Perfume Lovers Unite on Instagram

I was bored one September afternoon back in 2017, so I decided to open an Instagram account. I’d shared pictures of my precious bottles here on Parfumo and other perfume communities prior to making this leap. However, I wanted to turn my boredom into something “artful” and find other like-minded folks in the process. My photography skills are hit-or-miss but I find there is a plethora of beautiful bottles and inspirational people behind the pictures to be found on this social media platform.

The first few months were spent putting up pictures of random things: my dinner plates filled with questionable-looking vegetarian food, years-old pictures of my alma mater (hey, it’s a beautiful school), my cats and, of course, perfume bottles. Eventually, I shifted my focus to fragrances and found a community of fellow enthusiasts, not to mention a society of mutual admiration. But there was something else for which I had not accounted—Instagram is also a platform for speaking with our favorite noses.

I first discovered the thrill of direct interaction when I was gushing over my bottle of Youth Dew Amber Nude. I took a simple picture and professed my undying love in the text. Imagine my surprise when Christophe Laudamiel explained his thought process when creating YDAN in the comments! How amazing is that? Recently, Andy Tauer liked one of my posts. I’m still walking among the clouds over that.

Through Instagram I’ve found the barrier between the creator/nose and the admirer/consumer to be eliminated; there is an egalitarian environment present on Instagram that is not as prevalent on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. Does this always happen? No, not always, but I love that it happens. I love the live discussions that occur with Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, Miguel Matos, and others. I love the discussions between YouTube reviewers and subscribers, which is especially astounding since I must confess, I did not watch many YouTube reviews. Now, I consider myself a fan of Glenn Davis (aka @mrcologne76), @2scentsworth, and so many others. I love the free flow of ideas and pictures.

I cannot be the only one lured into this virtual community of beautiful bottles and scented inspiration. Do you have an account? Do you post your scented treasures online or do you keep it strictly personal? I’m a curious person and I’m always looking for new people to follow!