Item 23: An ancient bottle of Shalimar Perfume

I bought this bottle perfume years ago—no decades ago—when I really could not afford it. I doubt It’s really perfume, more like Eau de Cologne or some similar cheap cousin. The description would have read something like “Shalimar by Guerlain is a legendary classic French perfume. Night blooming flowers, vanilla and mysterious musks are perfectly balanced in this sensual perfume that creates instant and lasting intrigue.” Sounds pretty good, and I’m sure at 22 I thought a little intrique would rock my world.

I just loved the smell, and I did find a guilty pleasure in buying something that was financially outside my reach. It felt ever so slightly naughty, and very grown up.

But in reality I’m not a perfume wearing kind of gal, and as time went on I started to know more and more people who are sensitive to chemical smells including perfumes. So I stopped wearing it and banished it to the top shelf of the medicine cabinet. It survived five moves and thirty years and several presidents. It is so old that that the spray pump is kind of rusty and the blue flowers on the case are faded. But it still has a little smell and I happily gave it to a friend who does still wear perfume. It reminds her of a much-loved friend of her Mother’s . It makes her happy and I’m happy for the space in the medicine cabinet.

Day 19: Cute Little Shoes

These are cute and from a time when my feet, back and legs were younger. My feet just get tired looking at them.

Day 15: Hair Glop That Doesn’t Work

I’ve kicked this particular tube of hair glop around for several years.  It didn’t work for my sister and she gave it to me with instructions to toss it or pass it on if it didn’t work for me.

It is a total failure at controlling or improving my hair in any way.  I mean TOTAL.  It makes my hair look kind of like really tired straw.   Actually tired straw would be an improvement, at least straw was living at some point.

But I keep trying it, and I keep moving it from one shelf of the medicine cabinet to another.  My medicine cabinet and gym bag are  full of junk like this–stuff I keep in case  I run out or in case my hair does a 180 degree turn around and previously rejected hair products suddenly make me look like a hair godess. Not gonna happen!

At the YMCA where I swim there is a “free table.”  People bring in their rejects for someone else to try.  I’ll bring this in and see if it produces any godesses.

If I was really brave  I’d include a photo of me showing this hair product in action.  I’ll think I’ll pass on that!