common scents

I have used the same fragrance since i was 18 and have remained, for the most part, very loyal to it. Apart from the odd flirtation here and there, Rochas' MAN has been my scent of choice. It was a case of love at first whiff when a friend introduced it to me in high school. Borrowed from his mother's collection, it turned my pre-conceived notions of masculine and feminine scents on its head. The world of commercial fragrances relies so heavily upon telling its consumers the gender of a fragrance that most of us buy into it not realising we are only tasting half the scents available to us. I mean here was a fragrance claiming to be for men but it was perfect for me, a teenage girl.

Lately I have begun to question what it is about the Rochas that makes it such an integral part of my daily wardrobe. I have certainly grown up a little since i first started using it, and my style has matured a lot. So why do I resolutely cling to this fragrance when virtually all other traces of my 18 yr old self have been discarded? (Remember low-rider jeans?- The horror!) Perhaps it was time for a change and so I began the hunt for a new scent.

This proved particularly trying as I am not a fan of the beauty floor of a department store at the best of times, let alone in the month leading up to Christmas. Bombarded by salespeople left, right and centre- not to mention the sheer number of shoppers (why, oh why does everyone buy perfume at Christmas time?), I almost gave up on the search before it even began. After turning my nose at numerous fragrances I finally found several that i didn't find offensive. I discovered I have a disctinct preference for woody scents and amongst the contenders were Stella by Stella McCartney and Narciso Rodriguez for Her. However, neither managed to break the hold that the Rochas has over me and I left the store emptyhanded.

So why did I come home scent-less? I think I may have come up with the answer. I am by no means a fragrance snob but I do object to smelling overly familiar, especially if I have already associated the fragrance with someone else. I think this may be one of my principal attractions to Rochas MAN. It is a fragrance that I associate with myself and my memories. It may be awhile before I can give up that sense of familiarity. Until then, I think google may have come up with a solution for me. There apparently exists a Rochas MAN Intense. Might give it a whirl but until it arrives in the post-as it is next to impossible to find an Australian stockist, I think I am quite happy to stick with what I will embarrassingly call my 'signature scent'.