And so it begins....

They say that a woman wears just 20% of her wardrobe 80% of the time. I suspect that I do that with my perfume collection too. This diary is an attempt to get me to vary the perfumes that I wear. I will wear a different perfume each day and write a little about each fragrance.

I have always loved perfume. When I was a little girl, my mum would only wear perfume on special occasions. It was also the only time she put lipstick on too, so perfume came to epitomise glamour, beauty and elegance to me. Her scent of choice was usually a Yardley creation. I never cared for their fragrance myself, but even now I get a pang of nostalgia whenever I get a whiff of their powdery creations. Hiding behind the Yardley was the never touched mysterious simple plain white box on mum's dresser that had the words 'Chanel No.5' in bold black letters on it. When I quizzed my mum about this, she said she never used it because it was Parfum, not any old Eau de toilette and that it was far too special to waste. And so she let it sit there collecting dust, only to be used for being looked at longingly by me throughout my childhood.

As I entered my teenage years, I developed an obsession for smelling nice. At school I used to sit near a girl that had a body odour problem and I became paranoid that I too might smell like that, but not know it, never mind that it would have been physically impossible as I washed religiously twice a day, used anti-perspirant and just for good measure, never left he house without at least two squirts of perfume. It started with Blase. I can't remember who made it, but I assume it was someone like Coty. One of my elder sisters used it and therefore it must have been the height of sophistication in the early/mid 80's. I then leapt on the bandwagon along with every other 14-16 year old girl in the later 80's and started using Body Shop's Dewberry perfume oil. At the age of 15/16 I decided I was ready for more grown up perfumes and graduated to the dizzy scents of Chloe, Lou Lou and Anais Anais.... I know, I know, but give me a break, it was acceptable in the 80's!!

And so the obsession began......

As I type, I am a 36 year old woman with an ever expanding perfume collection. I've always held the opinion that you should have a scent to match every one of your moods. At the last count I had a little over 120 bottles of perfume. That's full size bottles. I also have a burgeoning collection of those tiny sample bottles too! Lately I have fallen into a bit of a smell rut. I have been alternating between just 3 of my perfumes for the last year or so. I have no justification for abandoning my other perfumes. I'm as guilty as my mother for leaving them there to watch jealously as I yet again reach for the same bottle day after day.

But no more! This diary will be a journey through my collection. Join me as I reacquaint myself with my old friends. It may get smelly - you have been warned!