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Author Topic:   The Nose Knows: The World of Perfumes
Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1444 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


(1)
Message 1 of 10 (868618)
12-15-2019 11:44 AM


Some background
A topic completely off the EvC beaten path, which I'm bringing up just because it makes me happy and not much at the moment makes me happy. God makes me happy when I think of Him, but on the earthly plane not much makes me happy these days.
This is the subject of perfumes which I got interested in a while back. There are many sources of scent in daily life, air fresheners for instance that can often be offensive in my opinion, or shampoos and soaps and other products we use to get clean and look good, but perfumes are specifically made for their value as scent, to be worn and carried about with you all day. I like smelling a nice perfume on someone but I never spent any time learning about them and never felt I understood how to choose among them so rarely used them.
These days there are perfumes for both sexes, and you may discover one you might associate with women also has a version made for men. But I'm a newbie at all of this and it's already more than enough to try to learn about the versions for women. However, since there are a lot more men at EvC than women, any knowledge of perfumes that anyone feels like contributing to the thread is welcome, whether for women or men. If nobody contributes, that wouldn't be a big surprise but since I'm only now learning about it all myself I would be very surprised if many others do contribute. It could be timely if anyone wants to get a wife or girlfriend a perfume for Christmas I suppose, but I won't have enough information to offer for that purpose for quite a while. However, maybe just starting a thread on it will be inspiration.
Authentic perfumes, such as those traditionally made in France, can be so expensive I just roll my eyes and think Well I'll never get to know what THAT one smells like. But I've been making a point of looking for trial sizes and "travel" sizes so I can experience some of the pricier ones. I rarely get to go out these days since I can no longer drive so trying perfumes out in a department store isn't going to happen, and besides you can only try one at a time so that's one whole trip to the department store. And I like the idea of owning small sizes of a variety of perfumes anyway so ordering from Amazon is just fine.
As I started out saying they make me happy. If I like a scent it literally makes me happy. I discovered this with one of the first ones I bought, when I simply stepped inside a closet and the small space brought out the bit of scent I had tried on earlier and it actually literally made me smile with happiness. I wasn't expecting that, but when you get into reading about perfumes you soon discover that the people who live in that world often emphasize their emotional value. It might seem obvious I suppose, but I hadn't taken it seriously until I walked into the closet that day.
There is even a perfume named "Happy," it's by Clinique and I haven't smelled it yet, but I found a trial size and it's on my list.
I suppose there are many areas of life some of us never know even exist and for me perfumes was one of those areas and it turns out to be a huge world unto itself. In fact it's enormous and if you don't know it's there and then just happen to stumble on it as I've done it's like walking into another dimension. There are experts galore in the field, professionals but also self-appointed amateurs who just happen to enjoy perfumes and go around sniffing them at every opportunity, making a hobby of it. There's a professional category called the "nose" who is a person whose nose is trained to recognize the different ingredients in scent, who gets hired by perfume companies to test and develop them, always looking for that magic combination that will enrapture a great swath of the public and make tons of money for the company. The Perfume World has its own conferences, its own magazines and even controversies debated between its aficionados, maybe a bit reminiscent of how evolution gets debated at EvC.
There is also a scientific side to the field, and I had just started listening to a TED talk on the molecular structure of scents when I got the idea of starting a thread on the subject.
So there are quite a few facets of this subject that could be discussed here and I'll bring some of them up as I find out about them. The point is happiness. I need as much as I can get these days, wherever I can find it.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

Replies to this message:
 Message 2 by Phat, posted 12-15-2019 4:19 PM Faith has replied
 Message 9 by Stile, posted 12-16-2019 3:51 PM Faith has replied

  
Phat
Member
Posts: 18262
From: Denver,Colorado USA
Joined: 12-30-2003
Member Rating: 1.1


Message 2 of 10 (868635)
12-15-2019 4:19 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Faith
12-15-2019 11:44 AM


Happiness Smells Good
Faith writes:
The point is happiness. I need as much as I can get these days, wherever I can find it.
I would send you some perfume for Christmas if it would brighten your day. Tangle always talks about the "bells and smells" from his early Catholic upbringing...maybe he understands the power of good smells. At any rate, my Mom used to sell perfume and always smelt rather overpowering to me. If anyone wears the stuff, use it lightly.
Edited by Thugpreacha, : No reason given.

Chance as a real force is a myth. It has no basis in reality and no place in scientific inquiry. For science and philosophy to continue to advance in knowledge, chance must be demythologized once and for all. ~RC Sproul
"A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." ~Mark Twain "
~"We, humans, are engaged in an ongoing war of ideologies. I see it in this microcosm of EvC Forum just as I see it in the governments and attitudes of people throughout the world. Take your pick: Oppression or Seduction .
"~Thugpreacha
You can "get answers" by watching the ducks. That doesn't mean the answers are coming from them.~Ringo
As the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, so the denial of God is the height of foolishness.
? R.C. Sproul, Essential Truths of the Christian Faith

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Faith, posted 12-15-2019 11:44 AM Faith has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 3 by Faith, posted 12-15-2019 6:40 PM Phat has not replied

  
Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1444 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 3 of 10 (868639)
12-15-2019 6:40 PM
Reply to: Message 2 by Phat
12-15-2019 4:19 PM


Re: Happiness Smells Good
Thanks, Thugsy, I can always daub on one of the trial bottles I've already acquired and go sit in the closet if I want a dose of happiness. For a few minutes anyway. Yes, perfume can easily be overdone, but I don't mind overdoing it when I'm alone, it's kind of fun.
The whole point is to create positive states of mind, like happiness, and surprisingly I found that they can have that effect. I don't suppose they'll cure a broken heart or a state of remorse, but they can at least lift the spirits and put a splash of cheer into a gloomy day. The calming happy ones anyway. There are heavier ones that probably wouldn't accomplish that, the sexy ones, the exciting ones that aim to thrill, get you dancing and whatnot.
I did make myself feel a bit sick overdoing it at lunch time though.
That's too bad to feel overpowered by your Mom's perfume. You should have let her know.
If I get the "Happy" sample of course I'll report on whether it makes me happy or not.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
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Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1444 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 4 of 10 (868641)
12-15-2019 7:26 PM


A perfumer talks about his art
Here's one TED talk by a French perfumer, Yann Vasnier. At 4:09 he has the audience smell a scent on a blotter that's been handed out to them, and proceeds to have them smell six in a row to show how one ingredient modifies another, starting with bergamot, going through jasmine and peach and patchouli and vanillin, forgot one. Wish I could have experienced that:
l
l

  
Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1444 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 5 of 10 (868642)
12-15-2019 7:37 PM


Another perfume expert talks about the science
I haven't found a particular part of this talk I want to highlight but I'm listening again so may come up with one. It's another TED talk, this one by Luca Turin, about the molecular structure of fragrances and how a synthetic molecule was discovered that they could use to replace a carcinogenic natural molecule in men's fragrances..
,
,
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

  
Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1444 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 6 of 10 (868652)
12-16-2019 1:27 AM


Very short video: Perfumers talk about how they got into it

  
Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1444 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 7 of 10 (868653)
12-16-2019 1:31 AM


A French Woman on how French Women Use Perfumes
Maybe a little too feminine for EvC but she covers some history of French perfumes and I think her analysis of the French woman's use of them is fascinating.
.
.

Replies to this message:
 Message 8 by dwise1, posted 12-16-2019 1:47 AM Faith has not replied

  
dwise1
Member
Posts: 5930
Joined: 05-02-2006
Member Rating: 5.8


Message 8 of 10 (868655)
12-16-2019 1:47 AM
Reply to: Message 7 by Faith
12-16-2019 1:31 AM


Re: A French Woman on how French Women Use Perfumes
I'm not going anywhere near that!
But I will often point out some skills taught me by my college friend's Parisian wife, the subtle art of Parisian Street Walking.
{pregnant pause to allow your listeners' imaginations to run wild ... }
Wait for your side of the street to clear. Spot an oncoming car on the other side. Calculate a trajectory such that when you reach that car you will just be clearing his rear bumper in order to pass behind him, clearing that lane before the next car could get you. And of course multiple lanes do add a certain extra degree of complexity.
That is the entire secret to Parisian Street Walking. The rest is just years of practice.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 7 by Faith, posted 12-16-2019 1:31 AM Faith has not replied

  
Stile
Member
Posts: 4295
From: Ontario, Canada
Joined: 12-02-2004


Message 9 of 10 (868680)
12-16-2019 3:51 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Faith
12-15-2019 11:44 AM


Re: Some background
My Wifey is big into perfume and such.
One large aspect is called "Essential Oils" - small vials (usually 5 or 10 mL) of scented oil.
There are many, many "Indie" companies on the interwebs that sell such things.
These days there are perfumes for both sexes
Wifey always says she totally ignores the labels put on by those selling it.
Perfume is like art - you're allowed to like whatever speaks to you.
There's no such thing as 'a girls perfume' and 'a guys.' There's what you like to smell on girls, and what you like to smell on guys.
Sure, there'll be popular opinion one way or another... but don't let that sway you.
Like you've said... perfume is all about making you happy... so like the ones that make you happy, whatever they happen to be labelled as.
Authentic perfumes, such as those traditionally made in France, can be so expensive I just roll my eyes and think Well I'll never get to know what THAT one smells like.
Yeah, some are stupid expensive. Usually to do with how rare the ingredients are.
But I've been making a point of looking for trial sizes and "travel" sizes so I can experience some of the pricier ones.
There are also perfume-sample-sites on the internet that specialize in this.
Sort of like groupon-stuff, but for perfumes.
Some people will organize a bunch of people together, and those people all pay into a pool. The pool buys one bottle of perfume. The organizer gets it, decants it into smaller sample-sizes, and sends them out to each individual person.
You get to smell the expensive stuffs, without having to bear the total cost.
As I started out saying they make me happy. If I like a scent it literally makes me happy.
Absolutely.
Scent is one of our senses that is most highly tied to memory.
Even if it doesn't bring out a specific memory for you, certain smells will bring up the "memory" of happiness.
Since each of us have different experiences, and therefore different "memories of happiness..." different people are going to like different perfumes.
And they're all equally "justified" in liking those different perfumes/smells. Regardless of how many other people have a similar reaction.
So, again, it's up to you. Pick the ones that make you happy - that's exactly what they're there for.
There are experts galore in the field, professionals but also self-appointed amateurs who just happen to enjoy perfumes and go around sniffing them at every opportunity, making a hobby of it.
Lots of the experts are great.
Lots of the amateurs are high on themselves.
And, of course, a few of the experts are built on bullshit. And some of the amateurs are better than the experts.
Again - just gravitate towards the perfumes that speak to you, that's their only purpose.
The Perfume World has its own conferences, its own magazines and even controversies debated between its aficionados, maybe a bit reminiscent of how evolution gets debated at EvC.
There are many, many different perfume forums around on the internets (just like EvC is a forum.)
Feel free to search around and find one you like!
The point is happiness. I need as much as I can get these days, wherever I can find it.
Good luck and have fun!

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Faith, posted 12-15-2019 11:44 AM Faith has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 10 by Faith, posted 12-16-2019 4:20 PM Stile has seen this message but not replied

  
Faith 
Suspended Member (Idle past 1444 days)
Posts: 35298
From: Nevada, USA
Joined: 10-06-2001


Message 10 of 10 (868684)
12-16-2019 4:20 PM
Reply to: Message 9 by Stile
12-16-2019 3:51 PM


Re: Some background
Lots of good information, thanks. I'm still researching and listening to You Tube presentations. There's a lot to investigate.
I did collect some essential oils a few years ago. I like those too but the "composed" perfumes are a whole different experience. I read somewhere and can't find it now that there are something like 16,600+ if those, no wonder it can get confusing.
Thanks again.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

This message is a reply to:
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