Scent of a Woman: Finding Your Signature Fragrance

The nominations for the FiFi Awards and the announcement of Marc Jacobs newest line of fragrances got me thinkin'...will I ever find my perfect signature scent?

Finding your signature scent, from what I hear, is a little like finding true love. Once you've found it, you don't wander around Sephora any more, spraying little bits of paper and sticking them in your purse. Never again do you open up a sample page in a magazine and breathe deep, hoping you'll be captivated. You've found "the one."

You spend all your early adolescence splashing Cucumber Melon Bath & Body Works Spray on your gangly frame--maybe occasionally stealing a spray of your mom's Beautiful by Estee Lauder. One day, your junior prom date gifts you with Tommy Girl perfume. You sport that for a while, but you know you're not going to settle down with it.

Maybe in college you experiment with a few fragrances. You try your roommate's Allure by Chanel, you stumble upon a sample of Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue and you squeeze as many wears as possible from that. Maybe you even try ck one.

But your signature scent eludes you.

One day, when you least expect it, you're at a department store counter, and boom, someone offers you a spritz of Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely to try. Or maybe it's something from Jo Malone that finally captures your heart. Whatever it is, you put it on, and instantly you know "this is my scent."

Now, I have never had this rapturous signature scent experience, but I know many women have. After loving the Tobacco Flower perfume from The Body Shop as a teenager, I tried Fresh Cannabis Rose. While I love the way the notes of rose and chocolate play with the earthiness, I hated telling people on an elevator who inquired what "that lovely scent is."

"Cannabis Rose," I'd reply. I might as well be wearing a hemp necklace.

So how do you find your signature scent? Like the quest for "The One," you might have to go on a lot of blind dates. With the aforementioned announcement of the new Marc Jacobs Splash Patisserie Collection and the nominations for the FiFi Awards happening this week, it seems like a great time to start looking.

In case you need to be "set up," try In Bloom by Reese Witherspoon from Avon. It's a super wearable peachy, fresh, floral scent--and fessing up to wearing a scent called "In Bloom" shouldn't be too painful. Plus the price is very nice.

Girl, I just know your perfect scent is out there waiting for you. And mine, too. In the meantime, I'll just enjoy using Tendre Poison at night, Cannabis Rose in the day and Coco Mademoiselle on weekends. For more perfume reviews, check out Now Smell This, a great perfume review blog.

Already found your signature scent? Spill it in the comments below.

Annie Mebane is a screenwriter and improviser living in Los Angeles. A veteran Savings.com DealPro and beauty product aficionado, you can catch her blogging about beauty on Wednesdays.