A woman who used perfume to protect herself from racist bullies as a child is now addicted to expensive scents – and has spent in excess of £20,000 on fragrance.
As the only black girl in her school Shade Selema, 36, from Manchester, would spray her mum’s perfume to stop the other kids from calling her ‘stink bomb.’
But what started as armour has now become a full-on passion with Shade loving fragrance so much she even wears it to bed – and can spend up to £4,000 on perfume in a month.
The IT worker told how she wears different perfumes to fit her mood, and will mix them up to create her own unique scents while always planning which one she’ll wear the night before.
Shade Selema (pictured), 36, from Manchester, is a self-confessed perfume addict, and can spend up to £4,000 on perfume in a month
Shade, who lives with her husband Bereton Selema, 38, told how she used fragrance to protect herself from racist bullies would would call her ‘stink bomb.’ Pictured, with some bottles from her collection
Shade, who lives with her husband Bereton Selema, 38, said: ‘When I was seven my family moved from Nigeria to Brunei where I went to an English/Dutch school.
‘As the only black girl there I was cruelly bullied and called names, mainly telling me I smelled – which of course I didn’t.
‘But I didn’t want to stand out and I wanted to make sure I smelled nice so by the time I was ten I was squirting my mum’s perfume.’
Shade told how she began a life-long perfume past-time which means she is now an expert in the history and chemistry of perfume.
It is not unusual for the IT worker to spend up to £300 per bottle. Pictured, with a bottle of Givenchy fragrance retailing at £128
Shade (pictured) will mix up perfumes to create her own unique scents and decants her own from her compilation to create whole new fragrances
She will think nothing of spending a couple of hours every night watching YouTube videos on perfume reviews and will spend even more hours in perfume departments of stores.
She is familiar with the scents of each ingredient, rose being her favourite, and can even envisage what a fragrance will smell like before she opens a bottle.
But Shade’s exquisite taste was not always this refined, as her first passion with perfume was men’s aftershave, now more normally associated with granddads.
‘When I was young, I couldn’t afford perfume, so I started wearing whatever my mum had,’ she explained. ‘By the time I was 14 and I was buying my own and I would buy Brut. I loved the smell.’
Retailing at around £3 for 100ml, the fragrance described as being ‘prized for its distinguished blend of spices, citrus and woody scents’, it is a far cry from the £300 a bottle she is known to spend nowadays.’
Shade has a collection of both vintage and new fragrances that compliment and suit every mood and often gifts her perfumes
Shade is a big fan of fragrance from Dior and Chanel, but is no scent snob, and has perfumes from high street shops Body Shop and Lush
And although Shade does believe more expensive scents are worth their money due to their blend and ingredients, she is no scent snob, and has perfumes from high street shops Body Shop and Lush in her repertoire.
Shade, who is a big fan of Dior and Chanel, has refined her collection down to a cool 350 bottles, which she keeps in their own cabinet in her bedroom so they don’t evaporate.
She has a collection of both vintage and new fragrances that compliment and suit every mood.
She often gifts her perfumes and decants her own from her compilation to create whole new fragrances – and she quite often has the shower gels and body lotion to match to go for the full compliment.
‘The sense of smell is such a strong one, it evokes memory and feelings,’ she explained. ‘I love it so much.’
‘From something that was so bad in my childhood, I have developed something good. Some people love handbags or shoes, for me it is perfume.
‘Luckily, my husband is understanding – he has his hobby, he loves photography – so we both have something we love.
Shade has spent in excess of £20,000 on fragrance. She is pictured holding a bottle of Scandal Pour Femme Parfum by Roja (right) for £375.00
Shade has refined her collection down to a cool 350 bottles, which she keeps in their own cabinet in her bedroom so they don’t evaporate (pictured)
‘I keep him happy by also buying him cologne, and he knows what I will live if he wants to treat me.’
Shade is definitely a glass half-full person, and thinks perfume helps her positive attitude.
‘I will buy a new fragrance in the airport when I go on holiday so that when I smell the smell I am transported back to good times,’ she explained. ‘I wore Jean Paul Gautier on our wedding day and Davidoff Cool Water when I graduated.’
‘All these amazing smells I associate with great times in my life and when you walk down the street and have wafts of these when you walk down the street it is lovely.’
Shade says you should wear perfume on pulse points, where veins sit closer to the skin to create heat and emit more fragrance, but also on points where part of the body rub together emanate yet more scent.
‘I will put perfume behind my ears, on my neck, chest, on the inside of my elbows and behind my knees and always have a quick mist of my clothes,’ explained Shade.
‘But you should always be aware that some perfumes are stronger than others, so you can’t always use this much – you don’t want to choke anybody out.’
Although Shade does have her favourite perfumes, she says she’s never ran out of a bottle – because she has so may to choose from and mix and match.