Boudoir Vivienne Westwood 1998 Eau de Parfum

This is for the woman who is extremely aware of her sexual power and she can choose whether to flaunt it or downplay it, but it can never be hidden completely. I first discovered this scent a few years ago and my initial reaction was that it was too heavy, too floral, too powdery, too musky, just...too much for a little thing like me. But I decided to use up the sample I had because somehow it still intrigued me. I took to wearing it, as the name suggests, around my bedroom in the evening. It was my silky pajama time fem fem luxury fragrance!

I soon discovered the extremely aphrodisiac powers Boudoir possessed. I believe that my child was conceived while I was wearing this. It does have that sense memory anyway, of rutting in the sheets with a lover, your body smells mingling with your perfume, perhaps a trace of tobacco from your lover's lips. There is the essence of sitting nude at a dressing table scattered with powders and lotions, pulling open an old wooden dresser drawer full of frilly lingerie. In the drawer is a bar of unwrapped carnation soap, used to scent the clothes and keep moths away.

I always have thought of this as an "around the house only" scent because of the fleshy sexual nature. It seemed too powerful and suggestive for a trip to the store. However, today I tried an experiment and wore it to work. Go sparingly! I applied one drop on my torso and one at the nape of my neck. It lasted all day on my skin which is a rare perfume for me. Applied this lightly, it was not overly sexual at all. It was feminine and soft, slightly retro and a bit motherly. What a versatile fragrance. The bottle is one of my favorites as well. So royal.