A Wren Says

When my bottle of Miutine arrived in the mail, it smelled amazing. And by it, I mean the box, because at some point in the shipping process the glass bottle had shattered. I went in to Sephora to exchange for an intact bottle and tried again. I first tried this fragrance from Miu Miu in store. I thought it smelled nice, and a friend complimented the scent on me. I figured it was worth it to give it a longer trial. My hopes were high as I started my wear test.

This time when I sprayed it on myself, something was off. It smelled slightly sweet and fruity, but it felt overwhelming on first spray. I regretted it each time. And then there was something about the notes, something that I just didn’t like. And then I had to recognize the context. I had started to get sick. My nose, being assaulted by the microbes (or virus) was no longer up to the task. My respiratory system was fighting so hard already that fragrance was just overwhelming it. And yet I kept trying the fragrance.

I thought maybe I should postpone this review. Afterall, I didn’t give it a fair chance. But I’m writing it anyway as a quick reminder that all of this matters. Your sense of smell is going to be affected by your level of illness. It is, of course, no surprise that a stuffy nose will affect your ability to smell, but even inflammation can affect it. And you might smell different when you’re ill as your body chemistry changes. You might not like your fragrance because it’s interacting with a new scent from you than before.

So if you are testing out a new fragrance and you have a little tickle in your throat, are feeling sneezy, or are just dealing with some form of malaise, be critical of your opinion on the scent. Give it another chance once you start to feel better. Healthy you might like it even more. Maybe I’ll like Miutine more in a week or two.