When I was 17-18 (almost a decade ago now), I longed for a signature perfume, having only worn scents that my mother left on her makeup table until then. Back then, I bought Olympea without much thought. Motivation: the date I was going to wore Invictus. :)
Olympea is a beautiful scent, no question about it, but from today's perspective, there are few fragrances that would suit me less. Even without much knowledge about perfume, I knew that back then, and after a while, I looked at the testers that came with my Olympea order, and there he was: Toni!
Knowing full well that many good fragrances didn't fit into my budget back then - Olympea itself was already an investment! - I didn't pay much attention to Toni until I found him at dm for an absolutely affordable price. Safe to say - Toni came home with me that day. :))
Since then, I buy him again and again. The situation of having an empty bottle at home was not allowed to happen. At some point, it did happen, and of course, I ran to dm to restock, only to find nothing! He was also no longer available online. In my panic, I wrote an email to Toni Gard (I know, I know...). Although I didn't receive a response, I'm not angry with them today, as my favorite is available again. :) Even in an even more intense, beautiful version that is significantly stronger in longevity than Toni: Toni Iconic.
Few people know, especially in young adulthood or as teenagers, who they are, where they belong, and how things will go on, but Toni already gave me a certain sense of identity back then. As if the perfume chose me, not the other way around. When I left the house, a part of my self was missing until I applied it.
I am currently on the go, so Toni is sitting with an AnOther13 tester that I picked up from the Le Labo store in Berlin, my makeup essentials, and some labeled scent strips in my cosmetic bag. If it weren't for Toni, I would have never created this account, wouldn't be enchanted by fragrances today, would have never become interested in knowing what sillage means or what a synthetic scent is. I wouldn't be searching for a perfumery in every city just to check off my wish list, and I wouldn't have ended up in Le Labo Berlin to decide on my next birthday gift if Toni hadn't been standing as a tester at my door.
Toni has indeed become my signature perfume. If I leave my scarf somewhere, I often get the message "you forgot something with me. It smells like you!". Whether I choose AnOther13, Scarlet Poppy, I Don't Know What, or Side Effect in the future remains to be seen. As long as Toni (or Toni Iconic!) is available, he will always be my go-to scent.
Apologies for the potential kitsch/pathos. Also, excuse the lack of associations and technical terms, as one finds in the best Parfumo reviews; I still lack that knowledge. The review is meant to be an ode to all the favorite perfumes in the world. The right scents highlight the epithets of the wearer, and one thing I am sure of: We do not find our signature perfume ourselves; it finds us.
