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She Thought the Perfume Was Yukky… Until Someone Called It Beguiling

A couple of weeks ago I was at a function, not perfume related, but when people find out that one of the things I am involved in is an online business selling perfume, people are often intrigued.

So the conversation turned to perfumes and what makes a great scent. One of the women at the the table shared her tale. She is in the activation world and travels around the country quite a bit, depending on where she has a function.

On this occasion she was heading to Cape Town for an event at the Waterfront. The plan was to fly in to Cape Town mid afternoon, check in and drop luggage, go to the venue and make sure all was ok, have a quick wander around the shops and then back to the hotel for a shower and change and then back to the venue for the event. All good.

On arriving at the venue there were a whole bunch of things that were supposed to have been delivered, but weren’t and they were needed for the setup. After much phoning around the stuff was located, but was only going to be delivered late afternoon, so the plan changed to wander around the shops, do the set up, dash to the hotel, shower and change and then back to the event. Starting to feel stressed.

In her wanderings she went to check out the perfume offerings. A sales person came over to see if she might be interested in the scent she was promoting, “Yeah why not I’m keen to try new things” she replied. With that the salesperson then drenched her in the fragrance. It was Thierry Mugler’s Womanity. For anyone who knows the scent it’s an acquired taste. Those who love it, love it and pretty much everyone else not so much.

As the green, minerally, slightly fruity, slightly sweet scent hit her nostrils, her brain started shouting “hmm, not so sure about this!”.

Having now had enough of the perfume counter and feeling a bit self conscious she makes her way back to the venue to see if the set-up can be finalised. Eventually everything is delivered and the activation is set up and ready for guests and celebrities, but there is now no time for the hotel shower and change. What she’s wearing is what she’s got and she’s wearing a scent she is very unsure about. But the show must go on, thankfully she’s not so much in the front line, there are other people for that but it’s still largely her show.

The event gets going, it’s all rather frenetic, but everyone seems to be having a good time and the clients are smiling, she can start breathing again. Ag no, can still smell that damn fragrance, really not sure about it.

She notices someone sidling up to her, it’s one of the comedians who did a gig as part of the event. “Hi” he says. “Hi” she replies. “What is that scent you are wearing, it smells fantastic on you!?”. “Really?” she replies, feeling awkward and not really sure if he’s being genuine or not. “Yes, I have been noticing all night, every time you walked past.”

“You really like it?” she asks, sounding unsure. “Yes, I find it, what’s the word, beguiling” he replies.

And so began her passion for that scent, which she explained had got her more compliments than any other.

As people we have a need to belong, to be noticed, to be affirmed by our peers and family. Like it or not we care about what other people think. In this case the compliments made her feel special, made her feel good. A scent she was unsure about, had become a winner.

A perfume must make you feel something and essentially why you wear a perfume comes down to two things: how you want others to perceive you and how it makes you feel. In this instance the fragrance initially made her feel awkward and self conscious (not good), but when the compliments started flowing in she started feeling more confident (good).

For some people perfume is a status symbol, part of that image of hey I’m successful and I want my peers to notice that and for others it’s because their scent makes them feel more grounded and ready to face the day.

So tell us why you wear perfume? Is it because of how it makes you feel or about getting others to notice you?

Any comments or thoughts?

“No elegance is possible without perfume. It is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory.”

Coco Chanel

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