Wednesday's Whimsical Thought Vintage French Perfume Labels

Over on my own blog I do a Wednesday Whimsy feature, usually with some of my Victorian era trade cards. (Today's is Muses, Graces and Xanadu, if you want to go check it out.) I thought since we have an open day here, I'd share some lovely vintage 1920's and 1930's French perfume labels that I picked up recently.

"A woman who doesn't wear perfume has no future," said the famous Coco Chanel.

I think perfume has its own magic (which qualifies the topic for here at PNR Romantics LOL). A whiff of the right scent can transport you in time and place....

"A woman's perfume tells more about her than her hand writing," said Christian Dior. Well, my hand writing is pure scribbles so you won't get much about me from that. I started out wearing dribs and drabs of my mother's various perfumes and I seem to recall liking Lily of the Valley at one point. The first one I became absolutely loyal to was Toujours moi. I wore that for years and it was definitely my signature scent.  Then I switched to Tresor and more recently also loved Michael Kors Hollywood. Which of course he's now discontinued. Bummer. But I've moved on to a new love - Acqua di Gioa from Armani. The scent just seems to fresh to me, reminds me of the woods and a stream and peaceful times...

The biggest factor for me about perfume is whether it gives me a migraine or not. There have been some I

adored, but absolutely couldn't wear, not even for five minutes. So when I do find a scent that I like, which doesn't give me a migraine, I'm happy. Such finds are few and far between, sadly.

I LOVE that Sephora lets you pick tiny perfume testers as freebies when you do an online order, because then I can sample new scents at home and wash them off right away if I can feel the headache coming on.

"Music at times is more like perfume than mathematics," said French philosopher and existentialist Gabriel Marcel. (Scratches head.) I have next to no idea what he meant - maybe he'd inhaled too much perfume! But it's a cool quote.

I'll leave you with this one, from Arthur Symons, a British poet: As perfume doth remain In the folds where it hath lain, So the thought of you, remaining Deeply folded in my brain, Will not leave me: all things leave me: You remain.