I may have found my rose or roses

Over the past few months, I have developed the habit of going to the mall every Thursday night. I would rush to the hospital for my oncology appointment and as if I were rinsing an unpleasant after taste from my mouth I would take an Uber to the mall and walk through the pastry shops, the cafes and parfumeries. It was as predictable as can be, I would start with a nice vegetarian snack, a healthy fruit smoothie and huge dose of aldehydes. I am a creature of habit and I am no longer trying to be a mysterious unpredictable wild kid!

At first, all perfumes smelled bland to me, some were even repulsive. I had to rethink my perfume wardrobe and was back to my beloved clean rose fragrances, jammy roses and oud were suddenly an assault on my senses. I may also be subconsciously trying not to associate my favourite fragrances with my health issues who knows?

I found myself looking for the lightest of fragrances and the only one that was a clean, green rose that only whispered that I came across that time given my geographical limitations was the maison Francis Kurkdjian’s à la rose. It developed nicely like a transparent veil on my skin, no huge perfume cloud or trail that followed me. It was a quietly beautiful rose, with a zesty opening and delicate dry down. I am not sure if people around me noticed that I was wearing perfume, because it was a lot more subdued scent compared to my other stronger roses such oud satin mood or rose omeyyade. I think this may be the new rose I sought after for days when I want to quietly smell my roses without going over the top.

The search is over, this went to sit next to my Stella and Paul smith rose.

This last Thursday I was finally done with my hospital appointments so I could actually go to the mall as my primary destination and follow what has become a ritual. Only this time a friend was there to disrupt my ritual so instead of pastries, I was having some kind of casserole after which I started walking around. I was looking for nothing this time because I got my rose already until I noticed a new Esthee Lauder shop, it was 3 days old! Oh the memories, I loved Esthee Lauder in my student days where I got my first grown up favourite lipstick. I was suddenly transported to my first place in northwest England. I could smell every bit of the memory, I was wearing pleasures which I still cherish to this day. I was happily reminiscing until the SA interrupted me offering me help, I thanked her and politely proceeded to trying things randomly and there it was the rose! The most beautiful rose I have smelled recently, Aerin evening rose. It opened as a clean rose, a realistic rose like I was in a rose garden just like une rose or Paul smith rose and then became a little more intense and soapy clean rose and reminded me of Stella and finally the dry down was out of this world. On the strip of paper it lasted two days! And this morning at 7 am as I was getting ready for another hospital trip, I was having a pre-trip pleasurable sniff of a gorgeous rose which may just become my new rose. I will have to compare it side by side again with Bvlgari Desiria which I have been eying for a while but I am not test convinced that it deserves the super high price tag, In this case double the price. Can we put a price on this immense pleasure we get from fragrances, I wonder