We’re all wired differently. So differently, in fact, that what brings pleasure to one person will bring dislike, revulsion, or even pain to another person. This is especially true of perfumes. There is no perfume or perfumer on this planet that can guarantee – or even hope to accomplish – something that smells so good that everyone loves it. As strange as it may sound, there are folks who hate the scent and taste of chocolate, find lead and manure comforting, and then there are those with the double-edged fortune of no sense of smell at all.

((image by giuvax on flickr))

I for one do not think that my perfume detractors should suffer – they may detract what I make, but if they’re wired to wince at the scents created by me, their experience is comeback enough. I’ve certainly staggered around holding my nose after the fact as though it would help after a bad run in with a department store perfume counter. I can’t help what someone else’s brain and body chemistry will do, and I can only move on to the next formula.

However, rather than living with what offends thine nose, here are a few suggestions:
1. Compost it.
All my fragrances ARE from natural materials. While the fragrances containing tobacco (such as Ball Gag) might better be mixed into an organic pesticide, for the most part the contents of a bottle would go just fine in with all the other fertilizing flotsam from your home. And the bottle, after a rince with rubbing alcohol, is completely recyclable.

2. Swap it.
Oh come on, I know lots of you do it. There are some great communities on livejournal, and other places around the net. You can even go to perfume based swap meets these days if you know where to look. I’m seeing decant kits appear in major catalogs – you think we don’t know this goes on?

3. Resell it.
As long as it’s clearly labeled as a resale and not a point-of-source original sale, I’m OK with it. Besides, every single scent I’ve made has ended with someone somewhere declaring themselves an aficionado. I don’t always get it – I personally don’t understand the popularity of
Fairy, for instance, as it’s too sweet and simple for my tastes – but every time I try to remove it from my store someone asks. Just because you don’t love it doesn’t mean it won’t have a home somewhere.

4. Use it in a practical joke.
Some of you have been subject to those horrific practical jokes where someone leaves a dead fish in the back of your car or a roast under the bed. Use your less-than-fave perfumes to manufacture similar, if slightly less aggressively painful, entertainment. (I do not advocate you do property damage in the course of such a prank, and please make efforts to find out if your target has skin or scent allergies first. First, do no harm. Then, drive batty for short bursts).

5. Gift it.
I’m pretty straightforward about the notes in my fragrances, and it’s worth determining the aromatherapeutic effects. Some of my stuff may not appeal to you because you just don’t need what’s in it – but someone around you might need the olfactory-emotional boost. Make the world a better place by doing something small to lighten another person’s burden.

Sweet dreams, may you succeed in your quest for the scent that pleases you most!

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