :)
You and your midnight sessions...Anything is possible.
How lovely! Being a woman is sensual - her power comes from connection to her senses - and the way a woman grows into her power, putting away childish things and choosing characteristics that linger and define her Self, is perfectly described by you in this piece. Beautiful 🌱
PS. One of my favorite teachers, Caroline Myss, describes the journey of spirituality and connection to sacred power as a journey through the levels of scent - body spray to elegant perfume. I love it!
I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for reading! I will have to check out Caroline Myss.
You told that so nicely.....
It made me think back on my life briefly on my perfume habits and changes.... as if every life is measured that way.
I found I may be quite the perfume snob. Never plastic.... plastic is disgusting ! LOL !!!!
Even before I could afford the scents I loved the most and settled for the next best department store fragrances, they were still in glass.... every.single.one.
I received a bottle or two of the nicer stuff before I was middle age, as gifts. I was probably early 40's before I started buying the ones I really wanted and eventually I had two different ones at a time..... and now, probably 4 nearly always, rotating depending on my mood.
Yes... it's progressive....
I respect plastic bottle snobbery. May we all hold our noses in the air against plastic bottled smells :)
Ohhh, four bottles? Ooh la la. I do look forward to the next eras!
Thanks for reading.