Fragrances and Addiction: The Struggle

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Season's greetings! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Mine was pretty good, but uneventful, but I am still thankful for what I have.

With the holiday season in full swing, I wanted to touch on a subject that impacts all of us. At least to some degree. That subject is fragrance addiction. We all spend lots of money on fragrances, but when is it too much? Why do we do it? How can we control it? I think this is one of the most important topics that I can cover. The holidays and businesses want you to buy tons of their products, but when is it too much?

Disclaimer: I am not telling anyone how to spend their hard-earned cash. I am simply trying my best to help us all be better and happier. Even though I know someone will go into the comments section on Facebook and tell me I can't tell them how to spend their money. That is not what this article is about.

Also, I know I have had conversations in private with people on some of these issues. I can assure you that this is not targeted at anyone. These are just general thoughts.

Let's get into it!


The Addiction

We are all addicted to fragrances. Let's just be honest, you wouldn't be reading this if you weren't. Some of us only have 10 bottles, while others have an upwards of 1,500 or more. Either way, it's too much when you think about it realistically. A person only needs around 5 fragrances at most. However, I am not saying to not collect and love your hobby. I am just saying that it is too much if you think about it practically.

Now, I am not telling you to not collect fragrances. That would just be silly of me, being that I have around 250 or so myself. It would also be quite hypocritical.

What this article aims to do is tell you what I have learned from my experiences in the fragrance community for the past two years. I don't know very much, but I do know about some things I have noticed and things I have dealt with personally in regard to this matter.

I hope you enjoy this and find it insightful. As always, my opinion should not dictate your actions.


The Urge

Let's start off with the urge to buy new fragrances. We all get that excitement that is akin to a kid on Christmas morning after Santa paid them a visit when getting a new fragrance. It's like a drug. A fix for our emotional state. A momentary symphony of bliss. I said before that fragrances were therapeutic and I still believe that.

However, is the urge worth it? Oftentimes, we get so excited only to be let down. Do we do it because we just want something new and exciting? Are we bored with the other fragrances we have in our collection, even though we said they were "bangers"? Is it because we can't focus on what we have? Will anything ever sate the desires of our heart?

I am not sure. Sometimes I think it's the fragrance community instilling a mentality that we need to have that new hyped fragrance in order to be cool and recognized. Sometimes I think we just need to change things up a bit. Other times I think it's us trying to escape other things in our lives that are weighing on us.

Regardless of the reason, buying massive amounts of fragrances and going broke doing it is not a way to live, my friends.

Debt

I see some massive fragrance hauls on Facebook. Some of them probably cost around $1,000. Now, if you do this every once in a while, then you will be fine. I see some of these hauls happen quite frequently from some people. I can't help but wonder if they can afford it or if they are just showing off. It's none of my business what their finances are, but I still get curious.

Even if you aren't doing massive hauls and such, going into debt for fragrances isn't the answer. A quick sniff isn't worth financial woes. It doesn't hurt to splurge every once in a while and use your credit card, but if it's something you know you can't pay off, then I would suggest not doing it. Instant gratification only lasts a few moments, but debt can last for years.


Keeping up with the Joneses

I am not sure if this is an American saying or not, so I will explain it. Let's say your neighbor is Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones just bought a brand new Jaguar and you get a bit jealous of him. So, you go out and buy a Bentley to prove you are better. Whenever Mr. Jones gets something nice, you have to buy something better. That is what "keeping up with Joneses" means.

Now, let's say that your buddy buys a Roja that costs $600, so you go and buy one that is $800 just to look better than him. This, my friends, is not a way to live. Jealousy will eat you from the inside out and ruin your life. Just buy what you love, not something to one-up someone.


Showing Off

Yes, this does happen. Buying an expensive fragrance just to show the cool looking bottle and say it's expensive is a child's game. The same goes for trying to show off other things that might be of value. There is very little interest from the general population in this stuff.

Buy what you love, not because it's expensive and you can. There is no point in buying a Porsche that you will never drive. It's wasted money.


Hype

Hype needs to be mentioned here because it plays into our urge to buy. I have said it once and I will say it again, any reviewer who tells you to go out and buy a bottle without sampling something isn't looking out for your well-being.

As a whole, we need to start telling people to sample. The fragrance community is a family. Let's not encourage them to go broke for something they might not like, even if we do think it's amazing.

You shouldn't feel left out if you don't have the latest fragrance. We don't need to live in this fast-paced world of instantly wanting something just because we can get it. Think about it first.

I see so many people who say they need a bottle of something as soon as it is announced, even though they have never smelled it. I don't get that, but to each their own. Sample first, ladies and gentlemen.

Some reviewers hype stuff because of other reasons, but that is not something I am going to cover in this article.


Blind Buys

Blind buys are like gambling. It can be addicting. I get the thrill of blind buying and seeing if it's something amazing. However, it's not wise to do this, especially with expensive fragrances. If samples are available, then I suggest going that route.

I am guilty of blind buying myself. I need to lessen the amount that I blind buy, so I will have less useless fragrances in my collection. You will never get all of your money back from flipping a blind buy that you didn't like.


Boredom

I think boredom might play into fragrance addiction as well. We get bored smelling the same thing. So, we hear about something new and different and we feel like we need to have it.

I think we should spend more time loving the fragrances we have and getting to know them better. A fragrance isn't a one-night stand. You need to learn to love them and how to treat them as they are before they will love you back.


The Compliment Factor

If you keep buying fragrances because the last 20 you bought don't get you compliments, then please, just stop. Think about what you are doing. It's probably not the fragrance. It's probably that you are not presenting yourself in an approachable manner or you are spraying too heavily. Fragrances are an accessory and should never be the focal point of your personality and presentation.

If you have wild hairs in your beard, don't bathe, or talk to people with massive amounts of profanity, then you are less likely to get compliments. Be warm and inviting to people. Don't buy fragrances to get compliments if the others aren't working. Work on yourself as a person and you will see that the fragrances that you already have are just fine.

Also, on a side note, compliments have nothing to do with attractiveness. I am an average guy and I get unsolicited compliments, but I present myself as a clean and warm person.


The Buying Frenzy

Companies want you to buy massive amounts of their products. That is why they market them in a way that makes you want them. That is how they make money. Trust your nose, not a description that a company gives.

Especially around the holiday season. They will encourage massive amounts of spending without any concern for your financial state. Stay diligent, brothers and sisters. Spend your cash wisely.


The Sheep Mentality

This one is one I might get some backlash over, but I am going to be honest. Don't walk off a cliff because a reviewer told you to. This goes for myself as well. I am here to describe what I get from a fragrance and to tell you if I think it's good or not. I am not here to tell you to buy a fragrance. You shouldn't buy anything solely off a reviewer's suggestion.

Think for yourself and think critically about what that reviewer is telling you and how honest it sounds. If you don't, then you might end up with 6 Parfums de Marly fragrances that you don't like and end up being glorified paperweights. I hear the bottles are quite heavy, so I am sure they are good for that, but you can get paperweights for much less.


Charity

Yes, I am going to cover this. There are people around the world who don't have much to eat or clothes to keep warm. Save a few bucks and help them out if you'd like. Maybe buy them a fragrance too. It's a good thing to be humble and kind. To give without seeking anything in return.

Helping someone stay warm for the winter will feel so much better than a quick sniff of a fragrance. I can promise you that. Let's not forget about those people who need stuff just because we want stuff.

If you plan on donating to charity, then I suggest researching it first. Some charities only give a very small portion to people in need.


Conclusion

The best advice I can give you is to buy what you love and don't end up with 40 fragrances that you don't like wearing. The fragrance community is a fast-paced world that will suck you in and influence you to spend your hard-earned cash on things that you don't need. If you want something so badly, wait a month and then see if you still want to purchase it. If you still do, then get it. Tastes change.

Be wise and be a blessing to those you encounter. This holiday season is about more than fragrances. Spread joy and love, but always smell good doing it. People are still hurting during this time of the year, so speak words of kindness and life.

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