Does that subject title make you nervous? Somehow I knew it would. Take deep cleansing breaths, my fragrant friends, and repeat after me, “I still have my sense of smell, I still have my sense of smell.”

The reason I ask is that a good friend was in a car accident a few years ago and since then has had no sense of smell. She can taste, but she can’t smell. And yet she still wears perfume. She and her husband go to the fragrance counter together and she describes what she wants. He then interprets that, with the help of a sales associate. She’s very into fashion, and she says she feels like fragrance “completes her outfit.” This fascinates me.

I’ll be honest here. I can’t help thinking that I might be… um, well, oooh, gosh… well, I think I’d be downright relieved to get this perfume monkey off my back.

There. I said it.

No more inane conversations with myself in the morning about what to wear (“Carolyn, are you really in an Angel mood, or is this more of a Prada Day?”). No more hours spent on MUA, hoping beyond hope that a bottle of Black Gardenia, BNIB or tested 1x, magically appears on the swap list. (Anyone have this, btw? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?) No more worrying about whether or not Narcisco Rodriguez is too overpowering for a business luncheon.

Honestly, normal people just don’t think this way, do they? I can't help but think my life would be so much simpler. I'd have more time, for one thing. I could take up badmitton or rock hunting or scrapbooking or who knows? I might even clean the house.

If I lost my sense of smell tomorrow I think I’d sell it all. To you guys, natch, for a deep discount, complete with lots of free samples.

Wow, think of all the money I’d make! Think of all the money I’d save!

I’D BE A FREAKIN' MILLIONAIRE!!!

But maybe that’s just me. Maybe you guys would go on wearing it.

Would you, or wouldn’t you?

I think I would persevere for a while...go on memory, but if I had lost it for 2 years...yeah I would have to have a garage sale! It is all about me , bottom line!

Well, I think I'd focus more on soap and cleanliness and lotion for soft skin and I'd be more likely to judge by performance without smell being a consideration. It would probably be depressing to have a lot of perfume bottles around and not be able to smell them but I think I'd keep a couple of the prettiest ones on the dresser and sniff at them from time to time to see if the ability had miraculously returned...

But with regard to the sense of smell, I don't think not being able to smell perfume would be the worst of it. It would be taking away an important sensor that tells you of good and bad things in your environment.

I don't think I would still wear it; I'd give it away to others who enjoy it. Here's hoping it'never becomes an issue, and here's hoping someone determines a sure-fire cure for anosmia.

since I wear scent primarily for my joy. I don't know if I would. It would be bittersweet spritzing it on.

Oh. that 'what if' just makes me nervous. I can't imagine one day i would not smell anything wonderful. The sense of smell is just too important to me. the same as any other sens. or in some way, more important and more artsy and vivid, without point, face, dimension that is.

I think I would still stick my nose in every bottle of my perfume and try hard not let go. Until one day i tire out and realize I couldn't anymore. And I'll give away all of them.

I had a scare early this year after a severe bout with the flu. One day I noticed I couldn't smell anything at all. Actually, I was in bed, reading a magazine, and tried one of the scent strips. I thought, how funny, a defective scent strip. But after the second one I realized something was wrong. I could smell NOTHING and I can't tell you how creepy that is. This went on for a three days. The only thing that helped was hot homemade chicken soup. I was suddenly able to (minimally) smell things after a bowl of that. It took about a month to return completely to normal. My sister later told me that he husband had the same thing happen to him years ago after getting the flu. His sense of smell returned too.

I think losing my sense of smell would make me a little unhinged. It would be terribly disorienting. But I actually think I would go on wearing scent--like Beethoven after deafness hit, I think I could "compose" in my head. My husband loves perfume, so I'm sure I'd rely on him the way your friend does.

I don't think I would, since like most everyone else here I indulge in fragrance mostly for my own pleasure. On the other hand, it might finally push me to adopt a signature scent -- I've always liked the idea of having a fragrance identified with me, and without any sense of smell I wouldn't get bored with it!

True. DH has lost almost all his sense of smell, and he couldn't smell the gas leak in our basement a couple of years ago. He didn't believe me, in fact, until we had the guy come out and find it himself.

I wouldn't wear perfume if I lose my sense of smell. As others have said, it's all about me! Well, and DH. But since he can smell almost nothing, I'd probably get rid of most of my perfumes. There are a couple he can still smell and enjoy, so I'd keep those.

Nope.

If I lost my sense of smell, I would not wear perfume.

I wouldn't.

I would. My family enjoys it, and I enjoy the enjoyment they get.

I think the answer to that question really determines WHO we wear perfume for, deep down.
I always choose my fragrances in anticipation of my husband's reaction to my scent and so I've always thought "I wear perfume mostly for him"
But reading this thread, I have to admit that I couldn't keep this up if I couldn't be part of it.
And so no, if I lost my sense of smell, I would not keep on wearing perfume... it would be like having a party that I am not invited to, and honestly, I'm not that good a hostess!

Absolutely not. I would have to accept that that part of my life was o-v-e-r. I would get no enjoyment out of spritzing on perfume, and who knows how I would smell to the world at large? (I could, for example, inadvertantly spray myself with something like Angel(((shudder))), how would I know?

No, I would accept the bitter truth and make sure I washed my butt and hair with the better grades of body washes and shampoos....

If my husband wanted me to wear it, I would. Otherwise, no.

Wow, it absolutely sucks all the enjoyment out of it automatically, doesn't it? It makes you realise what a personal pleasure and luxury it is, whereas people just used to take good regular showers/baths with a bar of soap.

I think I'd return to the basics and wear a good perfumed deodorant only. I may also always be tempted to wear my favourite White Line body lotion as a good moisturiser, even if I couldn't smell it. I know it suits me, always will, and others enjoy the smell on me.

Nah. I already forego perfume for perdiods of time due to other pursuits that I love. I would just move on with my life. It seems rather nuts to continue to spritz on something that you can't smell. I'd probably get really into body scrubs and butters and such...different sensual experience..

I would still like to wear perfume. I like to smell nice and most people say that I always smell nice. Why would I want to stop smelling nice ? I would probably stop buying new fragrances and would save time because I would not be out sniffing new scents. I would just wear the fragrances I own and loved. Finally, I would use up what I have ! I am so surprised that most of you would give away your fragrances. For me, knowing that others think I smell nice is part of my enjoyment.

I honestly don't know.

No, I wouldn't. I wear perfume for my own pleasure.

It's interesting to me that many of you mention that you wouldn't wear perfume because it's for your own pleasure. I do not sense that this woman who lost her sense of smell is doing it for anyone other than herself. She really just likes the idea of perfume and how it completes an outfit or a "look" she is trying to achieve. It's like an invisible accessory. Her husband really doesn't care one way or the other.

The one fragrance of hers that I recognize is Addict, by the way. I believe she would definitely still wear it after smelling it. It suits her and her sense of style.

I'm happy to say that every once in a while she says she can smell freshly cut grass or cookies baking, leading me to believe that she might some day regain it. I think that those would be the things I'd miss the most--the smell of lilacs, popcorn stores, and my dog. Yes, he smells purely doggy but I love it!

See, I can't get my head around the accessory angle because, for example, I probably wouldn't be heavily into jewelry if I was blind. Can't see how pretty it is...so....why......I don't know...

Then again, I am one of those people that rarely actually "styles" the back of my hair...haha...oh, I comb it but that's about it.

As I said, that one perplexes me but I'm glad she is getting enjoyment from it. Spritz on, lass!

If I were blind I would still wear jewelry. I would still want to look put together. I wouldn't want to look like a street person or something just because I couldn't see myself. I would always want to look pleasant and smell nice.

I think I would still wear things that I knew and loved, because I know how much of them to put on, and I do also have some idea of what perfumes go with what clothes. I doubt if I would buy anything new, though, if I couldn't smell it.

Interesting question. No, I don't think I would. Maybe for very big nights out - but then, like Fulltilt, only my old favorites that I know exactly how to wear.

No. For me, that would be like still attending concerts or buying CDs if I became deaf. If I became deaf, I would give my CDs and current concert subscriptions to a friend or a relative.

One of the interesting stories in the Chandler Burr bio of Luca Turin was the one about Jean Carles, who created Tabu, Canoe and Ma Griffe. He had lost his sense of smell, but kept it a secret, and carried on creating perfumes from his memory of what various ingredients smelled like, and Ma Griffe was a creation of his imagination. He never actually smelled Ma Griffe. Only he and his son knew that he became anosmic.

Recently stress definitely dulled my sense of smell and enjoyment of it. It's all coming back now and by fall (my favorite time of year for many reasons) I will be ready to plunge head first into the beautiful orientals I love.

I agree with Five Oaks, for me it's a cleanliness issue too. I like being freshly showered and clean smelling. I would probably just be a signature scent type person and just wear Chanel No. 5 or L'origan or just one of my favorite scents. I'd always wear it and hope that the day would come when my sense of smell returned.
I'm a creature of habit and like Rita said I'd always want to be pulled together.

Karen

I like the idea of having a signature scent, but am too fickle to stick with just one, as I have to be in the mood for a particular scent that day. If I lost my sense of smell, I'd have my BF pick his favorite one and just wear that every day. Sure would save a lot of money!

I'm sure I would.

Reading some of the other responses made me reconsider this. I think that I might just choose one scent as my signature perfume and use the shower gel, powder and body cream in it. What would I choose? Maybe Coco, Chanel # 19, Mille de Patou or Mitsouko. But I probably wouldn't spray any perfume on me. But I liek the idea of other people still finding that I smell nice if they are close to me.

I have a friend who can't smell and also wears perfume. She wears Allure because her husband likes it.
If I couldn't smell I'd probably still wear it but I'd just pick one, probably. I'd also let my husband choose it.