Poor Pepe LePew, Warner Brothers' cartoon French skunk, with his odorous scent had difficulty attracting Penelope Pussycat. His odor-able capers included using perfumes and deodorants to mask his foul vapors. It was a sign of the times as we were inundated with tv and magazine fragrance ads in the 50s and 60s
My first exposure to bottles of cologne was my grandmother's little blue bottle of Evening in Paris eau de toilette - (toilet water is a weakened perfume.) My elder babysitter had bottles in her house as well. This fragrance was developed in the 1920s by the Wertheimer family's company, Bourjoir, who also made Chanel. Evening in Paris was affordable and popular with average housewives until discontinued in 1969. I inherited a little bottle which is empty but you can still get a whiff of the original scent when you open the lid. Maybe that's when my attraction to cobalt blue bottles began.
I remember using a variety of perfumes while growing up and buying favorite cologne and after shave brands for the men in our family, too. My all time favorite was Ambush in the bright pink bottle. There was also an Ambush dusting powder. These were always on my Christmas list. My girlfriends liked Tabu, Faberge Tigress, Jean Nate, Charlie, Musk, and a variety of Avon products.
My mother thought she was allergic to perfumes and didn't wear them that often. My dad chose perfume as a special gift for her a few times and I recall seeing a bottle of Windsong on her dresser.
My mother thought she was allergic to perfumes and didn't wear them that often. My dad chose perfume as a special gift for her a few times and I recall seeing a bottle of Windsong on her dresser.
I progressed to L'Air du Temps and stayed with that fragrance for many years. As a nurse I soon realized that strong perfumes were not appropriate for the environment of sick and elderly people, so I stopped the colognes. I switched to lighter Bath and Body Works lotions like Limelight. I liked that particular one so much that when we lived overseas I had my mother send me care packages full of the bottles. After Limelight was retired I tried other Bath and Body fragrances like vanillas and citrus varieties but eventually even they seemed overpowering. We've gone the way of fragrance free products now since all my family have allergies.
My dad had two favorite after shave lotions - Aqua Velva and Old Spice. Later we added Brut as an option for Christmas presents but the original Old Spice scent always reminds me of Dad. It was endearing to see him get ready to go to church or a dinner after splashing on some manly lotion all dressed in his crisp white long sleeved shirt, cufflinks, tie and tieclasp, and handsome suit with a handkerchief in the pocket. He was easily swayed by tv commercials and over the years tried Karate, Hawaiian Surf (which came in a cork outer container), British Sterling, and the old standard Mennen's After Shave.
My brother wouldn't think of going to school or church or a date without loading up on English Leather. It came in a wooden box and had a large wooden lid. Besides cologne there was soap on a rope, stick deodorant, and shaving cream. Being five years older and much more cool than I, during high school my brother had the look...gant shirts, cordovan penny loafers, butch haircut, and enough cologne to be noticed 10 feet away. He sometimes varied with British Sterling or Canoe, but remained true to English Leather.
The department store perfume counter hasn't changed much over the years except gotten larger. It was and is overwhelming to find a new fragrance. The saleslady used to spray different fragrances on each wrist and help you choose, but after awhile you were covered with so many options you couldn't make a distinction. Stores also had perfume girls who would greet you coming off the escalator offering to give you a free spray sample. For those of us with allergies it was a no-go location.
There have been times we left a theater or performance because someone's scent was overpowering, triggering an asthma event. It's terrible when you're locked in a plane with someone who bathed in perfume. The saying, "a little goes a long way" comes to mind.
"For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved
and among those who are perishing." 2 Corinthians 2:15
There have been times we left a theater or performance because someone's scent was overpowering, triggering an asthma event. It's terrible when you're locked in a plane with someone who bathed in perfume. The saying, "a little goes a long way" comes to mind.
"For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved
and among those who are perishing." 2 Corinthians 2:15