Do perfumes have expiration dates stamped on them like food does? I know that there are ways you can store the scent to prolong its shelf life, or preserve the scent within that expiration date period. I've heard keeping that storing it in the original box so it's not exposed to light helps, and keeping it in a cool, dry place (not your bathroom). My grandmother used to store her perfume in the box in the refrigerator, but she had the pure, oil based perfume and not the alcohol based perfumes that are more popular now. I'm not sure if there's a difference in storage then.
Nicole, I know exactly what you mean! I think the biggest thing with older ladies wearing perfume is that they choose the more "classic" scents--Chanel No. 5, etc, and those scents are really heavy to begin with. Then, as we age, our sense of smell deteriorates, and so they don't realize that they are literally dousing themselves in the stuff, because they can't smell it the way the rest of us do. I get headaches when I pass a lady wearing perfume this way on the street or at the grocery store.
