A whiff of a passerby’s perfume, something simmering on the stove, or at the check in desk in a hotel lobby – what triggers your memory from scent alone?
You probably know that Reddit gets some of my precious free time, and I often read about scents and fragrance notes there. I love how one smell can be universal but unique to an individual. Some people smell scientifically, carefully extracting each note with precision and patience, while others are more like this smells good, it’s a winner for me (my category). Nothing like spraying on something because the description is great (and the bottle is pretty), and then realizing it’s horrific and only a shower will take it off (if you’re lucky).
Someone posed a question to me recently about scent. What scent reminds you of your mother, and are you drawn to that scent on your own?
For me, it’s Estee Lauder White Linen. I can see the bottle on the right side of the bathroom cabinet growing up. I can see my mom, delighted on Christmas morning or her birthday when she opened a carefully wrapped box containing a fresh new bottle. She had others in her rotation, too. They were lined up behind the White Linen, and everyone got a fair shot at being worn in a careful rotation. There was Shalimar, sometimes a Chanel, and as a teenager the lineup would include some of my castoffs- Ana Sui, Issey Myake, and I may have thrown in a Britney fragrance or two. My mom wore them all, but the White Linen hits hard.
All of those times I was sick in bed, or woke up from a bad dream in the night, my mom would sit on my bed with me and I’d smell the White Linen.
I’d never buy it and wear it myself- just not my style. It would be taking away from the memories I have, and I have no desire to create a new one. Nothing would be worse than wearing it on a first date that was a dud, to a job interview that I didn’t get a callback for, or smelling it all throughout a really bad day.
My fragrance collection has expanded these days. I’m a big fan of ScentSplit, and there are sometimes goodies at random stores. Sample sets are where it’s at for me. I do have some that I can’t wear anymore because they take me to a time or person that I don’t want to remember. I have some that, when the bottle is kicked, I’ll get a new one right away.
And mom, I’ve got a deal – you’re always first up for my leftovers if you promise me White Linen will always stay yours.