There was a time when we had not heard of the concept of deos (deodorants for the uninitiated). Yes, yes, makes it sound like I'm an old hag, ain't I? To tell you the truth, maybe I am but lets not deviate from the topic. This is about my tryst with the mysterious world of perfumes. I am a complete ignoramus when it comes to perfumes and my taste(?) of fragrances is about as developed as a donkey(for want of a better comparison. No offence intended, all ye animal activists out there). So, there was a time when we made do with Hamam soap and Ponds powder and temperatures had not soared due to global warming. Yes, summer temperatures were mid-30s but lets save global warming for another day. So, we saved up the rare bottles of Impulse and Fa that uncle got us from USA during his semester holidays(another typical TamBram phenomenon of the time-children finish B.E. and go abroad to do M.S.) for the special occasions like the New Year's Eve party. Then came Rexona with the first deo in India-a small rollon at a tempting inaugural price. We got totally hooked. After ensuring that everyone was totally addicted to the concept of daily deo use, Rexona started its exponential inflation of price but people could not retreat. Cut to the past few years... There are so many brands of deo in the market-Fa, Implulse, Rexona, Spinz, Nivea, Yardley, Enchanteur...I could go on, not discounting the men brands like Axe(!), Brut, etcetra, etcetra. Don't judge me by all the names I know(:-P)
My brother and I are polar opposites when it comes to the world of perfumes. His idea of a perfect gift for someone special is an expensive bottle of specially chosen perfume while I grab for the first bottle in the closet every morning, not caring whether it is a perfume deo spray or my husband's after-shave! Yes, I still can't understand how my brother could even dream splurging $50 on a bottle of perfume for my mother on one of his annual trips home from US. And I definitely do not understand him regretting he got me the 'Jennifer Lopez' perfume as he would now not be able to buy the same for his wife. Heck, is it a life-threatening issue if two people end up smelling the same? The probability is even more less because my sis-in-law, my brother and I are at the same place (same house to be more specific if you will) less than a week per year. So, what's the chance of me wearing the JLo at that particular time considering that I have about 7 bottles of perfume (not counting the deo sprays) collected(rather gifted to me) over the years? I don't even wear perfume everyday!
Anyway, the clincher that ultimately made me give up trying to understand the mystery world of perfumes was when my sis-in-law's brother(!) and I were both in London on office assignments and we decided to go shopping for gifts for the family. Some well-meaning (!) lady in my office suggested Selfridges(If you have ever been somewhere there, I can see you rolling your eyes:)). Now that I look back, I realise I had asked my client for suggestions and though she would deny it, I'm sure she hated me:). Anyway, so, Selfridges it was and man! I must deviate at this point to say a word or two about the shop (that's an understatement but anyway). It was probably my first window to the world of high fashion and top class brands! CK, YSL, TH, D&G, Gucci and many more that I don't even know and appreciate! I was overwhelmed. I suspect so was B (my sis-in-law's brother). So, what did we do? We went and got my brother a C&K kit and a my sis-in-law the latest YSL summer make up collection. And I will not put the price down here for fear of sending the weak-hearted into cardiac arrest. To say that it burned a hole in our pockets is an understatement. Lets say it was more like burning the whole b****y pocket! Now I wont deny that my sweet sibling and sis-in-law are every bit worth those gifts but forgive my modest upbringing-I do not appreciate splurging a fortune on a bottle. And I don't care even if it smells like God himself (or herself)!
My sweet big brother has also given up trying to educate this bumpkin on the sophistication of perfume choice. He says girls should choose more flowery or fruity smells while guys go for the serious deep aromas. Heck, I DON'T LIKE flowery fruity smells (except for the CK rose perfume in my closet) ! Why is it or rather, is it really a cardinal sin to like something that does not fit inside the frame of so-called sophistication? You may be wondering why I am ranting about this so much. Because I have a confession to make-brother, dont read this-I wear the Axe Below Zero(blue bottle-special edition last summer) deo everyday ;-P
1 comment:
he..he.. that was a good one.
I was smiling all along, as I belong to this club of unsophisticated mortals who have an underdeveloped taste buds and smell buds (whatever they call it!)
Infact, there was a time, not long ago, when I used to think deo's are for those those guys who don't take a bath regularly :-P , but I overcame that mental block now, and myself use an Axe quite often now. Yeah.. yeah I do bath regularly :-D
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