Have you ever met a Nose?

Sometimes, on Sunday, C smells like Chanel #5. When he does, I know exactly which woman has been holding him after church. I never had a scent that permeated my clothing so strongly that it left an impression on the people I hugged in church. I had always been more of a Bath and Body Works body spray kind of girl. In college, I wore their raspberry scent. After I got married, I switched to Cotton Blossom (about as non-perfumy of a scent one can wear.) When I travel to Asia, I wear Jasmine.

The most genuine perfume experience I've ever had was in the south of France in the mid-1990's. Yes, I was still a teenager. I went to a permufery, met a Nose-a person everyone should meet in his or her lifetime-and chose a scent to purchase as a souvenir from among hundreds made at this perfumery. The one I chose? Anais Anais. It's delicate, and I only wore it on special occasions, like prom. I remember spraying and sniffing those perfumes in France, thinking how grown up I felt, watching all the fancily and fashionably clad European women around me choose scents with ease. They could spray themselves generously and walk around without thinking, "Can you smell me? Did I put on too much?"

I've never been fond of standing out; I guess I never wanted to be smelled either.

That said, I love it when I hold C close and can detect which woman has been holding him by what perfumes are lingering on his skin. One Sunday I realized that I saw those women as, well, women. I was a yet a girl in my mind-still in the age of body sprays, not mature enough for real toilet water. Then, I remembered I'm turning 30 this year (something I try hard NOT to remember...). Surely, 30 is old enough to claim a scent. Not a body spray, but a real womanly perfume.

Alexis and I found out the hard way last month that sampling all of the possible perfumes in a store can leave you with a massive migraine, especially for those of us barely emerging out of the body spray age. Approach this daunting task of discovering your scent with caution. Take it no more than five at a time.

After a few visits, and a few headaches, I found one: White Diamonds.

It's not delicate. It's sweet. It lingers on the skin of people I hug. And yes, I wonder, "can they smell me?" when I put it on. I almost went with Sara Jessica Parker's, but it's very light and fleeting. That would have been too easy; I wanted something bold.

I've worn it a few times, not just on special occasions, and I like it. It makes me feel grown up like I did sitting at my grandma's vanity putting on her make-up when I was a little girl. I think that's why I chose White Diamonds from the hundreds of available scents; it reminds me of my grandma. I don't know if that's what she wore or not, but it smells elegant, regal and wise-all things she was.

So, are you still in the age of Body Sprays or have you claimed a perfume for your vanity? What's your scent?