why perfume is the best thing ever.

Those of you who know me well will know that I have an uncontrollable obsession with perfume. Last year, my best friend in the UK mailed me a box filled with miniature perfumes (and appropriately lined with bubblewrap) that she used to collect/use, most of which were at least half full. On the rare occasion Mother Dearest is on a plane and in a good mood (those two things rarely occur simultaneously), she might purchase a small bottle of perfume for me from Singapore Airline's well-stocked KrisShop catalogue. My lovely boyfriend got me a set of 5 Jo Malone miniatures for Christmas, and another close family friend treated me to Bvlgari's Omnia Amethyst. I am a huge perfume junkie, because there are so many reasons to love perfume.

some of my all-time faves!

Perfume has the power to make or break your outfit and your impression. Scent is a powerful thing; too much, too little, or the wrong scent altogether can have surprisingly adverse effects. I once sat next to someone at a fashion show who was conservatively dressed, well-mannered and had beautiful, understated eye makeup - and reeked of cheap Playboy cologne. Enough said. Selecting a scent is similar to selecting an outfit - it reflects who you are and should communicate what you wish to portray yourself to the world as.

some more of my favorite fragrances!

It makes SUCH a great gift for a close girlfriend or someone you know well. It's so much fun to stroll through the perfume section of any department store to sniff out the best concoction for someone you care about - especially if you're familiar with their scent preferences! Think of it as identifying the perfume equivalent of your friend... Is she flowery and light or intense and dark? Best results when a different girlfriend accompanies you on this excitable quest for the perfect fragrance.

Images sourced from here, here and here

Perfume bottles are among the most beautiful things in this world. I never throw away empty perfume bottles because I believe they are so well-crafted and ornate enough to double as lovely-smelling decorations (I love to sandwich pink/gold perfume bottles in between my coffee table books on a shelf in my room for aesthetic effect), especially the ones with carefully laser-cut finishes that reflect light.

Images sourced from here, here, here and here

Lastly, as shallow as this may sound, perfume is an easy way to own something from your favorite designer. While a teenage girl like me can't exactly get her hands on Dior's runway pieces, she can probably save up for a bottle of Miss Dior Cherie. To be perfectly honest, I'm very rarely label-conscious when it comes to dressing; I'm not embarrassed to wear Forever 21/thrift because I don't believe that price tags dictate style. That being said, it's nice to have a small "token" item from the same designer who's runway presentations you gawk at - be it makeup, phone/laptop cases, or in this case, perfume. Considering I spend hours poring over backstage videos, makeup tutorials, livestreams, reviews and articles of the latest Chanel show, it's certainly a lovely feeling to be able to squirt a little (yet equally legit) delicious-smelling Chanel 'magic' into the air while I live out my fashion dreams behind a computer screen. I might be thousands of miles away from the action, but I'll be holding a bottle of it in my hand. It's nice to feel like a part of something you care about. 

Do you love perfume as much as I do? Let me know what your favorite fragrances are in the comments below!