A Lesson in the Art of Fragrance

By Susan “Honey” Good

This morning’s story takes me back in time to one of my mother’s valuable lessons, the art of fragrance. She was my Perfume Professor. My mom is now 96.

She educated me, giving me the tools to be a fabulously feminine woman. I watched her dress. I watched her accessorize. I watched her take care of her skin and put shoe trees in her shoes! I watched as she put flowers around our home and dressed to please my father.

One of her many lessons was the importance of perfume. “A woman’s scent is part of her mystique,” she explained.

I learned where to dab Perfume, Eau de Toilette or Bouquet of Eau de Cologne because my mother was my role model when it came to the ‘art of being a woman’. Even to this day she gets it and flaunts it!

My mother became my perfume professor at a very early age. Her scent flowed throughout our home making it smell as fragrant as a lilac or jasmine garden. This was my first introduction to the beauty of fragrance. I remember saying to her, “Oh mommy you smell so good”. She took me by the hand, led me into her beautiful bath and placed a dab of her perfume on the inside of each of my wrists and behind each ears; hugged me to her and I remember saying with a smile, “Now I am just like you”. These are memories a daughter shares with her mother and holds dear.

Because of my mother’s lessons, perfume is a joy and necessity in my life. My love for perfume extends to my exquisite perfume bottles dripping in beauty that I glance at daily and reflect, in my eyes, works of art. I never leave home without dabbing or spritzing on fragrance, even at 7:00 am when I walk Orchid. Wearing Perfume is a part of my mantra because I am the Perfume Professor’s daughter!

Yesterday I headed to Neiman Marcus to gather Chanel mascara, Tom Ford lipstick and Soy Conditioning Eye Make Up Remover by Fresh (it is the best!) I am a gatherer, as I know you are darlings, therefore I could not contain myself from searching out the newest perfume!

My eyes darted everywhere until I settled on my newest find…Hanae Mori’s Hanae. I know I chose wisely because last night around 10:00 pm (I spritzed myself around 6:30 pm) my husband and I walked Orchid and as I came through the revolving door of our building the doorman caught me by surprise saying, “You sure do smell good, Mrs. Good!” So darlings, if you enjoy floral scents, Hanae by Hanae Mori fragrance is delicious beyond and lasts!

The Perfume Professor’s expertise:

“Perfumes are made from the oils of flowers and you will have to experiment until you find your own scent. Be patient.”

“There are four different degrees of strengths in fragrance. Perfume lasting six hours, Eau de Parfum Four, Eau de Toilette Two and lastly Eau de Cologne about one. My words of wisdom are that you should wear Eau de Pafum and carry a tiny perfume flask in your makeup bag to refresh yourself.” I carry my grandmothers.

“Leave the perfume counter with spritzes on each wrist; not with a bottle of perfume in the store’s bag! Walk around the store for ten minutes to allow the scent to mingle with your chemistry before making your decision.”

Susan “Honey” Good is the founder of HoneyGood.com where this blog originally appeared. The site is a collection of lessons learned, life advice and insights from not only her, but from a fantastic group of contributing writers, each adding their own spice to the recipe. Honey Good.com representing “a family tree of women” — wives, mothers, daughters, granddaughters, mothers-in-law, daughters-in-law, sisters, aunts, cousins and girlfriends — coming together to talk about what makes them tick as well as what they have in common. Honey Good discusses life experiences with wisdom, humor and intellect, enabling all to attain a “Honey Good Style of Life.”