The Scent of a Woman
by Vickie A.

Thank goodness for true friends. What is a true friend? One that will point out your errors and flaws, not to hurt or embarrass, but so you can correct them. Recently a true friend came to me with what she refers to as constructive suggestions. To the rest of the world would be constructive criticism. She tells me that criticism has too many negative connotations.

The criticism or suggestion was that in trying to achieve a feminine appearance, I had totally overlooked the Scent of a Woman. After some thought and discussion, and finding the errors of my ways, I decided that I must pass on this good advice to others.

Many times I have dressed in perfect attire, just the right makeup, matching accessories, every hair in place, and then ruin it with the smell of Right Guard or Old Spice. The scent of a woman often ends up as the last item on a long list of preparations, yet is probably one of the easiest to obtain. It starts with basic good grooming. Shower, regularly and often, when dressing. Wearing a wig that covers the head and neck, plus pantyhose, bra and other undergarments, it is easy to become overheated and perspire. As an added touch, it is nice to follow the shower with a scented bath powder.

Select a good antiperspirant with a pleasant feminine scent. A deodorant should be strong enough to keep perspiration odor out of your clothing. The small price of a good antiperspirant is nothing when you compare it to the price of your wardrobe and a dry cleaning bill. Freshness is just another part of the total scent that you want to present to those around you.

The perfume that you select must work with your body chemistry and of the basic scent that you desire. There are basic scents of musk, floral, citrus, and spices. To select a scent that fits you, just stop by any department perfume or display counter and ask questions. The young lady behind the counter will be happy to spend the time explaining the variety of her wares to you. Don't feel strange about this as there is nothing odd about men or women selecting perfumes and colognes as gifts. These are a favorite present that can be given by anyone, and why can't you be allowed to select a gift scent that appeals to you? When using perfume, remember that too much can be overpowering, and the use of perfume does not replace good personal hygiene. There is nothing more offensive that the overpowering mixture of too much perfume and stale perspiration.

A last item to remember is to wash out your lingerie, and send those dresses to the cleaners after wearing. It is easy to forget that a proper fitting bra and full slip puts the straps right against the underarm, where they collect perspiration with each wearing. The mistake that is often made is that we fail to wash our lingerie after each wearing, and that includes all lingerie; bra, slip, panties, girdle and anything else that you have worn close to your skin. Send those dresses to the cleaners before you put them away. By having them cleaned after wearing, dirt, spots, smoke and odors will not become set-in to the fabric. They can then be stored clean and will not transfer odors to the rest of your wardrobe. An additional benefit is that you will now be ready to dress and go on short notice. When you put your wardrobe away, put a perfumed cache or potpourri in with your clothing. This way, your clothing will have the wonderful Scent of a Woman the next time you want to dress.

The Scent of a Woman is something that is easily overlooked when getting dressed, but each of us can develop our own unique scent to fit and compliment our personalities and styles.