to hate my mum's perfume

[leavesarefalling]

My mum has worn the same perfume forever, L'Air du Temps.

She sprays it on VERY liberally (and frequently) and when we are in a confined space like a car, or if it's warm, it makes me sick and gives me a headache.

For Xmas I gave her a new perfume, Chance, but she has never worn it.

I am wondering if her perfume is out of date, as she has litres of the stuff from birthdays and Xmas's and Duty -free, and she is a real hoarder, never- throw-anything-away sort of person.

She is very easily offended by comments and I don't know how to raise this with her!

my mil is the same. always spraying it.
I open the windows alot

Love Jo Malone - but that too can be quite overpowering.

OP - perfume can trigger migraines, so pretend yourmum's perfume is doing that. If you get very upset as you're telling her then she can blame the migraine and not you.

Blue Grass has a fake blue diamond thingy on the top of the bottle, didn't it?

LouLou ("Oui, c'est moi?" or was that Anus Anus ) was in a blue multi-faceted bottle with a long red pointy lid I think.

I used to like Anais Anais but mine went off and it out me off.

I used to love Dune. Paloma Picasso?

I'm trying to think of another I used to wear in the 90's it was in a yellow box with tiny white dots. It was a famous brand.

It was a bloke in his 40's, probably on a booze cruise, reading out a note from a wife/girlfriend/daughter. The assistant didn't laugh at him but I had to hide behind the camera counter.

And bloody Body Shop White Musk and Dewberry!

I still have some White Musk somewhere! Dewberry was really yuk.

Really really hated Poison, too.

Mate of mine still wears Paloma Picasso - hard to find nowadays though.

I'm trying to think of another I used to wear in the 90's it was in a yellow box with tiny white dots.

Dolce Vita by Dior.

Bottom, I wonder if the note had been spelled Anis Anis?

Have no idea what my mother wears but I do know it didn't suit my baby. But I don't mind all second hand perfume on her-I quite like whatever my good friend wears and dd2 smells of it for the test of the day reminding me of my friend and how gorgeous she is with dd

beautiful by estee lauder was a favourite of mine until I discovered bvulgari Black :)
Like a lot of others have said perfume is so personal a choice. I remember Lou Lou, anyone remember monsoon or sun moon and stars lol.
Maybe treat her to a new fragrance for xmas or birthday but take her with you so she can pick herself. You might be able to get her out of an old habit.

my worst fragrance that makes me gag is tresor or ultra violet, barf

I don't know what my mum used to wear, but it was a very motherly floral smell.

I wear Amor Amor by Cacharel. My sister wears Samsara.

Perfume is a very personal thing. I think because I'd smelled my Mum wearing the same perfume since birth, it became a very comforting smell for me. I used to love hugging her to feel safe and sound after a day at school!

ugh what about exclamation! now that smelt like shite and everyone wore it lol

I hate perfume of all kinds. I can't wash my hair in standard shampoo or use most body moisturiser because of the perfume in them. I have to use ecover fabric conditioner because any other conditioner smell on my clothes makes me want to barf.

My mum always wore Chanel No 5 and I can remember how ill it made me feel if we had to go in the car with her . I can totally feel your pain OP.

If you are reacting badly, you may be allergic to one of the ingredients. It's pretty common to have allergies to components used in perfume - my mum has it and I have it to a lesser extent.

It is possible to get tested privately, I think? So depending on how fussed you are, you could always do that and then explain to her what it is you're reacting to ... she can hardly be offended at a medical test (I hope!). Or you could just say you love the smell but you've realized you are having a bad reaction to something, and you're so sorry, but can she help you out by not wearing so much?

Tell her you have 'developed' an allergy to an ingredient in it (e.g. asthma, which can come on any time of life) and that it's making you feel breathless and faint behind the wheel, so that you won't be able to drive her anywhere in future if she is wearing it.

I bet she lays off it :)

To clarify: lots of the components of perfumes are known allergens. Especially the fixitives, and especially if they're natural. Saying it like that might help her understand you are not being judgy about her taste, just reacting against the ingredients.

I would echo that if you're getting those kind of symptoms, you are quite likely allergic to something in it. I'm quite a non-allergenic person, but if I'm in the same house as someone drinking camomile tea, I develop asthma symptoms, runny nose, runny eyes, and later on insomnia and a headache. Its like poison! (in fact, from a chemistry point of view, what some compounds may do to the substrate receptors necessary for some of your enzyme processes quite possibly mean that they are poison to you!).

You need to find a sales assistant who knows his or her shit, ask them what kind of base it has, and what other perfumes have the same base. She might like one of those. eg Floral bases work well with my skin. I liked Eternity, and was recommended the green DKNY. Worth a shot?

I hate your Mum's perfume too. I know that doesn't help though. L'air du Temps- sickly sweet.

L'Air du temps was my first ever grown up perfume. Loved it at the time. Couldn't wear it now. I wish I'd saved all the cash is spent on perfume over the years and spent it in formulating and bottling the smell of my newborns' heads

Tell her that you've realised that some perfumes give you a headache and unfortunately that's one of them, so could she possibly give it a miss when you'll be in the car?

Also say you're "decluttering" and maybe you could help each other sort out old stuff. (Out-of-date perfume is target no. 1 )

Some great advice, can always count on MN'ers .

I love Jo Malone red roses but it is really strong and I spray it on VERY Sparingly.

I saw my DM this afternoon and asked her if she'd like some new perfume and body lotion for Xmas (she has the Full l'du temp range already). and she said no thanks she's still got bucket loads left! grrrrrrrr

Anyone remember Trevor and Vanderbilt?! Rive gauche, youth Dew, Giorgio and blue grass were my gran n mums perfumes of choice; hate the smell but love the memories they bring back.

My mil stock piles perfume too. I have no idea what it is but you can't buy it in the UK so she imports 3 bottles at a time... it honks!

She also has NO sense of smell and wears far too much. I once had to wash DD's curtains after she came to stay for a week as DD said her room smelt funny .

Yes, tell her you have developed allergies.
geegee888, ragweed is in the same family as Chamomile. Camomile tea makes me feel sick, and I am allergic tor ragweed. Same with sons.
"Chamomile is part of the Asteraceae plant family, which includes ragweed and chrysanthemum, so people with allergies may react when they use chamomile either internally or topically. Call your doctor if you experience vomiting, skin irritation, allergic reactions (chest tightness, wheezing, hives, rash, itching) after chamomile use."
altmedicine.about.com/od/herbsupplementguide/a/Chamomile.htm