To not understand why some people wear such heavy scents?

[clingclangclong]

Before MIL leaves the house to get a pint of milk and the daily mail (cringe) she showers with a branded, highly scented body wash, then applies the same scented accompanying body cream ALL OVER her body, then spritzes herself liberally all over with the accompanying perfume.

After this she puts on full make up (primer, foundation, powder, blush, eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, lip liner and lipstick.) I have found that when make up, especially foundation and lipstick, is applied heavily, it has a strong smell too.

You can smell her upstairs with doors closed before you can see her, before she enters any room, and if you get in a car with her you have to hope you do not already have a queasy stomach or are prone to migraines. The DC and the pets smell of her after she has been around them, and I have to wash all bed linen, towels etc after she leaves because it is just covered with smell.

I have known other people similar, but not quite as bad as MIL. Is it a generational thing? Or am I just being a sensitive little sausage? And surely if you have laid on a scent that heavily you can smell yourself?

Poisen yuck

Yes, I had a college room mate who loved Georgio Beverly Hills too, it was awful.

Some perfumes trigger migraines for me.

I recently heard that perfumes/ aftershaves can cause miscarriage and infertility has anyone else heard that or have I imagined it?

Smells are highly invasive. Yanbu or over sensitive. I can smell dds friend before I see her (laundry detergent)

So they don't have to wash?

I love a good strong perfume. Tom Ford and Poison too (although not the original). However, some aftershaves can particularly linger, especially Joop which smells like toilet duck to me.

Perfume should whisper, not shout! For some reason that always stuck in my mind. Wish my old boss would have taken the hint. She sprayed on Coco by Chanel like it was deodorant! You could hang your coat on the odour and it put me off it for life

Poison (the original) is my everyday scent

I always receive compliments on it though.

Or maybe its just passive aggressive sarcasm and I really do stink

Poison (the original) really is vile vile vile and utterly unignorable. Passive aggressive sarcasm I suspect - people are trying to politely tell you that they can smell you coming and that is not a good thing!

It's more than likely people attempting to cover up the I'm about to puke look on their face by saying something nice

Maybe you're correct.

I have noticed that people my mums age will ask 'Lemonade, is that Poison you're wearing' (aghast)

People my age have (mostly)never smelt it before and so perhaps, for them it escapes the negative connotations which the more aged imbue it with?

I've never actually done it, because I don't want them to think I like it, but I am often tempted to ask the wearers of perfumes that I find really unpleasant what they are, just out of curiosity (and so I know what I'm talking about on threads like this).

I couldn't agree more OP. I can't stand the smell of washing conditioner or air fresheners either. If you're going to wear scent, I agree with Kate Moss, spritz and walk into it for a light scent. If I come in contact with someone heavily scented I can't stop sneezing and then the smell sticks in the back of my throat - yuk.

I like some strong perfumes. I find Chloe and Mitsouko not exactly strong but pervasive.
Some people's perfume though will drown out everything else. There's one I smell quite often, its very sweet and smells a bit chocolaty.
I used to be quite fond of (ahem), Giorgio Beverley Hills.

I agree with the poster about the wake of a perfume. I've had to run out of a supermarket to avoid puking from the after stench of a power perfume.

Perfumed hairsprays also make me retch, is it that Elnet? Why wash your hair in strawberries and kiwis only to spray it in eau de old woman's handbag?

Angel by Thierry mugler makes me sick. Woman I used to work with used to cover herself with it. The lift would stink for bloody ages after she'd got out.

Bloody hell, I'm amazed people are calling perfume a "stink" and comparing it to cheap air freshener or even BO. I love a good perfume! I only put it on when I'm clean and would never ever be stupid enough to try covering up BO by splashing gallons on.

I'm now wondering how much is too much for most people, and how many people have this sensitivity to perfume that makes them want to honk.

I love a good perfume on someone but can't stand bloody Febreze or Persil lingering on clothes, or houses with air fresheners everywhere. I just can't see a perfume carefully formulated by people with an exceptional sense of smell ("noses" in the perfume business), and made to be worn on the body, as equivalent to these crude smells at all.

Bertsdinner - the chocolaty one is probably Angel. I visited a friend a couple weeks ago and her house stunk of "Clean Linen" air freshener, made me feel sick.

Maybe you're just one of those people who is very sensitive to smell? I am, too, but perfume doesn't bother me unless its very very heavy and musky ('Poison' or 'Opium' sort of smell.

From regularly standing in close proximity to people on a bus/tube in London, I'm far more bothered by the amount of people who clearly don't bother to shower every morning, wash their hair regularly or put on clean clothes

I hate perfume as it gives me horrendous migraines. Being trapped in a lift or bus with someone doused in the stuff is a nightmare. I would really like to see spraying the stuff anywhere in public (except possibly a perfume shop which sufferers can avoid) banned! It's harmless fun for some but a misery for those who are left vomiting and feeling like a mad axe man is inside their skull.

Very - I think that the amount of people who have a reaction is astonishingly tiny actually. It's just they all come out to post on MN threads!

Poison = the smell of dirty knickers.

Musky vileness.

I also hate a scent that used to be called LouLou and it came in a bright blue bottle.

I don't like it when babies or cats smell of someone's perfume after snuggles.

YANBU and you are not being a sensitive sausage.

My work involves getting into very close proximity to people, invading their personal space. I do not wear perfume to work. Rarely wear it at all, and don't have any at the moment.

My nose is sensitive but not very refined I guess, air fresheners and expensive perfumes are as bad as each other. I'd love a ban on them in public transport, theatres, cinemas etc but I know it's unworkable and unreasonable. But I always hope that by posting about the problems it causes maybe someone, somewhere will realise it's more considerate to use a bit less and none at all for enclosed places.

I love a strong perfume too, and I've never come across anyone who's so sensitive to smell that they are sick.

I find it difficult to find a perfume that smells of anything at all these days.