Dirty like X-tina, or perhaps Marilyn Monroe…

I’ve got a tiny confession -I find people’s body odors interesting. Not unhealthy, or haven’t-showered-in-a-week type odors, but the smell you might have after an afternoon of yard work or a long night at the club. There have always been scents that hinted at dirtiness, but lately it’s become a bit more acceptable to just come right out and say it. Chandler Burr’s latest article explores three scents with a more realistic approach. I’m glad someone else besides me thinks that Victoria’s Secret – and their ‘Very Sexy’ perfume, shower gel, and so on – is the farthest thing from really sexy.

I tried Agent Provocateur when it was first released, and I liked it for the same reasons – ripe fruits and a little bit of clean sweat. The difference between this scent and Very Sexy is like the difference between Marilyn Monroe and Anna Nicole Smith. Neither of them was a natural beauty – both bottle blondes – and both had very troubled lives behind the scenes. The difference is that Marilyn’s perfect on-screen personality fooled almost everyone, attracted playwrights, baseball stars and presidents, while ANS barely managed to get one octogenarian geezer around her finger long enough for him to change his will, and when she died earlier this year, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who was surprised.

I’ve only a fleeting memory of Autre – I found it to be a dustier, drier version of Serge Lutens Arabie. But with Mr. Burr’s interpretation fresh in my mind, I’m on a mission to re-test.

I also loved his mention of the term ‘whore’s bath’ (around here we refer to it as an Elvis Bath).

I tend to find scents with coffee notes in them ‘dirty’ smelling. Especially Jo Malone’s Black Vetyver Cafe. What are some scents that you love that are dirty, and yet attractive because of their raunchiness?