Does every workplace have one? You know, the person who bathes in perfume, usually something that is obnoxiously loud and has the longevity of nuclear-ready plutonium.
I work with a lady who, as lovely a soul as she is, wears a tuberose perfume that sears the nostrils with its pungent pong. Tuberose used in moderation can be lovely, but lets face it, it can be a vulgar and loud note and, dare I say it, can come across quite 'slutty'. No offense intended, but particularly when it takes on that jammy facet, possibly paired with rose.
I always know when my colleague is in the building, as her fragrance penetrates every nook and cranny. We had a meeting late Friday afternoon, in a fairly large room about 30 feet by 20. I was sitting in the opposite corner to her, and I could smell her perfume as if the person next to me was wearing it. One would presume that she applied the perfume first thing in the morning, unless she reapplies during the day, but in any event it smelled so strong, as if the dry down were still a millenium away.
So, what's the point of my story? Not a huge anything really, except to stand as a warning for anyone who goes trigger-heavy on their tuberose perfumes.
As much as I love tuberose and gardenia (the flowers), I simply can't wear either one of them, or be next to someone that wears the scent(s). They get louder and louder even if I don't re-apply, and they do not come off of my skin easily.
ReplyDeleteMy husband hates flower scents in general - rose being the only exception. More often than none he smells the woody notes that you see so many perfumes pair with rose, so thank god.
Sorry that you work closely with someone that seems to drench herself in perfume.
Turbovivi, rose is the floral note that I can wear and appreciate the most. That's not to say I don't like other florals, but I agree that Gardenia can be overwhelming too. Interestingly, we had a Gardenia bush/tree in our garden when I was growing up (in warmer climes than the UK, where I now reside) and in that natural outdoor setting, it was beautiful. I've never encountered tuberose in its flower form, so not sure what that would be like.
DeleteOh the tentacled tuberose monster! Fracas is the one that really gets me. The ladies who love Fracas seem to love it so much that they just can't take it easy with the atomizer, and particularly in So. Carolina and Georgia I have really gotten it right up the nose-worst of all in airplanes-but that's another story. So yes, I feel your discomfort. Let's hope she moves on to some tasteful Lillies of the valley.
ReplyDeleteBlacknall, unfortunately I've worked with my colleague for what is now fast approaching five years and in that time she has never wavered from this perfume, so I doubt it! When it comes tuberose, I find L'Artisan's Nuit de Tubereuse one of the easiest to wear. I also love Luten's Tubereuse Criminelle.
DeleteAfter five years using the same perfume, I'd bet that she can't even smell it any more. I find myself imagining her adding one more spray, and one more spray, day after day, and lamenting to herself how they make perfumes so very weak these days.
DeleteIt occurs to me that if I were the offender in this case, I think I'd _want_ someone to go to HR to request a discreet conversation with me, rather than offending people year after year. I may be fooling myself, of course. :)
Martha, I think you have a point about the usage. I think this desensitisation to perfume can occur quite easily, and I think its happened to me with some of the perfumes I wear too.
DeleteRegarding perfume in the workplace, I could be wrong, but I don't think this has become as big a deal here in the UK as it has in the US, so I doubt anyone would make an issue of it, to be honest.
I'm going to go out on a limb and be the voice in favor of the perfume overuser. I prefer those people to the ones who are allegedly "allergic" and can't bear any smell at all. (I do know one of these people who supposedly is extremely allergic to scents. It seems to come and go, this allergy, since she's obviously not allergic to the perfume she wears, and she didn't go all anaphylactic (sp?) in my apartment, which is pretty well inundated with aromachemicals.) Long live the perfume abuser! Long live mile-high tuberoses! (That said, I could do without Le Male. i think it's the only scent that's too strong for even me.)
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