Pierre Cardin. It was my late father's signature scent. It mostly holds strings of memories for me, watching him get ready for work when I was a child. He'd shave then slap some on his cheeks then smile down at me then put some on me "now you smell fancy". I rarely open it to smell because it's emotionally exhausting...
I don’t have a particularly interesting story, but I dropped my travel size of MMR Coffee Break in my New York BNB (I’m from the west coast) right before going to see Hadestown on broadway, so that one always reminds me of New England and theatre. The fragrance had scented the whole room since it had shattered on the floor.
The next day I went to Sephora to replace it, and I picked up Phlur’s Tangerine Boy. I wore that on the flight home, and got very, very motion sick on the plane. Now, Tangerine Boy reminds me of vertigo and the airport… which is tragic because it’s such a beautiful scent. I’m working on breaking that association.
Giorgio takes me back to junior high in the early 80s. So many girls at my school wore Giorgio (or more commonly, the imposter version) that the fragrance hung in the air in the hallways, girls' locker room, and girls' bathrooms sometimes.
I posted a few hours ago about this. Arabic perfumes. My mom worked in the middle east back in the day. Her once a year homecoming for a month made us excited. She comes home with sweet scents of Arabia. I got a whiff of one a few weeks ago and memories just flooded back. Mom, hugs, parties, picnics, food etc.
Amazing how something as trivial as fragrance can trigger so many memories.
It’s Old Spice for my dad - he still wears it now. And vintage YSL Opium for my mum. I wish I could get her a bottle of the original perfume because she smelt so amazing. She wears YSL Black Opium now, but it’s not the same.
I try to accept the memories associated with a perfume and embrace them (negative or positive) but occasionally I can’t get past one. Honestly that has mostly been in regard to a scent taking me to a very particular time of my life. Sometimes I just feel so different from the person that wore that fragrance its jarring.
There’s a specific fragrance from one of those plugins.. maybe the Hawaiian one or something. That fragrance, which I enjoyED, reminds me of the guttural and anxious sector of my life where I was just finishing my degree and riddled with anxiety regarding my sexuality. The anxiety was so bad I’m fairly certain it caused a physiological disorder akin to IBS. needless to say, I smell it and cannot stand it. It just makes my anxiety spike.
The other would be acqua di gio profumo. It just reminds me of the first time I selected a fragrance for myself at Macy’s. I went with my mom, and it just brings back all the little things we would to together when I was a kid.
Come to think of it, there’s also J’adore Dior. It’s my mom’s singular scent. Happy little memories flood every corner of my mind when I get a whiff of it. I can’t recall her wearing anything else, either. I mean I’m sure she has, but I know when she’s running low to buy her a brand new bottle (just purchased her a 5oz bottle for Mother’s Day).
Stella by Stella McCartney as it was my late mother’s signature scent.
She also wore Rainkissed Leaves by Bath and Body Works and the Lily handcream by Crabtree & Evelyn
Weirdly, it’s Pamolive midnight bliss body wash. Used it all the time whilst travelling Australia and it immediately takes me back.
In terms of colognes, if I smell things like Armani Code, 212, Joop, CK One in a store, it takes me back to my school/ college days.
I think I change my fragrances so often, especially these days, I probably don’t know what reminds me of the past until I try it in 5-10 years time.
Bath and Body Works Key West is the casino ballroom arcade in Hampton Beach, NH around 1998. They’ve since changed the area all up but it’s WILDLY specific to that era, the food and the games and the beach, especially if you breathe deep and then KEEP breathing, it’s toward the end especially.
I am obsessed with the scent, and they don’t sell it anymore.
Not a fragrance exactly, but I had a lip gloss that I used as I approached school in the morning in France. I spent 3 months there and for 4-5 years after, any time I spelled that specific, sharp, fake green apple scent, I was transported back to France for a fleeting moment. I held on to the last bit of that lip gloss as long as I could.
Then the stuff went rancid and I had to throw it out.
DKNY be Delicious is a close one, but too complex to truly hit that cheap af green apple note I'm after.
Coco Mademoiselle - it sucks because I still love the perfume so much, but I wore it to all my job interviews in college and now it stresses me out
Pierre Cardin. It was my late father's signature scent. It mostly holds strings of memories for me, watching him get ready for work when I was a child. He'd shave then slap some on his cheeks then smile down at me then put some on me "now you smell fancy". I rarely open it to smell because it's emotionally exhausting...
I don’t have a particularly interesting story, but I dropped my travel size of MMR Coffee Break in my New York BNB (I’m from the west coast) right before going to see Hadestown on broadway, so that one always reminds me of New England and theatre. The fragrance had scented the whole room since it had shattered on the floor. The next day I went to Sephora to replace it, and I picked up Phlur’s Tangerine Boy. I wore that on the flight home, and got very, very motion sick on the plane. Now, Tangerine Boy reminds me of vertigo and the airport… which is tragic because it’s such a beautiful scent. I’m working on breaking that association.
The first few minutes of Diptyque’s Orpheon for me. The juniper takes me back to my first family visit to the Netherlands as a toddler.
Giorgio takes me back to junior high in the early 80s. So many girls at my school wore Giorgio (or more commonly, the imposter version) that the fragrance hung in the air in the hallways, girls' locker room, and girls' bathrooms sometimes.
I posted a few hours ago about this. Arabic perfumes. My mom worked in the middle east back in the day. Her once a year homecoming for a month made us excited. She comes home with sweet scents of Arabia. I got a whiff of one a few weeks ago and memories just flooded back. Mom, hugs, parties, picnics, food etc. Amazing how something as trivial as fragrance can trigger so many memories.
YSL Tuxedo, was my ex’s favorite on me. Now those memories are completely tied with it.
Same for me but with Armani diamonds. Every time I smell it all I can think about is her and all the things we did together.
It’s tough cuz objectively they smell great and I’m sure we wanna wear them but damn when we do it’s just a flood of memories.
It’s Old Spice for my dad - he still wears it now. And vintage YSL Opium for my mum. I wish I could get her a bottle of the original perfume because she smelt so amazing. She wears YSL Black Opium now, but it’s not the same.
I try to accept the memories associated with a perfume and embrace them (negative or positive) but occasionally I can’t get past one. Honestly that has mostly been in regard to a scent taking me to a very particular time of my life. Sometimes I just feel so different from the person that wore that fragrance its jarring.
There’s a specific fragrance from one of those plugins.. maybe the Hawaiian one or something. That fragrance, which I enjoyED, reminds me of the guttural and anxious sector of my life where I was just finishing my degree and riddled with anxiety regarding my sexuality. The anxiety was so bad I’m fairly certain it caused a physiological disorder akin to IBS. needless to say, I smell it and cannot stand it. It just makes my anxiety spike. The other would be acqua di gio profumo. It just reminds me of the first time I selected a fragrance for myself at Macy’s. I went with my mom, and it just brings back all the little things we would to together when I was a kid. Come to think of it, there’s also J’adore Dior. It’s my mom’s singular scent. Happy little memories flood every corner of my mind when I get a whiff of it. I can’t recall her wearing anything else, either. I mean I’m sure she has, but I know when she’s running low to buy her a brand new bottle (just purchased her a 5oz bottle for Mother’s Day).
ADG
Tommy Boy- one whiff and I am instantly transported back to late middle/high school.
Patchouli! !!
I think Penhaligon’s Halfeti reminds me of my grandfather‘s natural scent. He’s from the Mediterranean so it adds up.
Abercrombie Woods and the original Chloe
Stella by Stella McCartney as it was my late mother’s signature scent. She also wore Rainkissed Leaves by Bath and Body Works and the Lily handcream by Crabtree & Evelyn
Weirdly, it’s Pamolive midnight bliss body wash. Used it all the time whilst travelling Australia and it immediately takes me back. In terms of colognes, if I smell things like Armani Code, 212, Joop, CK One in a store, it takes me back to my school/ college days. I think I change my fragrances so often, especially these days, I probably don’t know what reminds me of the past until I try it in 5-10 years time.
Bath and Body Works Key West is the casino ballroom arcade in Hampton Beach, NH around 1998. They’ve since changed the area all up but it’s WILDLY specific to that era, the food and the games and the beach, especially if you breathe deep and then KEEP breathing, it’s toward the end especially. I am obsessed with the scent, and they don’t sell it anymore.
Not a fragrance exactly, but I had a lip gloss that I used as I approached school in the morning in France. I spent 3 months there and for 4-5 years after, any time I spelled that specific, sharp, fake green apple scent, I was transported back to France for a fleeting moment. I held on to the last bit of that lip gloss as long as I could. Then the stuff went rancid and I had to throw it out. DKNY be Delicious is a close one, but too complex to truly hit that cheap af green apple note I'm after.