The Scent of Change

Years ago, my stepmother gave me a bottle of CK Be as a Christmas present.  I remember thinking it was strange for her to give me what I thought of as a masculine scent, when I was at that time wearing a light fruity floral (I was trying to be more feminine and was wearing Victoria's Secret Raspberry Glace, which was shortly thereafter discontinued).  I also wondered if she was trying to tell me something by giving me the black-bottled CK Be while gifting the simple transparent CK One to my brother.  Was she commenting on the state of my soul?  Would she be wrong if she was?

I wore the scent that day because it was a gift and I figured that I might as well give it a go.  I enjoyed the way it smelled on my skin, but I hesitated to make it my "signature scent."  But whenever I needed a boost of confidence or a reminder of my own strength, it was the first thing I thought of.  It became my "power scent."  It didn't make me feel manly, by any means (and on my skin, it didn't smell masculine at all), but it was earthier and more fun than the fruity scent I'd been using.  At the same time, I didn't want to wear it every single day.  


It can be said that CK Be (and my stepmother, of course) changed a few things for me that day.  First, it was the end of my having one signature scent.  Many years later, I have a whole collection of perfumes that range from sharp citrus to soapy musk to single-note floral and I wear all of them, it just depends on what kind of a day I think I'm going to have (or want to have).  Second, I started wearing perfume more for myself than for others.  Not that I don't love it when my friend Sarah grabs a handful of my hair and inhales it while telling me she loves me for smelling good.  But I can't remember the last time I went to the perfume counter thinking of what someone else would like me to wear.  And finally, I realized that I don't really care if a fragrance is marketed for men - if I like it, I'm going to wear it.  Which is why my brother should lock up his Versace Pour Homme.  When I told him to get it, I didn't realize I wanted it for myself, but now that I know...

Check out our store's fragrance section where we've wrangled together some of our favorites and let you know how we feel about them (and what they're composed of, when we could get our hands on the details).

Do you wear a signature scent or do you have a whole collection?  Do you wear feminine, masculine or unisex fragrances?  Do you think these categories should even exist?  Aside from Brut, that is.  Brut is definitely masculine.