Signature

I'm not especially pulled together when it comes to grooming. In fact, I'm frequently falling apart. But there are a few feminine frills without which I feel naked. Lipstick is one. Perfume is another. As a bystander, I really appreciate good perfume, applied correctly. Which is to say, you don't smell it until you are standing very near. It's intimate and delightful to lean over for a cheek kiss from a friend and notice her fragrance, like being told a juicy secret.

For over a decade, my daily scent was Clarins Eau Dynamisante. Patrick bought it for me nearly every Christmas. This year, it seemed like it was time for a change. A friend gave me a sample of Prada Infusion d'Iris and it was love at first whiff. A large bottle of it was under the tree for me this year. It's stupidly expensive, but most of my cosmetics are from the drugstore, and I only get my hair cut twice a year, so I think it's quite okay.