Support Your Local Swapmeeet!

I am out of perfume. That is a huge accomplishment for me because I don’t ‘run’ out of anything. Last year I looked at my fragrance shelf and thought, “My, I have a lot of fragrances.” I don’t want you to think me excessive, but if you did, I couldn’t dispute that.

Anyway… Since I only smell like the scented shea butter, I decided to go get some more perfume. I have some essential oils that I could mix, but I have no medium to dissolve it in. I dissolve EO’s in vodka This joker came through and drank everything that I have. And I keep a stocked bar! At least I did. The nigga promised that he was gonna replace what he drank. But after a year, I suppose he’s not gonna keep his word. Plus that would take at least 2 weeks for the scent to develop in vodka. So…. I went off to the hood Beauty Supply Store.

Why a hood BSS and not Sally’s? Because hood stores have hood needs. And I wanted oils. Not oils that smell like popular blends like Dior, Glow and White Linen. Nope. I wanted, Black Love, Butt Naked and Lick Me All Over. And that’s what I got. I purchased some China and Egyptian Musk for the toiletry mixes and some, for real this is the name… “Pussy”… to wear on a daily basis. Already I have gotten compliments on how I smell. SMH. And I’m not one of those people who tell everything about themselves. I’m not gonna tell where and how much I paid for something.

But that got me thinking. Why is it when we get a few quarters to rub together, we leave the hood? I know that the hood is NOT known for quality but the neither is the mall. The same polyester clothes that hang on the racks of hood shops hang in Neiman Marcus. The name in the collar is different is all. And Manolos are a rip off! They run smaller and the heel is not sturdy. Try running down a bus in one of them jokers. I know this from experience. But them plastic platforms aren’t any better for you. Because when they break, and they will, it is cheaper to buy a new pair than to have them repaired.

Another good thing about hood shopping is it usually done in cash. That keeps you honest about your finances. And one learns to deal in Equality with your own people. I like that. I have been feeling a little cut off nowadays.

So. What does this mean for Serenity? It means that my jump off will be the hood and I’ll move up in price as my needs require. That is until I start looking like a full bloom hoochie. Then the upscale retail therapy will have to take precedence.


Peace