It makes heads turn. It makes people stop on their tracks. It gives people a sense of friendliness. It demands fear and respect from the lower ranks. I am, naturally, talking about perfume.
What is it about the fragrance that commands attentiveness? The first look suggests it to be just a simple spray; yet it is so much more. It is the combination of fragrant essential oils or aromatic compounds, solvents and fixatives applied to the human body, giving the body a delightful scent. It is generally in liquid form (some companies have their perfumes stay liquid for some time even after applying). The Egyptians started the manufacture of perfumes and the Romans and Arabs were master traders of it. But what is it that makes it so widely used?
I feel that perfumes make people memorable and that might be the best quality of a perfume. A striking fragrance lingers and registers to the memory faster than any face or action. You feel the presence of a person in a room by his perfume alone. It also made it hard for me to forget my ex because my best friend used to wear the same fragrance – cologne samples!
I also think that perfumes are far better than deodorants. I dislike applying anything directly to the body, especially chemicals and sprays. Also given the fact that deodorants seldom give you a good smell and the confidence that come along with it, perfumes are better in this category.
Many of the fragrances are long-lasting when sprayed. Perfumes such as Eau de parfum last more than 6 hours and the pure parfum can last all day. It is desired especially in all day events where you might not find a window of opportunity to apply a fragrance agent again. Extremely small quantities of perfume need to be applied for desired effect causing perfumes to be sustainable for longer periods of time.
Perfumes have a lot of varieties. One can always choose a perfume based on one’s personality (or what the person wants his personality to be shown as). Even the perfume bottles look different and elegant giving the wearer a royal feeling.
Naturally, it is not as if perfumes are without fault. Strong perfumes may trigger allergies on the wearer or someone close. Also, perfumes can cause stinging and irritation in the eyes if it is accidentally sprayed on. Even I used to have a hard time finding the spray-point on the nozzle when I was a kid and ended up spraying my face dozens of times.
Well what can I say? Perfumes grew on me as I grew older!