Perfume is Pleasure

My friend Alice has decided to seize the day. Not just today. Every day. She went swimming with turtles in the Galapagos and threw her own 40th birthday party. You would not put your money on Alice in a foot race, but she drives a Jaguar. This, technically, makes her “fast.”

Alice hinted that my blog posts might be getting windy and had the extraordinary perspective to suggest her recent episode with Boucheron Jaipur would liven things up. Jaipur is one of Sophia Grojsman’s creations, a sister of White Linen, Calyx, Paris, Bvlgari Pour Femme, Yvress, Eternity, Trésor, White Diamonds, Beautiful and the new Outrageous, among others. It contains plum, apricot, peach, violet, rose (because Sophia never met a rose she didn’t like), locust-tree, heliotrope, peony, iris, white musk and sandalwood. Nose Jean-Pierre-Mar collaborated with Grojsman on the scent.

Red herring!!! It doesn’t matter what Jaipur smells like, but you should know that this is a perfume with pedigree, just as Alice is a person of great class. Kinda dry sense of humor, sometimes, best not to be the object… But overall, regal, generous, patient, intellectually gifted, a culture maven and great cook.

Alice told me two weeks ago, with great equanimity, that she broke her bottle. “Your Jaipur!” I gasped. “Yes,” I could see her smiling though we spoke by phone. “The one you let me smell?” “Yes.” “The one I loved?” “That one,” Alice said in a consoling voice. I was confused by her reaction - no, by the lack of a reaction, and continued to probe.

Pretty straightforward case, as it happens, of a dropped bottle that broke and did not miraculously heal itself. Additional details did not change the basic outlines of the situation. Glass all over. Perfume all over. A bathroom and walk-in dressing area redolent of Jaipur.

How was Alice coping? “Oh, it’s wonderful! Every time I walk anywhere near it smells just like Jaipur! I don’t even have to spray it on.”

Alice’s perfume bottle is not completely empty. Her bathroom floor is completely full.

Carry on Alice. Go for broke!

P.S. Alice - need 40th birthday party photograph for inquiring readers.

He wanted my advice on a new scent for his wife. We ruled out the orientals and woods. Nor did this seem a case for fruity, herbal, green or marine scents. My spousal interview quickly revealed that she, like her husband, was a self-contained individual, not the frilly, romantic type. Clouds of rich floral bouquet would not do. I offered a fragrance I admire and enjoy, always describing it as a dignified woman in pearls.

He inhaled Bvlgari Pour Femme. Suddenly his face reddened, eyes glistening. “What’s wrong?” I asked, confused. “I want it!” he said with extreme seriousness. “What was that?” I prodded, shocked by his obvious physiological reaction. “Oh, nothing,” he replied, avoiding my gaze momentarily, “something just caught me.” I realized then that the scent of Sophia Grojsman’s perfume had brought him to tears. Bvlgari Pour Femme contains Grojsman’s unique blend of orange blossom, rosewood, bergamot, ylang-ylang, prelude rose, violet, mimosa, sambac jasmine, tea, musk, vetiver and iris.

I will never know the specific memory or precise emotion triggered by this scent. To the untrained eye, it appeared to be the purest, deepest love and admiration released under the spell of Bvlgari Pour Femme. Thank you, Sophia.