Some fragrances I like to smell because of how they make me feel but not necessarily because I want to wear them. I like the experience, the journey through the notes and the way they have been blended and curated by the perfumer. Last year I started sampling Oud fragrances for the first time. From the descriptions of oud that I read, I anticipated the possibility that I might be repulsed or that it would be too strong and animalic for me. But the one I tried was blended with Vanilla and other notes in such a way that I was actually able to be not only tolerate but be open to the dark and resinous qualities of oud. Initially it was a big presence for me, but after some time I recognized that this note, which I recognize from personal experience growing up with the burning of frankincense and myrrh in the home, has become one I look forward to in manageable doses. As a young person, I thought the smoke was strong, stuffy and a bit suffocating. But something in me has changed since then. And that’s been one of the most rewarding things I’ve discovered about myself through fragrance: that I can be surprised by some of the notes I like, that I’m still discovering notes I like. I for sure have favorite notes and I see these in the pattern of fragrances I am drawn too all the time: jasmine, vanilla, green, powdery floral and fruity notes have always been my favorites but as I said, I have also discovered a love for woody, musky notes, boozy bourbon notes, tonka bean, vetiver, cacao and most recently a love of lactonic, creamy milky notes which a is a surprise to me as someone with zero personal emotional ties to milk. But I guess vanilla ice cream has milky aspects to it and I definitely have deep emotional ties to vanilla ice cream. LOL!

I haven’t found a whole lot of deeply researched comprehensive things written (at least not so far) about the way scent and fragrance impact humans but I’m constantly on the look out. For me, the fragrances I wear help me to exist in a kind of bubble of comfort, focus, inspiration and sensuality that help me to be more balanced and to thrive in chaos. I guess it feels like a kind of protection but not in the physical sense. This is one of many aspects of fragrance that intrigues me about it.

I’ve even started dipping my toes into the world of luxury scented candles which has really been another wonderful fragrance rabbit hole I never considered before. I have always loved lighting candles but never consciously thought about the way in which they decorate a space or the ways in which the scent could make that space more memorable, soothing, welcoming and more comforting. Fragrance seems to be emerging in my life as an extension of a commitment I’ve made for years to daily self care rituals. Late last year I purchased a huge luxury scented candle that I only burn when I know I’m going to be home all day. It’s the White Maple Bourbon scent by Lafco and I cannot describe in words the utter relief and inner soothing I feel whenever I burn it.

Liquides Imaginaires a very niche, expensive scent house, describes a very intentional and purposeful storytelling fragrance concept which is tied to the very essence of what perfume has meant from the beginning of human history. “In ancient times, perfume was believed to be a powerful passageway to the divine. Burning incense was not only a sacred ritual whereby Egyptian priests would call in and commune with the gods for spiritual guidance, but incense and perfume were a vehicle to transformation and self-determination. Indeed, the word perfume itself literally translates to “through smoke.”