A dinner I had no business attending and a soliloquy on perfume
Having a perfume collection is so chic.
Three weeks ago, I got a text from a man inviting me to a dinner to celebrate the perfumer Frederic Malle. Do I work in perfume? No. Does he work in perfume? No. And yet, we were invited, so we shall go.
Let’s back up to two hours prior: I’m in Le Labo, obviously. I smelled this, I smelled that, I picked up a candle that I didn’t know what lit and a wave of candle wax hit me in the chest. So yeah. An excellent way to start the evening.
Now picture me sprinting through CVS, looking through a Tide pen while simultaneously trying to scrape candle wax out of my fur coat. It was a low point. But not to worry. The tide pen (kind of) saved the day, and I was on my way to Bergdorfs.
My date met me at the front door, and we made our way to Cafe Ginori, the GORGEOUS restaurant on the bottom floor of Bergdorfs. We chatted, we perused the perfume collection, and then we were ushered into the restaurant where it was clear that there were MAYBE 30 people invited to this dinner. And not just that. They didn’t have a seat for me.
I did have a small freak-out for approximately 20 seconds, but the lovely PR girl switched up the seating arrangements and sat me next to my date. Crisis averted. Everything was fine.
I then proceeded to have the most lovely 3-hour dinner. Every dish was matched with a certain Frederic Malle scent, and I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. Not only that. My date and I were placed next to the most interesting group of women. Thoughtful, intelligent, COOL women. And this is when I started to thrive.
The woman sitting next to me was an interior designer from Austin. She was wearing sunglasses indoors and a perfectly fitted blazer, which obviously meant that I needed to be friends with her. And let me tell you, she was just as cool as I had anticipated.
I pride myself on my ability to talk to people. I think it’s my best skill. But I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t take a lot of work. You have to come across as curious but not a suck-up. Friendly, but not OVERLY friendly. You have to open a conversation and be perfectly fine if you get rejected.
I saw this quote on Substack the other day:
“Life shrinks or expands according to one’s courage.” — Anaïs Nin, 1939
I find the most courageous people I know are the ones who are constantly putting themselves into situations where there’s a possibility of rejection. We’re all playing it too safe. Me included.
Life seems to just get better the more I try to be courageous. The more rooms I enter that I have no business being in, the more people I meet, and the more doors that open. That’s all my wisdom for today.
And now for a short soliloquy on perfume:
Currently I own Le Labo’s Santal 33, Henry Rose’s Char scent, and the Glossier You perfume which realistically, is enough perfume to last me a while, but I believe that having a stacked perfume collection is VERY chic, so these are some I’m looking to add to my collection:
Frederic Malle’s Carnal Flower
A GORGEOUS scent. I was heavily debating purchasing this bottle after the dinner, and truth be told, I’m sad I didn’t.
I Don’t Know What by DS & Durga
For Valentine’s Day, DS&Durga was selling the most gorgeous hand-painted bottles of I Don’t Know What. Sadly, they’re sold out now but wow were they beautiful! I love this scent, and I love that there’s a playlist to go along with the scent. More perfume brands should do this.
Retrospect by Merit
I love the packaging, and surprisingly, I like the scent. It’s less expensive than I expected, and might be coming home with me in the near future.
Another 13 by Le Labo
This scent is so good (especially on guys…) Just trust me.
Sacred Santal by Cyklar
This is different from the others because it’s a roll-on perfume oil. I haven’t even smelled it but people are raving about the scent, so I think I need it!
chat soon! xoxo, char (the girl with good taste)