feeling scentimental - a guest post by karen g.

Even though her ears were pierced, I especially loved when my mother reached for her big, clip-on earrings when dressing up for a night out. She had them in a pretty jewelry box that my father had made for her out of wood.  It was lined with green velvet.  She’d reach in and pull out something beautiful, a finishing touch to an always exquisitely chic outfit.  Then, just before grabbing her purse, she’d spray some You’re the Fire by Yardley into the air, and step into the mist.  It was a ritual I’d seen for years as a little girl and this is where my passion for shoes, fashion, make-up and everything PERFUMY began. 

As I grew older and the parties my parents threw and attended became a little more reserved, so came a change in the perfumes she wore.  Depending on the occasion, she’d wear something different every time.  A fragrance for every season. 

I remember looking in the closet where she kept all her perfume bottles, neatly lined up.  Panache by Lentheric was my favorite, and is still one of those smells that can transport me back to my childhood in an instant.  She had the basics like Chanel No. 5, but truly enjoyed an array of different fragrances to suit her every mood. 

Looking back, I remember the commercials for some of these perfumes, and wonder if the empowering message behind them had most to do with the ones my mother chose to wear.  By day, a humble housewife and mother, by night, with a spray of perfume in the air, socialite and belle of the ball.

Here are some of those beautiful old commercials, the ones that made life seem just a little more interesting!

You're the Fire by Yardley

Panache by Lentheric

Tramp by Lentheric

Impulse Body Spray

And one for the guys: Jovan Musk for Men