UPDATE: The winner is…ButtonsMom!
*~*~*

During the infamous 2020, I spent a lot of time (more than I should have) watching YouTube. Like so many others, I found myself with extra time on my hands during that period. However, I wasn’t lounging around my house all day in my pajamas. My nine-to-five considered me to be an essential worker. This meant going to the office daily. What made this interesting is that while I was mandated to be at the office physically, only employees were allowed in the buildings. This meant that customers, consumers, clients, etc. were not allowed on the property. The results were (especially for the first two months), I spent eight hours alone in an office with the door shut and no work to do. I just sat once I had caught up on all the outstanding work that I had prior to the shutdown. Employees were not allowed to gather, and we really couldn’t talk with each other. It was a long eight hours.

I don’t know the reason (well, I can speculate but I shouldn’t say) the reason why they didn’t just tell us to remain at home was never explained. But the reason we had no work to do for such an extended period of time is that the powers that be did not devise a plan to address this. I made suggestions from the beginning, but, of course, there were egos to consider. Que sera sera. But none of that is neither here nor there now, and it’s been three years ago. I only mentioned it because it was a period when I experienced a lot of depression. Now, there are two kinds of depression: situational and clinical. Neither feels good, but clinical depression usually requires professional/medical intervention because it is a chemical imbalance. Situational depression, on the other hand, can be resolved by manipulating the environment. What I was experiencing during that time clearly was situational depression due to social isolation. At least, if I had been allowed to stay home, I could move around my house and roam around my backyard. As it was, my office has a small window with zero scenic views and is hard to access. I was left to stare at four walls in an approximately 12 x 10 room. I suppose it’s better than an 8×8 cell. However, after a while 12 x 10 begins to feel more like 3 x 3. So, while the powers that be sorted out a plan, my focus was to tend to my mental health.

Humans are social people. Taking away that social contact can be devastating for some. During the pandemic, people found alternative ways to meet their needs for socialization. As mentioned previously, one of the ways I fulfilled that need was by watching YouTube. However, many of the YouTubers that I had watched previously disappeared (e.g., beauty and makeup influencers). Thus, I began searching for new content creators to watch.

Somehow, I stumbled across perfume reviews. These weren’t my favorites because I had a hard time imagining the scents being described. Sure, I know what rose and lilac smell like, and I may could image them together. But when they began talking about top notes of balsam and red saffron with hints of vetiver and orris, it was like speaking a foreign language. All I knew was it didn’t smell like frying bacon. However, I watched these videos out of boredom and a mild hope that I would learn something. And I did learn something. Another reason I watched these videos is that many aromas make me happy. In the middle of the pandemic, I wanted something… anything… to make me happy. Sometimes, it is the small things that yield the most joy.

Many of the content creators spoke about having seasonal fragrances. They would say things like “This is what I’d wear in the spring.” Or “This would be smashing for a fall holiday party.” Color me weird, but I’d never thought of perfumes in seasonal terms. I purchase what I like and wear it until the bottle is empty. I never stopped to say, “Oh, I need to wait until winter to wear this.”

I still do not buy into that philosophy of wearing only during certain seasons—for one, because many of the scents I go for are too similar, and second, I’m not that organized. So, why am I discussing it? Well, I bumped into a dilemma. Usually, I create my own situations, but I have a whole multibillion-dollar company to thank for this one. See, they discontinued my favorite perfumes—one that I have doused myself in since my mid-twenties after obtaining my first job that I could afford to splurge on more than a body spray from Bath & Body. I mean this was my go-to jam, and I always received compliments that I smelled lovely. Yes, it stroked my ego.

I first noticed the scent missing in several stores, and when I went to the website, I saw that it had been reformulated and retitled. I learned my lesson about something similar with Estee Lauder’s Beautiful and Beautiful Sheer. Apparently, Beautiful Sheer was a limited edition. I purchased Beautiful thinking it would be similar, and I didn’t like it at all. My previous experience has made me weary of purchasing this new/rebranded version of my beloved fragrance. And for some reason, I none of the local stores are carrying it. So, I did what any obsessed person would do and turned to the internet. I found a carrier of the original with the price jacked up (of course). I only order one bottle because I had never ordered from the seller, and sometimes, what one receives is not what one ordered. I wanted to ensure that it was the real deal. Fortunately, it was. Unfortunately, I didn’t place a second order sooner.

By the time I used up this bottle, I had forgotten the name of the seller. I thought a Google search would bring it up the way it had the first time. To my surprise, though, the company had perfume listed for sale. I figured that they had decided to bring it back due to either customer demand, poor sales of the rebrand, or both. I didn’t care which. I was just happy. Eagerly, I put it in my cart. I did, however, notice that it was slightly cheaper. By hey, who am I to complain about a bargain.

Well, you know the saying if it’s too good to be true it probably is? Uh-huh. It was the same packaging, and the smell seemed the same—emphasis on seemed. When I sniffed it in the bottle, it was the same familiar scent. But when sprayed, it was much lighter. I know body chemicals can change the way a fragrance smells, and my instinct was to assume my body chemistry had changed. But it smelled lighter in the air. Yet, the biggest difference was it had zero staying power. It had been that once applied, the scent lasted the duration of my workday and longer. Additionally, the scent could be smelled father away. What I had vanished nearly after being applied, and the only people who could smell it had to be way into my personal space—as in their noses pressed to my neck. I’ve concluded (and I cannot prove it which is why I’ve neglected to name the fragrance) that it either has been reformulated with cheaper materials to cut cost, or I purchased an old batch that the company was trying to get rid of. I could be wrong, but that’s my opinion. In any case, I’m on the hunt for a new to-go scent. Enter dilemma number two. I can’t find anything. Well….

Thus, I purchased one perfume, and I loved it in the store. However, after wearing it for about an hour, the smell makes me nauseous. Another one I like but nearly everyone close to me tells me they can’t stand it. I like floral and clean scents. This one smells like a rose bush, and my friends all hate it. They say it’s “too much.” Normally, I wouldn’t cave, but since I am around them and they all complain, I agreed not to repurchase. There are a few others that I have enjoyed in the past, and now I don’t care for them. I suppose my preferences have changed over the years. Or maybe it is my olfactory that has changed.

So, here it is May. I’m in the same office with a slightly lighter workload. We’re no longer under lockdown conditions, but many of the Covid precautions remain in place. Employees are still required to socially distance. Masks are still required (although many employees can be seen without masks when no one is watching). Gatherings are not allowed, and persons allowed on the premises are restricted. Also restricted is the number of persons allowed to be in one area. As I write this, the Writers Guild of America continues to be on strike, and so I’m once again, reduced to watching YouTube—though not as much and not during working hours. Only this time, I find myself searching for a “summer” scent. Mind you, I still don’t know what that means exactly, and I intend to wear it regardless of the current season.

My curiosity has gotten the best of me. Who else has experienced something similar with either having their preferences for perfumes change or not being able to find a perfume that they like? Have you ever had your favorite perfume discontinued or fallen out of love with a scent? Have you had friends tell you that they can’t stand your cologne? Do you have seasonal scents? One person who shares their story below will be randomly selected to win a mystery gift. The contest ends at 12:01 AM CST on June 1, 2023.

Get ready. It’s time to hit the ice again. Future Goals has arrived and is available.

When a college hockey player needs the help of an attractive older attorney, he gets more than he bargained for when trying to sort out the troubles in his career. Falling in love was never part of either man’s plan, especially as Corrigan’s and Sacha’s lives should never have collided. Now they’re left questioning if they’re standing in the way of the other’s future goals, or if there’s room for redirection.

Order your copy at:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3RjPYb9
Other booksellers: https://bit.ly/3CI8d5W

Missed the first four books in my hockey romance series? No frets.

Out of the Penalty Box (book #1), where it is one minute in the box or a lifetime out, is available at https://amzn.to/2Bhnngw. It also can be ordered on iTunes, Nook, or Kobo. For more links on where to purchase or to read the blurb, please visit https://bit.ly/2i9SqpH.

Defending the Net (book #2) can be ordered at https://amzn.to/2N7fj8q or www.books2read.com/defending. Crossing the line could cost the game.

Ice Gladiators (book #3) is the third book in my Locker Room Love series. When the gloves come off, the games begin. Available at https://amzn.to/2TGFsyD or www.books2read.com/icegladiators.

Penalty Kill (book #4) retakes the ice. Get a copy at https://amzn.to/3ex0N9p or https://amzn.to/3ex0N9p and let the pucker begin.

For more of my stories, shenanigans, giveaways, and more, check out my blog, Creole Bayou, www.genevivechambleeconnect.wordpress.com. New posts are made on Wednesdays, and everything is raw and unscathed. Climb on in a pirogue and join me on the bayou.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this post or any others, feel free to comment below or tweet me at @dolynesaidso. You also can follow me on Instagram at genevivechambleeauthor or search for me on Goodreads or Amazon Authors or BookBub or TikTok.

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Until next time, happy reading and much romance. Laissez le bon temps rouler.

About the Author

Genevive Chamblee resides in the Bayou country, where sweet tea and SEC football reign supreme. She is known for being witty (or so she thinks), getting lost anywhere beyond her front yard (the back is pushing it as she’s very geographically challenged), falling in love with shelter animals (and she adopts them), asking off-the-beaten-path questions that make one go “hmm,” and preparing home-cooked Creole meals that are as spicy as her writing. Genevive specializes in spinning steamy, romantic tales with humorous flair, diverse characters, and quirky views of love and human behavior. She also is not afraid to delve into darker romances as well.