Fragrance!   I feel naked unless I’m wearing my signature scent.  And as Coco Chanel once said, “A women who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.”   But it isn’t as simple as picking up Beyonce’s Pulse.  (We’re not too keen on celebrity scents; who wants to smell like Khloe Kardashian or Lamar Odom combined? No thanks.)  Fragrance is very personal.  The very memory of one’s cologne or perfume can trigger powerful memories for a family member or loved one (or even a former loved one) years later.    

Want to smell like a lotus flower and not a bomb?  Remember that fragrances work in conjunction with your own body chemistry, so what works for Halle Berry or your homegirl may not work for you.   And there is as much an art to wearing it as there is to producing a scent.   Don’t bathe in it.  Be mindful of where you plan to wear it: loud fragrances are a fail.   And don’t rub your wrists together after spraying it on; you will crush the fragrance’s notes and could alter the scent. 

Are you still wearing Hai Karate, Tabu, Tommy Girl or Charlie?  I used to love my Love’s Baby Soft and Jessica McClintock, but as I grew up they no longer fit with the young woman I was becoming.   While I believe in staying with a perfume or cologne that works, I also believe in being open to trying something new.  And there are so many great ones to try,  in sprays, solids or oils…from CREED to Coach’s Poppy!  Why not have a different “smell good” to suit the temperature, occasion or your mood?