Beauty: Scent of a Lady

Dear Reader,

To-day's lesson will cover the use of fragrance. Fragrance is essential to the poise and charm of a lady, not to mention her well being in general. A lady never leaves her home without donning a bit of perfume (even to go to a committee meeting). Without it, she is practically naked, almost like leaving home without wearing her pearls. Heavens! Let this never happen to you!

Now, on to our lesson. It is very important for a lady to select a signature fragrance which is becoming to her personality and body type. A perky, young athlete should not be choosing a heavy oriental fragrance, but rather a light, sporty one. The converse is true: you would not see a queenly type wearing a sporty, youthful fragrance. Fragrances will fall into one of several categories: oriental, floral, green, etc. It is best for one to go to the local department store and try on a few at a time. Do not, however, let the sales lady talk you into buying one right away. Walk around the store for about 30 minutes to see how the fragrance oils react with your skin. Sometimes, the sweetest smelling floral will smell like dead flowers in a matter of minutes on the wrong person. Once you have selected the fragrance for you, stick with it--it is to become your signature fragrance that will endear yourself to others for years. Considering that you would like to have a signature fragrance, it may be wise to select a perfume that has been around for a time, such as anything by Estee Lauder or CHANEL. It would be horrible for you to fall in love with one, only to have it be discontinued next season. My signature fragrance is CHANEL No. 22 and I have worn it for years. It was created in 1928 and is still around. Bravo!

Additionally, consider purchasing some ancillary products, such as bath oil, cream, and powder in the same fragrance. Do not use all of these products at once (lest you offend), but rather choose two (one should be your perfume itself) to keep your fragrance fresh smelling all day long. Also, remember that perfume (parfum) has the highest concentration of oil, followed by Eau de Toilette and then Cologne. The more oil, the more expensive the purchase, but the longer your loveliness will last!

A point here to take--even the loveliest of fragrances will not do if it is applied to an unclean person. One must be bathtime fresh and have clean hair in order for the fragrance to maximize one's loveliness. Perfume should be applied on a clean person wearing a clean, fresh smelling costume and NEVER used to cover up one's lack of personal hygiene. Apply the perfume delicately to your pulse points: behind the ears, on the neck, behind the knees, and in the crook of the arms. If you are wearing a high quality parfum, just a few dabs will do. Nowadays, you may even put a few drops in your laundry water. Lastly, put a few dabs on your hair--you never know when you will be getting close to a special suitor.

Best of luck, my dear. Choose your signature perfume and you will always have something to add to your Christmas list!

Until next time...

HF