A Note to my Mother

My mother was the first perfumista I ever knew. Naturally elegant, she was a city girl who fell in love with a country boy. Even in the early days, when she and my dad were just getting by, presenting herself well was important. So was smelling good. 

To keep up with the most recent trends, she read magazines and watched TV, then she shopped thrifty and came up with stylish solutions to everything; dressing, housekeeping, decorating...and perfume. Mom was beautifully out of place, wearing Chanel No.5 and Youth Dew in a small farm town where Avon was the hottest thing going. Estee Lauder perfumes became her favorites because of their provocative sillage and lasting power. She understood the art of making an entrance and leaving an impression.

Mom survived breast cancer in the 70's. Azuree was her signature scent and she wore it proudly before and during her hospitalization. After her chemo and radiation, she was never able to wear it again as it carried too many memories of that unsettled time.

Just recently, I added Azuree to my own collection, ready to more fully appreciate the citrus top notes, the roughed up leather of the heart notes and the mellow, sunshine-and-woods of the base notes I remembered. As it turns out, Azuree is beautiful as ever, and instead of reminding me of her illness, it reminds me simply of her: tenacious, surprising and vulnerable.
 
My mother died one month and three days ago. This blog is dedicated to her.