Andrea Brillantes collects perfume despite having no sense of smell
NEW YORK — Young actress Andrea Brillantes recently opened up about her rare condition called congenital anosmia, which means she was born with no sense of smell.
"Ipinanganak akong walang sense of smell, pero siyempre concerned pa rin ako sa maaamoy sa'kin ng mga tao bilang isang artista," Andrea shared in a vlog on her YouTube channel.
The 18-year-old actress has been open about her condition in a few interviews and on her personal social media accounts. Currently, there is no known cause or cure for her condition. But this does not stop her from collecting perfumes.
In an interview, Andrea revealed that even if she doesn't have a sense of smell, she usually opts for sweet scents when buying perfume or candles.
"Gusto ko ng honey, milk, 'di ko alam kung anong amoy ng warm vanilla pero sabi nila matamis daw 'yun so parang ganoon. Gusto ko lang 'yung parang niyayakap ka ng chocolate. Sweet but warm," she explained.
Congenital anosmia can also impact one's sense of taste. Andrea shared that her lack of sense of smell makes her prefer eating very flavorful food.
"Feeling ko kaya po ako mahilig sa malasa, kaya ako masagana kumain, mahilig ako sa fatty food, sa matatamis, baka kulang 'yung panlasa ko," she admitted.
The young star also shared she can only actually "smell" one thing: rubbing alcohol. She said that it gives her the sensation of a smell, but only in high concentrations.
