Smell you a mile away!

Imagine walking down the street with your four-year-old and you pass by an attractive young lady (perhaps younger than 40) dressed rather nicely. Just after you exchange small smiles and walk on by your four-year-old loudly announces, "Yuck! She smells!". Yes, to your chagrin she has heard you and isn't quite sure how to react, so she opts to continue walking. Sadly, and rather embarrasingly, this actually happened with me.

I do realize that as we grow older our sense of smell is probably #2 on the list of "things gone bye-bye", but since when has it been permissible for anyone to absolutely take a bath in their favorite scent?!? I'm not talking about senior citizens - I'm talking successful young ladies (at least, they appear to be younger than I) whose smell arrives a whole lot sooner than they do. My mother used to tell me, "a little goes a long way"; in fact, Mary Kay consultants teach just that about their makeup line. So tell me why I have to endure about 4-5 different colognes, spritzes, perfumes, and eau-de-toilettes in a stairway, elevator, doorway - even the streets aren't safe! I couldn't begin to imagine trying to conduct a job interview with someone so in love with their "signature scent".

Ladies, some people are genuinely allergic to such strong smells (my newest friend, Cheryl, is one such person); my seven-year-old and 17-year-old actually gag on perfume that smells too strong. Did you actually forget to use deoderant that day, or did you really want people to negatively remember your presence? If someone vaguely smells your fragrance and is intrigued, they will ask you about it, guaranteed. But, if someone can smell your fragrance before you have the chance to walk into a room, don't blame them for their eyes suddenly welling up with tears; chances are, it's not because you had such a good visit last time and just seeing you again makes them want to cry. Onions produce similar effects, but that doesn't mean I want to smell like one. It's really not that attractive.

Lightly, please, on the scents. A little really does go a long way.