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!
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