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Flashback Friday…

The other morning, I was listening to the radio while coming in to work. They started talking about the first perfumes and colognes they owned. Maria kept going on about how her first was Exclamation! Their tagline was something like, “Make a statement without saying a word…” It was all hysterically funny – and even more amusing was the fact that out of all the calls they got, only one man decided to call in!

My first perfume was Love’s Baby Soft. I think I even had the body powder too, probably a gift set from Walgreens. Later, I wore Gloria Vanderbilt. My Dad (who is a Walgreens manager) joked about how they got in gift sets that included Gloria Vanderbilt deoderant. What kind of gift is that? “I don’t like how you smell, so here is some perfume and some deoderant too!” In my recent cleaning binges, I threw away the last lingering bottle of Gloria Vanderbilt that I had. Eventually, I moved on to Poison, Passion, and Eternity. All three give me migraines now. These days I wear the Vanilla perfume from the Body Shop. Nice and simple.

Someday, I would love to get my hands on a bottle of Love’s Baby Soft just so I can smell it again. If I remember correctly – it was a nice, light scent. I’m probably wrong though, and it probably smells horrid! Really, who could smell it anyways over the Bonnie Bell Lip Smackers giant lip gloss that we were all wearing? Remember all the wacky flavors?

So … what was your first fragrance? Your initial signature scent? Where did you get it? Was it a gift? Did you do the same thing as one caller the other day and steal it? What’s the story? Tell us all about it…

By Christine

Christine is an Avenger of Sexiness. Her Superpower is helping Hot Mamas grow their Confidence by rediscovering their Beauty. She lives in the Heights in Houston, Texas, works as a boudoir photographer, and writes about running a Business of Awesome. In her spare time, she loves to knit, especially when she travels. She & her husband Mike have a food blog at Spoon & Knife.

103 replies on “Flashback Friday…”

I loved Love’s Baby Soft. “You can try hard – or you can try soft.” Heh, very soft and feminine, perfect for a teen. I moved from there up to Odyssey from Avon. Mmmmm, clean-smelling. I sprayed it on my sweaters. I never liked Sweet Honesty though. Too… cloying. I now am in love with Vanilla Musk. I guess I prefer light scents. I really don’t like the heavy perfume scents that some of the major cosmetic lines have. Ick. Too strong for my taste.

Believe it or not, the first perfume ever gave to me was Prescriptives Calyx. God, how I loved this thing, the greeness of it… the man I fell in love with loved it on me and therefore I loved it all the more. Now, I’m addicted to Armani’s Sensei. Good stuff I tell ya.

My first fragrance was Exclamation! also. I really thought I was Paula-Abdoul-Cool and the bottle was very cute. I recently ran across a store that still sells it. I wonder if they carry Love’s Baby Soft?

Later, I would steal a few dabs of my mothers Gloria Vanderbilt. I got caught one day because I spilled it in the sink. For my next birthday I got the gift set your dad joked about. Nice.

Now I wear Romance by Ralph Lauren. Tommy Girl gives me hives.

Elizabeth Arden’s Sunflowers! Oh god, that was right after my Exclamation! phase. My sister wore Joop! a lot, which made me ill.

I think there was something called Malibu, and later on H2O+ had one that smelled similar, called Mariel. Wore both of those a lot.

My first real long-term scent was 360degrees by Perry Ellis, which I still love (I found a bottle in one of those perfume outlets, and I wear it occasionally now).

I had Love’s Baby Soft, too, but I preferred Charlie. I wore CKone throughout college, and still have an entire bottle somewhere. Currently, I wear either Prescriptives Flirt or White Musk from The Body Shop. Mostly the latter, actually.

i don’t wear perfume – the baby powder or shower fresh scents from my deodorant work just as well.

however, i used to wear Eternity – but it’s too strong now.

sometimes i use the newest Bath & Bodyworks scent of grapefruit-jasmine bodyspray. i love all their products!

i just recently saw Love’s Baby Soft at walgreen’s i think….jr. actually wanted me to buy her some and i just couldn’t bring myself to do it. i can remember BEGGING for that stuff for christmas, along with my red gloria vanderbilts and my yo-yo shoes.

those were the days…. 😉

Oh, I remember wanting Exclamation really, really bad, lol, but never got it. I received Chanel No 5 as a gift (a tiny ass bottle) and I wore that for years. Eventually I bought some CK one and wore that for a little bit. Right now I wear the Addidas sport stuff, very subtle. Of course, I probably only wear it two or three times a month at most, but at least I have it.

Would you believe that I actually searched on Ebay for Debbie Gibson’s “Electric Youth” perfume and seriously considered buying it just so I could smell it again? My sense of smell is so strong that if I smelled something that I haven’t smelled in years, I’m instantly taken back to that moment. I found an old bottle of Tribe (wore that aroung 8th grade) buried in my closet awhile back and I couldn’t stop smelling it because it kept taking me back. I’ve also worn CK One, Sunflowers (I still have a bottle of it!), and now I’m into Tommy Hilfiger Freedom. I think they may have discontinued it though. I’ve been eyeing Ralph Lauren’s Romance recently and I think that I may take the plunge and switch to that.

Speaking of RL Romance, I am OBSESSED with the men’s version of it. A guy friend of mine wears it – I told him to buy it – and whenever I’m hanging out with him, I always have to stand next to him and breathe deeply. Mmmmmm!

My first was Love’s Baby Soft, too. I remember how pretty the ads were and subconsciously thought that I would look as sweet and sexy as the models did if I wore it. Nice try. Also, I used Jean Nate. Remember that stuff? I guess I’m really showing my age here.

I heard that same thing on the radio. I wore Love’s Baby Soft and Jovan Musk or something like that called sex appeal, even though I was too young to even know what sex appeal meant! LOL

Jen, I had some yo-yo shoes too! I even had yo-yo clogs, those are the bomb!

I admit that I wore “Electric Youth”. The perfume novelty wore off for me by the time I was in my late teens, and haven’t really worn any scent since. Maybe it was the allergies that did me in.

I did have a purse-sized spray of Clinque “Happy” that I got from my sister, but once I used it up, I didn’t get any more. I’ve thought of buying it again, though.

OMG! I forgot all about the Love’s Baby Soft. That was my first perfume too. Then I moved on to Exclamation. Then Electric Youth. After that came…are you ready for this? Lady Stetson. What was I thinking??? I can’t stand the smell anymore. Then I moved on to Chloe Narcisse. Now I wear Clinique Happy.

I’m not too big into perfume since it stings my nose if it’s too much.

I was given a Love’s Baby Soft gift set as a gift in a 4th grade present exchange but never wore it. I might still have a bottle it after all these years. My parents got me a bottle, too.

Exclamation was probably the first I wore. One of my best friends had it and would spray it on me when ever we were at her house before we went to school or out to do what other 13-year-olds did at the time.

now i remember, i owned a bottle of Exclamation, too! i think i got it as a birthday present. and i think i still have it at home.

(i’m so not in the mood to work today. that’s why i’m a commenting fool!)

Kathy, I remember that stuff, was it in a roll-on? Kissing Potion from Maybelline. I just looked in some old Teen magazines that I had and there it was!

Remember Jean Nate? I think that was my first perfume and boy did it stink! I moved on to Chloe which was my signature sent. I remember my nephew smelling his pillow and saying “Mmm, this smells like Tia,” because it smelled like Chloe.

I had dozens of perfumes from Colors to Bucheron to Wings. I can’t wear anything anymore because my allergies start acting up and I sneeze and my eyes water like crazy. I love perfume too.

You can still get the Love’s line at Walgreens! I didn’t have Electric Youth cologne but I did wear the lipgloss with the rather cool wand. I wore Apple by the body shop until highschool when I switched to stealing my mom’s Vanilla Fields before splurging on some CK Obsession for Women -the entire set with scented body glitter and everything. 😉

But my first “original” all-me, recognizable perfume was Cherry Vanilla from Walgreens. I found a bottle there recently but it is much too young for me now or I should say much too young for Mike’s tastes. They also made a Mandarin Vanilla that I desperately wanted to try but could never find. Ah, Walgreens you fickle lover.

White Shoulders by Evyan because it was light and the scent was far removed from the heavy Estee Lauder scent of my mother’s generation. After that it was Chanel No. 5 because I wanted to be just like Catherine Deneuve. Hey, it was a really lonnnng time ago.

I wore Love’s Baby Soft, too. I remember it as slightly baby powder smelling. Throughout high school I didn’t have much of a signature scent, but I got very attached to Prescriptives’ Calyx when in college. At some point around then, when I was working over the summers at Cignal in Chicago’s Century Mall, I found out about Clarins Eau Dynamisante. Some guy in a boutique down the street wore it, so I adopted it as my signature scent and still wear it a lot.

But then I found my true signature scent – it seemed to have been created for me. It’s Clarins’ Elysium. I had figured out that greeny perfumes were my best bet, and when I moved to Germany in late 1992, I heard the buzz about this new scent from Clarins. When it came out, I took the train to Paris to find it at the Galleries Lafayette. No dice! With Clarins’ burts of popularity in the US in the late 80s, they decided to market Elysium in the US first. So I had to wait until I went back home at Christmastime to get a bottle. It is definitely my life-long signature scent. If I could afford it, I’d also go for L’Artisanat’s L’Eau de L’Artisan, but that’s WAY too expensive for me. Maybe one day…

Mine was Love’s Baby Soft, too. I bought a bottle at Target awhile back for a little deja vu….it smelled slightly baby powdery, but it was more alkaline (is that the right word?) than I remembered. I get migraines and perfume sets me off — always has — so I go for the light stuff now. My favorite’s Avon’s Tranquil Moments’ mist.

My first perfume, picked out by me and me alone, was Channel 22. It was like the Parisian cousin of Love’s Baby Soft. That and Lauren by Ralph Lauren were my staples throughout high school.

Oh, and Christine? Dr. Pepper Bonne Bell Lip Smackers. Oh yeah.

shhhhh – but I still have Loves Powder in the house! I let my daughter use it now. 🙂 I liked Bendiare (major typo) from JC Penney, and I did use Vanilla from the Bath Shoppe. Now I wear Elige.

i think i started out with something called Emeraude… i don’t even remember who made it. i don’t wear anything now, everything seems to makes me sneeze! especially if it sprays…
was that lip gloss Pot o’ Gloss??
i started using one of those big fat dr. pepper lip smackers in high school and i haven’t been without one since … and i’m 45!
🙂

I remember a girl in my class in elementary school who wore Baby Soft. My boyfriend and I both wore Obsession in early high school, and the smell of it makes me gag now (partly for that reason, partly because people always seem to wear way too much). Possessed by memory lane! I don’t wear anything now, but some of those scents I can still pick out immediately. 🙂

Gawd… y’all are really bringing back the memories now. 😉 I wore Love’s Baby Soft, Jean Nate, and I think White Shoulders (though that last might’ve been my mom’s)… and I’m fairly certain I have a Dr. Pepper lip smacker stashed somewhere around here. Erm, not that I’d wear it now. Really. I wouldn’t. Probably.

Love. This. Topic.

My mom had a bottle of Worth, which I loved. I used to sneak into her room to dab some on from time to time. The first perfume I wore that was my very own was, big surprise, Love’s Baby Soft.

Now, I’m totally addicted to everything LUSH… their Silky Underwear dusting powder is the most divine scent. Drives my guy wild, and I’ve even been complimented by people on the street who say how good it smells!

OMG! Exclamation?!!!! I remember buying a tiny little bottle of it because the sample smelled good. But after regular use – ECK. It wore out pretty fast.

My first fragrance EVER was Jean Nate body splash. – Remember those commercials? People splashing hideous amount of it all over themselves? Jean Nate, Jean Nate! “Splash!” “Splash!”

My favorite scent in grade school and Jr. High was a version of Love’s Baby Soft called “Rain.” – Anyone remember it? It came in a Christmas sampler of all the Love’s Baby Soft perfumes, and I got hooked on it.

But my “signature scent” all through high school was good old Liz Claiborne (in the triangle bottles)! I still get nostalgic for it, actually.

And I TOTALLY remember Anais Anais. It’s still around…still smells nice too!

I’ve never worn anything but Beautiful by Estee Lauder. And I didn’t wear that until I was like 25. I hardly ever wear perfume or any scent at all. I have allergies like crazy, ya know.

I used to wear Love’s Baby Soft, too! It was my first perfume also, and since then, I’ve moved on to a huge assortment of other perfumes…I usually wear a different one every day, which sounds weird, but I can’t wear the same one for too long of a stretch. I get too bored.

Hey, I’m weird like that. ;oP

Taking the stroll down memory lane is so much fun. 🙂 I started out wearing Love’s Baby soft and then I moved on to the Electric Youth, Did you know that they still sell Electric Youth? Revlon has it out, I seen it not to long ago when I was out shopping, I almost bought some just for the heck of it.

A lady called Chrisitina said Elysium by Clarins is her scent for life. It was mine too but it’s been discontinued here in Europe – is it still available in the States? I’d kill for a bottle.

I love, love, LOVE Love’s baby soft!!!
My favorite version is Soft Petals, ya know the light purple bottle? Sheesh, those were great… I remember those commercials!!! I’ve looked all over the place to find some Love’s perfume!
Thanks, everybody! I’ll try Walgreen’s!

I love Loves Baby Soft! It was my first perfume. I am now in my late “20’s” and still were it. It does not give me headaches and I always get nice comments on the smell. I am now surfing the internet to see who sells it, because I pay $15 for a bottle at Happy Harry’s (It get’s higher every year!) I love this perfume so much I am willing to buy in bunk!!!

I am in the midst of a search for Friday aerosol spray! It was this awesome body spray that smelled soooo good. I just found a place that sells Love’s Fresh Lemon, too. These are both pre-teen favorites of mine. I did time with Exclamation, Joop, Vanilla Musk/Fields, Ici, Jovan White Musk oil, patchouli…now I’m too fine for that stuff, and I use essential oils. There’s one called Rain by escential elements if the Love’s Rain misser is interested. It smells yummy. Vanilla extract also makes a good perfume.

I did not start using Electric Youth by Debbie Gibson until I was in my late 20’s. I got compliments every time I wore this cologne but must admit I was a bit embarrased to tell anyone I was wearing Electric Youth by Debbie Gibson! I still like it though 20 years later!

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