People Tell Me I Smell

It might be because I don’t wear deodorant. But hopefully not.

I like scents, I’ve always liked scents. Call me olfactoryfashioned. They’re primal. They skip the brain. You can tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about, but I won’t believe you.

There are certain scents that stick out in my life. Sometimes I’ll be somewhere and get a whiff of something and will involuntarily recall a memory. There are some scents I’ll never forget, When I was like 5, my aunt had this perfume from Victoria’s Secret. It smelled so good. It was in a conical beveled bottle, with the sprayer at the larger end. I’ve spent too much time searching the web for retired Victoria’s Secret perfumes. The closest I’ve come to it, is a combination of Tom Ford Patchouli with a hint of Tuscan Leather.

My mom’s really into essential oils, which has gotten me into essential oils. For the past few years I’ve been experimenting with different blends. When people tell me I smell, usually it’s patchouli. I love the scent. I use patchouli detergent. But I also wear it. Here’s my favorite combo. About equal parts of all. It’s an art, not a science.

Patchouli

Bergamot

Vetiver

Black Pepper

I just drop these along my forearm, and then rub against the other one. Oh, I should note that I do one at a time. I’ll put 5-6 drops of patchouli and rub that in, get some heat generated. Then move onto the next and do the same thing. It lasts for most of the day. People probably think I’m strange when they see me sniffing my arms.

Couldn’t be any more obvious iPhone portrait mode.

It’s a really earthy smell. Me not good with words. It’s mossy? Leathery? A little bit like floral dirt?