Thursday, February 10, 2011

A Journey through my Scent Memories

The first night I hung out with the guy that would later become my husband I told him that scent is the one of the strongest forms of memory.

And for me that is so true. I've always been very "loyal" to a certain scents or perfumes throughout the years of my life, so whenever I smell a certain scent it takes me right back to that time in my life.

So I though it would be fun to take journey through the scents I've worn over the years. My "Scent Memories..."

Middle School and early High School - Bath & Body Works Sun-Ripened Raspberry


I wasn't allowed to wear perfume yet, so I loaded up on the sun-ripened raspberry body splash and lotion. The smell will always remind me of my teeny-booper days.


Sophomore and Junior year of High School - Roxy Hula

I felt like a chic little surfer girl in this stuff. I'm sad they don't make it anymore, I'd love to get a whiff of it.


Senior Year of High School through Sophomore Year of College - Tommy Girl

My first real "designer" perfume. One whiff of Tommy girl and I'm 18 again going to my first fraternity parties.


Junior and Senior Year of College - Michael by Michael Kors
My best friend wore this scent and I loved it so much that I started wearing it too. This is the perfume I was wearing when I met the Mr. and on my 21st birthday. When I smell it I think, "ahhh, to be barely legal again."


First years out of College (2005-2007) - Marc by Marc Jacobs

I'm not sure how I started wearing this. I was wearing it the night that the Mr. proposed to me. It will always remind me of Manhattan Beach summers.


2008 to Present - J'adore by Dior

I was wearing scent at our wedding and still wear it today. I'm sure that someday this scent will remind me of my newlywed adventures.


I wonder what my next scent will be?


What scent are you currently wearing? What scents have you worn over the years? What scents remind you of a particular time in your life?

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can totally relate! Just the other day a friend and I were talking about how just a whiff of CK One took us straight back to Jr. High in a split second.

Lindsay said...

In high school it was a mixture of britney spears perfume (ha!) and bath and body works - pearberry. now its either juicy couture or dolce and gabana light blue

Dee Stephens said...

What a great post! My first scent in Jr. high was Giorgio. You're too young for that.
High School was Ralph Lauren(the original), the CK1, Jessica McClinton(recently went back and wear it to this day).
I also tired Jadore too.
I tried several Givenchy scents too but break out each time. They put something in their perfumes that I'm allergic to. Weird but true.

Dee Stephens said...

BTW - I might copy you a bit and link to your blog! xoxo

Erin said...

What is it about Bath and Body Works in late junior high early high school? I doused myself in pearberry everyday! Scents really do suck you into a time warp vortex.

Emily said...

I agree, scent memories are so strong! Bath and Body Works still takes me back to Jr. High too!

Sarah said...

ahhhh Sun-ripened Raspberry! oh the memories! So funny you posted this! As I walked by Victoria's Secret yesterday I smelled Pear Glace and it totally took me back! And then I thought about how a certain scent can bring back a memory! Burberry weekend was my wedding perfume!
Thanks for this fun post! xo

Katie said...

This post was hilarious! I could have drowned in the amount of Sun Ripened Raspberries I wore in middle school and Tommy Girl in HS. Add some CK One and CK Be and you've got the collected list of my past perfumes.

I currently wear my Burberry on an everyday basis but am looking for a change - you've inspired me to get my self to Sephora!

Anonymous said...

I was totally a sun ripened raspberry girl! Now I wear a few but I'll always love Romance by Ralph Lauren

Miss Chelsea said...

I love the idea of this post! I may have to steal it =) I, too, wore sun-ripened raspberry. I found a bottle the other day and was like 'phew why did I ever wear that!?"

Whitney said...

I'm allergic to a lot of perfumes!!! They break me out. Which stinks. (pun intended)

Mrs. Miller said...

I still like squirting on Bath and Body works! My favorite perfume though is euphoria by calvin klein. The Tommy definitely brings back memories though!

The Shabby Princess said...

Oh my gosh, too funny, I was just about to write a similar post!!

Roxy Hula was my perfume through most of High School. I LOVED that scent--and the packaging. I'd totally forgotten about it until just now.

I wore Tommy Girl in early college too--I actually wore it on my wedding day!

the rigdons said...

I'll never forget when my first boyfriend gave me Ralph Lauren Polo Sport Woman... best day of my high school life. :)

Sarah said...

I totally remember the tommy girl days.... I actually remember wearing Vanilla Fields in middle school..LOL

Jessica said...

So cute! Bath and Body Works was totally the rage in middle school! I was a Vanilla girl.. and of course, CK One was huge too! All thru high school and college I rocked either Clinque Happy or Britney Spears Fantasy.. so sugary and innocent. :-) J'adore is my current scent, and has been since I met my Mr! I wore it on my wedding day too, and actually have a gorgeous pic of the bottle that my photographer caught in the Bridal Room. My husband absolutely loves this scent. Even if I change in the future, J'adore will remind me of love and our wedding. :-)

Lindsay said...

Oh the Bath and Body Works days! I hadn't thought of my middle school Gap "Dream" scent in years until I read this post. I wonder what nostalgia getting a whiff of that stuff might bring back!

Holly said...

This is SO funny - I never knew so many other ppl connected scents with different times/events in their lives! Bath and Body Works has always been my fav. place for lotion - and I use lotion every day. Gotta keep my skin looking young! :) When I was dating my first boyfriend in high school I used cucumber melon from B&BW. With my second boyfriend, I wore lavender flowers. When I met my husband, I was using sweet pea. Now I usually buy 4 or 5 different lotions and change them out, depending on what kind of mood I'm in that day. :)

I usually skip perfume since I use scented lotion...but now I wanna try the J'adore perfum everyone's talking about!

-Holly

THE Stephanie said...

OMG Sun-Rippened Raspberry!!! Ah... those were the days. LOL.

Now it's my daughter who is loading up on Sweet Pea body spray. Good 'ole BBW!

B. Wilson @ Windy {City} Wilsons said...

My husband proposed to me at 26th street in (on) Manhattan Beach!

I blogged about that... we also bought a picture at the Hermosa fair taken just a few days after he proposed in that very same spot. :)
http://windywilsons.blogspot.com/search/label/photography

Scents really take me back as well. So do songs.

Michal Renee said...

I am the same way about scents! When I pass by Abercrombie & Fitch in the mall and catch their scent, I always flash back to an old love of mine. Also, I've been wearing Versace perfume for many years now and it always reminds me of our family cruise vacations since my mom and I would always get it cheaper at the duty free shops lol. :)

California Wife said...

Ahh, such a fun post!

I remember my middle school B&BW scent was Juniper Breeze! I wore so many of those other perfumes too, Michael by Michael Kors is in my current rotation, love it!

Christi said...

i wore marc jacobs post college, too! in 2005 i switched to pure grace and trish {the green one}. love love love them!

Maggie said...

Marc Jacobs was my wedding perfume, and I still wear it today. I adore it. I also adore my bottle, which they inscribed with our initials and wedding date. (Love you, Nordstrom!)

First scent memory: ELECTRIC YOUTH!

DietCokeStraightUp said...

Omg, I loved Roxy!!!! So sad when they stopped making it!!

Jen | Our Life Accounts said...

It's funny how scents can bring about such strong memories, music does the same thing for me! Marc Jacobs daisy, Versace bright crystals and Vera Wang bouquet are my college into adulthood scents. Middle school was plumeria by bath and body works and high-school was a Mary Kay belara perfume from my grandmother.

Mama Mahvelous said...

I love this post! So true how scents trigger so many different memories. I too was all about Sun Ripened Raspberry in junior high - BBW in general brings me back (the lemon scented sun-in?). Right now I love Amazing Grace from philosophy.

Rachel said...

Oh my goodness, loved this post! Sun Ripened Raspberry? I can still smell is and picture my middle school gym locker....is that weird??

I definitely associate memories with smell. Victoria Secret's Dream Angels perfume takes me right back to my Junior Prom. Oh...and GAP's Grass perfume they used to have? Totally reminds me of trips to mall with friends in middle school.

Crazy Shenanigans-JMO said...

Oh my gosh! I use to love me some Tommy Girl! As soon as I smell it I always remember being in high school.

Shoshanah said...

I don't really wear perfume, partly because my fiance is allergic to most scents. It's a little annoying but something I've kind of gotten used to.

But back in the day I used to love B&BW scents. My all time favorite back than had to be pearberry!

Sara said...

I used to love sun ripened raspberry too! Now, I can't stand smelling it. So funny how that works.

I have a very sensitive brain and nose and can't handle strong smells. For many years I didn't wear a fragrance until I found Philosophy's Pure Grace. It's my signature scent now. And, my husband loves it too, which is a bonus!

The Ramblings of a Thirtysomething Wife said...

I might be dating myself, but I can remember dousing myself with Loves Baby Soft perfume in junior high. Yikes! I was obsessed with Obsession for men in high school, too :) In college I seriously loved Rapture by Victoria's Secret, but they no longer make it. I tried to find it a few years back but no luck! For a few years not too long ago, I wore Romance by Ralph Lauren. Still love it, but don't wear it as much. Nowadays, I am super in love with Simply by Clinique, Chance by Chanel and DKNY Cashmere. Simply is discontinued, but I have a few bottles stashed away. I used to wear it every day, but find that I hardly use it now. I think it's because I am afraid to use it all up :)

Anonymous said...

J'adore was the first anniversary gift my husband ever gave me!

I read a tip on someone else's blog recently (can't remember whose now) to wear a special scent when you go on a memorable vacation - then, that smell will always be connected with memories from that trip!

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