Spritz Me, Baby

I love Chanel No. 5. Every Christmas for the past five years, my Mom has gotten me a bottle. But this year, I’m not asking for the old stand-by. It’s all about Prada, baby.

I can see this bottle on my dresser already!

There’s something magical about an atomizer. To me it evokes images of flapper divas from the past, sitting before a mirror framed in lights and drizzling scent onto their decolletage before heading out for a night dancing at the jazz club.

Although the irresistable femininity of an atomizer attracts me like a magnet, I have learned how important it is to try a scent before you buy it, to make sure it meshes well with your body chemistry. But for me, the clincher in a potential perfume purchase is the packaging. A cool bottle can make a perfume unforgettable. Here are some of my all-time favorites. What are yours?

In my opinion, L’Eau De Issey is one of the most timeless scents of all. It’s soft and feminine, complicated and memorable. The fuzzy modernity of the bottle made it a dressing table standout for a while. Few scents have felt so right on me. I really do need a new bottle.

I was infatuated with Donna Karan’s Be Delicious for a hot minute. I believe I rubbed a scented magazine strip on my wrist and was entranced by the crisp apple scent. The cute, round bottle appealed to me as well. Then I got a sample at a store and realize how terrible this smelled on me. It was like rancid cider. A shame, too – the price range of Be Delicious is ideal in my book.

I’m loving the packaging of the Bond No. 9 scents. Particularly the aqua, gold, and purple Bleecker Street bottle entrances me. I won’t be buying it based on the crappy reviews on Makeup Alley, where only 20% of reviewers said they’d buy it again.

Based on all of that, my next pricey perfume purchase probably won’t be a scent; it’ll be a beautiful bottle.

I’m saving up for an antique atomizer so I can live out all of my flapper fantasies.