Smell So Money

True story: a few days ago, I wasn’t exactly having a fantastic morning and felt like skipping work or the entire day even, to just stay in bed playing Candy Crush until my brain was super-fried (I do this on regular days too, but that’s another true story). I’d already been dressed for work, and on my way out, I paused to spray on some perfume from my old bottle of Versace Vanitas.

And just like that, suddenly I was invigorated. I was suddenly Charlize Theron in a luxury brand commercial wearing an expensive dress, wind from an invisible electric fan strategically blowing my gorgeous hair out of my naturally flawless face, walking in slow motion towards the camera. I felt like a million dollars (I’m pretty sure a million dollars doesn’t feel that way, but how would I know).

It’s not perfume in general that gives me that romantic-comedy good-looking leading-lady-of-the-moment feels, it’s very specific fragrances.

When I was growing up, my mother attended many social events and embassy functions with first-ladies and generally wealthy women. Sometimes, she would take me along, and I remember the heady smell of not their fragrances but their makeup – foundation, lipstick, blusher, eye-shadow, kohl, a hint of hairspray ­– when they’d fuss about me and talk to me. Sometimes, they’d take some candy or gum from their designer purses to give me, and when they open them, there’s a whoosh of that scent again, like baby powder and flowers and air-conditioning.

My own mother was one of them – the linings of her YSL and Louis Vuitton purses smelled like that, and when we’d go home and she carried me, I’d lay my head on her shoulder and drift to sleep with her tar7a (headscarf) near my face, smelling like flowers and soft muzak and the tinkles of glasses and women’s laughter in the background.

Later on, when I bought my own perfumes, I would always come back to those that remind me of this. Scents worn by women who don’t worry about the things I worry about as an adult – my weekly budget, public transportation, 9-to-5 office routines, my rent, my Uber bills, my internet connection, web content.

It’s my own, special band-aid for stuck-in-a-rut days, basically. Every two months, I’d make a trip to Sephora and tell the salespeople to recommend a scent that would tell me (and other people) that I am a wealthy woman. The salespeople would always have that lol-face and then recommend something fruity, which is NO GUYS, FRUITY SCENTS REMIND ME OF BATHROOMS (apple scents especially, because all the candles and air fresheners we ever had were fruity).

I’m talking about these scents, Sephora. (I lol at all their taglines, even though I’m pretty much their target audience. You win again, capitalism.)

Lancome’s Tresor In Love

Top notes: nectarine accord, pear, bergamot

Heart notes: Turkish rose essence, jasmine

Base notes: cedar wood, musk

Price: Around US$85 (RM320 at Sephora) for 100ml Eau de Parfum

S.T. Dupont’s Passenger Pour Femme

S.T. Dupont released this in 2008, a nod to its roots – travelling accessories. An invitation to travel with an overwhelming sense of freshness.

Top notes: pear, bergamot, mandarin orange, blackcurrant

Heart notes: rose, cyclamen, gardenia

Base notes: musk, sandalwood, iris

Price: Around US$40 (RM150) for 100ml Eau de Parfum

Salvatore Ferragamo’s Emozione

Released February 2015, this is described as “classic, contemporary and elegant.”

Top Notes: bergamot, iris, peach

Heart notes: Bulgarian rose, peony, heliotrope

Base notes: white musk, patchouli, suede

Price: Around US$119 (RM465) for 92ml Eau de Parfum

Versace’s Vanitas

“The most feminine part of the ego is now a perfume: Vanitas.”

Top Notes: lime

Heart notes: freesia, tiare flower

Base notes: Virginia cedar, tonka bean

Price: Around US$113 (RM440) for 100ml Eau de Parfum