Sweet-Scented Dandy

Recently, I was sitting in a restaurant with my husband. Our table was not in view of any windows (at least not any whose shades were open), and we were quite far from the door.

"It's raining," I said.

"No, it's not. How can you tell?" he asked.

"I can smell it."

He scoffed at me a little, but got up and walked over to the door. "That's amazing," he said as he came back. "It's raining. How did you know?"

"I told you," I said. "I can smell it." And I could--from inside the building, away from the door, and in addition to the smells of all the food around us. I knew it was raining because rain has that certain rainy smell.

I have an uncannily strong sense of smell. When I am out running or walking my dogs, I can tell when someone (at least if they're smoking) is within a few blocks of us by the smell of cigarette smoke in the vicinity. If my husband has had even one beer while sitting out on the deck with the neighbor, I know when I get home because I can smell it--even if it has been hours since he drank it.

My keen sense of smell has made me particularly sensitive not only to the way others smell (a little weird, I know--but it's true), but also to the way I smell (which is less weird--because we all like to smell nice).

Below are some easy and helpful tips to keep you smelling fresh and sweet.

Clothes
There is an easy and inexpensive way to help your clothes keep that just-washed scent. Simply purchase a box of inexpensive dryer sheets, and, when you fold your laundry, place several of the dryer sheets in your dresser drawer. You can even go so far as to place a fresh dryer sheet between every item of clothing in your dresser drawer. When you travel, you can do the same thing--just put dryer sheets in your luggage.

*Travel note: If you fly and cannot bring your perfume along due to the size of its container (and you do not have a travel size), you can lightly spray some items of your clothing with your perfume before you fold them into your luggage. 

Sheets and Towels
As with your clothes, you can place dryer sheets between all your towels and sheets when you place them in your linen closet. If you have a guest bed that is only sometimes used, you can insert one or two dryer sheets between the bottom sheet and the top sheet. You can also put a dryer sheet inside the pillow cases.

Hair and Body
Instead of spraying perfume onto articles of your clothing (though this is a good tip for traveling--see above), spray it directly onto your skin. Body heat activates the scent.

If you want your hair to smell extra wonderful, you can spray perfume or body spray onto your brush and brush it through your hair. This also helps to minimize the smell of cigarette smoke in your hair if you have been out somewhere where you were exposed to second-hand smoke.

Fast Fitness Tip: Plan your weekly workouts in advance and write them on your calendar or planner. Research shows that we are far more likely to complete tasks we write down than those we do not.