Saturday, January 8, 2011

The Return of Hormone Nose



This short, 4-day work week certainly didn't feel short.  But maybe returning after eleven days off had something to do with that.

Yesterday was a particularly big day, so I wore Borneo 1834 to shore me up with its wintery, roast beefy, magical patchouli goodness.

Borneo is the quintessential January perfume.

As I was driving to work, I sniffed my wrist while waiting for a light to change to get one last direct hit to propel me into my day. 

Guess what?  It smelled exactly like Calvin Klein's Obsession.

WTF?

I know, that's what I said, too.



Last time my nose went wild, Vanessa and  JoanElaine tactfully suggested that shifting hormones just might - possibly - be responsible.

Damn it.

Borneo image from morphoman.blogspot.com
Obsession image from perfumezilla.com

9 comments:

  1. Either we have the same hormonal issues or there is something similar in 2 scents, because once in a while, I get a whiff of Obsession too. But I have to note that Obsession is the scent I am most uncomfortable with among all scents, and I tend to get whiffs of it suddenly out of nowhere, like people afraid of spiders imagine them everywhere. I also often smell it in Coromandel. Something to do with patchouli, I bet.

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  2. I have no doubt that hormonal fluctuations can contributed to adjustments in olfactory experience. Whatever the specific physical reasons (swollen sinuses? heightened sensitivity?), I've noted it in my own responses.

    That, and there could be a spider in Obsession. ;) (chuckling at Marina up there)

    Patch, btw, is a multi-faced creature for me. Can use its powers for good or evil, depending on the context.

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  3. Yikes, unfortunate Josephine! I must say, I wouldn't have made that connection, but next time I wear Borneo I'll bear this in mind.

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  4. Hi Josephine,

    Yes, I definitely think your hormones could be the culprit here, though the spider theory is interesting. I tend to blame my hormones for everything short of climate change and the recent rise in VAT, so go right ahead, I say!

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  5. Hi Marina, it makes me feel good that others share this phenomenon. I don't hate Obsession (neither do I wear it), but never have I experienced Borneo in this way.

    Love the spider thing.

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  6. Hi ScentScelf - you're right that patchouli can use its powers in different ways. Mostly, though, I love it.

    If there is a 'Heightened and Distorted Nose' support group, I hope you're in it, too.

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  7. Michael, I know, right? This really shocked me, as I have sniffed Borneo a million times and never picked up this association with Obsession.

    I'm hoping this is a one-time thing...

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  8. Vanessa - I, too, am glad to have hormones to site for all the things I cannot attribute to anything else.

    And, hey, it could be for real.

    The spider theory is compelling though, isn't it?

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  9. but Obsession is pretty good! Hormones clearly make a huge difference, sometimes I can't stand my stronger scents on myself- in fact sometimes despite my love of it I can't take scent at all- and I think that's hormonal

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