Scents to remember: Your journal is not the only thing that holds your memories.
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I’ve always been pretty good at finding the perfect scent. When I was younger, I promised myself that I’d create my own fragrance one day (I need to start working on that!). The right scent can make you feel powerful, sexy or flirty. I understood at an early age that fragrances were a personality piece. I never wanted to smell like anyone but myself, so I chose scents that fit my mood and expressed my personality. I paid extra attention to layering scents from my body wash right down to my perfume and I would always receive a lot of compliments on how I smelled.
At some point, I became more drawn to scents for the memory factor. Smell is known to have one of the strongest ties to memory. It has the power to evoke the most vivid of nostalgia. It’s no surprise that we connect people and things in our lives with scents: the smell of our favorite childhood dish, the embrace of a lover, and the sweet smell of home away from home. [/column][column size=one_half position=last ]
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[column size=one_half position=last ] Being a traveler at heart, I will take anything that transports me to a distant memory. Scents like Davidoff’s Cool Water and Jean Paul Gaultier’s Classique remind me of my childhood in Ghana while others like Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle remind me of the sense of adventure I felt, the morning I arrived at Paris Fashion Week after spontaneously buying a ticket to Paris two nights before. And it wasn’t just perfume, this tea, for example, reminds me of early mornings in the Fall in France, and when I close my eyes it still feels like I’m sitting at the white table in the kitchen with chickens clucking in the backyard. It gets me every time!
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It’s no doubt that beyond cosmetic purposes, scent can be a pretty powerful keepsake. I have a friend who buys perfume every time she travels somewhere new and uses that scent to remind her of her time there.
Two years ago, my Summer scent was Estee Lauder’s Modern Muse, and that Fall it was Chanel No. 5. I can still strongly connect those scents to the woman I was at the time.
I love marking the actual seasons of the year with scents as well. Although, I believe that the seasons themselves come with their own powerful fragrances: The smell of spice and woods in the fall, the fresh scent of summer, the sweet smell of flowers in the spring and the earthy scent of rain. They are all, on their own, magical notes from Mother Nature.
I’m actually repeating last year’s summer scent this year: I’m using my Hermes’ Eau des Merveilles Bleue again. There’s a breezy, fresh way it makes me feel, and I immediately think of ruffle skirts, taking strolls, and summer crushes… and there’s a chance I want some of those things again. x
“Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains.” — Diane Ackerman
Do you believe in the time traveling power of fragrances?
Whether you are still looking for your perfect scent, something to mark a special occasion or even a gift for a special friend, this a good place to start. Here are some of the most beautiful smells out there that I looove and I highly recommend. Trust me I know! There’s everything from sparkling to zesty to command-the-room bold!
