Smells, Odours, Aromas

Went to the Lush launch of their annual Christmas products last night. I've been to one of these VIP nights before and they are always good for a few freebies and fun.

In my old blog, I wrote about discovering this brand of products a few years ago, before they expanded from the single shop in the QVB around Australia. Originally from the UK, their products are a little pricey, but comparable with items sold in similar shops for organic soaps, hair, bath, shower and other cleansing and moisturising products. Even though I generally don't spend much money, this is the one shop where I do splurge a bit sometimes. I really like their lip balm, hand cream and solid shampoo bars.

Anyone going to the store will notice that the aroma of the products reaches you first. In fact, I found the store originally because I was following my nose! Picking up the products to sniff and test is really a very sensory experience. I now know that I don't really favour sweet or strongly spicy smells, preferring sharp fresh smells that are fairly neutral, as well as fruity and light florals.

Fragrance choice is such a personal thing. I have often been (well my nose has been) affronted by the aromas people choose to anoint themselves with. I once read something about how, as we don't rely on our noses for survival much in our society anymore, our olfactory senses have diminished. I think it rather must have changed, as we still taste most foods with our noses. My sister and I have fairly sensitive noses, being able to pick out individual ingredients to food dishes by smell alone sometimes, while my other sister has a disabled nose (she can't always smell things). So to be assailed with the strong musks and chemical deodorants that people affect can be overwhelming.

It's all very well to consider the effect BO might have on others, as much as we care about how we look, but really, too much is too much. Sometimes clean sweat is a good thing.