Three years after our last round of Filibuster Fragrances, courtesy of then-Senator Wendy Davis, yesterday’s Senate filibuster gives us another chance to brainstorm! Which fragrance would you choose to carry you through a filibuster?
Lasting power is obviously a major consideration (the longest filibuster on record was over 24 hours). So maybe a powerhouse like Angel or Aromatics Elixir? Would you opt for something with energizing notes, like coffee (Jo Malone Black Vetyver Cafe, L’Artisan Parfumeur Noir Exquis) or yerba maté (Annick Goutal Duel, Project Renegades Geza Schoen)? You could even keep it topical with some Juliette Has A Gun. Me, I think I’d go for something like Chanel Cristalle, a green chypre with lots of backbone. Might be a little too fleeting, though.
As always, please chime in regardless of your stance on the bill under debate. Disrespectful comments of any nature toward other commenters will be severely side-eyed.
SCENTS OF SELF 
Juliette Has a Gun would really stand up. I rarely wear any of those any longer because I feel like the fragrance permeates everything for days after. On the topic at hand, there seriously needs to be some better gun laws in place. I like to cite how my spouse came into possession of an AR-15 which remains locked away, without the firing pin, and no ammo on site, and is only ever rarely fired at the range. He won it. While at a range with a friend. He filled out a little card, and a week later they called him informing him of his win. And he went and picked it up. Virginia, the land of lax gun laws. Now, you’ve met Alex, he’s a lovely, law abiding, rational, mentally stable attorney who is adamantly against firearms being used anywhere outside of a firing range or a war-zone, but the fact remains that he was able to acquire an AR-15 that easily. He had to jump through more hoops to buy me medication when I had the flu. And that’s madness.
So THAT’S where he got it! I know that my mom, whose allergy medication seems to have more restrictions every time she goes to the pharmacy, would definitely agree with your last point.
I’ll preface this by saying that almost every scent lasts for a full workday on me. One little spritz of Eris Ma Bete easily lasted 24 hours (thus REALLY driving home the point that I hadn’t showered and washed it off yet).
If I were standing up in front of Congress, though? I think I might actually wear something like Nirvana Black: not sweet, not whimsical, and nothing offensive about it. It’s one of my defaults when I can’t scrape together any enthusiasm or joy for my perfume or my day. That may not sound like a ringing endorsement, but that’s a really vital category sometimes!
And Nirvana Black so conveniently comes in travel sprays, for any necessary mid-filibustering refreshing!
Kouros is the perfect scent for a long haul
filibuster. Members of Congress should be “sweating bullets” together, and it will obviate the need to leave to shower!
Kouros would make for one sultry Senate! 😉
I would wear Aromatics Elixir — I can still smell it after 24 hours (at least the drydown). It is extraordinarily beautiful from a distance and could overwhelm the opposition (in Canada, formally named Her Majesty’s Official Opposition). I, on the other hand, don’t have the stamina to stand for 15 hours, let alone 24!!
Lest anyone in Canada get too smug about our gun control, AR-15s are available in Canada, though a significant references check is done by the police. Currently, there is a lobby to make them unrestricted as the semi-automatic is a “terrific hunting gun” (if you believe in shooting fish — or people — in a barrel).
It is sad to realize that after Sandy Hook any country would support semi-automatic weapons for personal use.
I would consider, instead, using repeated sprays of Cristalle as a pick-me-up during the filibuster. 🙂
All shall fall before Aromatics Elixir! We’ll smell you all the way down here, in the best possible way! 😉 Thank you for keeping us updated on the current state of things in Canada- I hope things stay safe and sane for you.
I think that I would pick a Tom Ford fragrance because it would make me feel powerful and I’m control. I would choose either Santal Blush or Jasmin Rouge. Both powerhouses in my book.
I would definitely yield the floor to Jasmin Rouge!
I’d go with either of the two scents that I like to use when travelling long distances – Heeley’s Verveine d’Eugène or Ormande Jayne Champaca. Both for some reason don’t annoy me over the long haul. I have a lot of loves, but most don’t stand up to the closeness that you experience when you’re with a scent for 8 hours or more with not much else going on. And both of them have a certain strength of character to them, while being calming at the same time.
I need to try that Heeley again! A verbena that can last for the long haul is pretty remarkable.
Ari! LOL You crazy perfume lover!
Out here on the west coast – the hinterland – these government events (to me) seem more like animated features (with lots of cartoon characters) than anything related to reality. But what about the filibuster? I’m such a spoiler and certainly not up for hours and possibly days of rhetoric and repetition. I would send everyone home immediately by clearing the room, using a generous combination of vintage Tabu, Youth Dew and JHaG Gentlewoman. Just imagining the effect of this”blend” is like running a screechy, stinky nail over my olfactory chalkboard. Sometimes it takes a shock to get people moving! If this perfume melange did not vacate the chamber I’d opt for crushed garlic and hot peppers. This combination does a fair job repelling deer and certain vermin.
Azar xx
Hey there Ari,
For my filibustering fragrance I would layer Amouage Dia lotion, extrait and EdP. That should clear the floor.
Reading the news from the USA becomes more terrifying every day. I wish you all sanity and strict gun control.
Portia xx