Wednesday 5 May 2010

The Power of Scent

As I was dusting my bottles of perfume, I began thinking about how long I have had some of them and when I started wearing them . What I like about wearing perfume apart from the scent, is how it can evoke memories, good memories...

I thought that I would share with you what my perfumes/eau de toilettes remind me of.


31 Rue Gambon - Chanel: Monaco, where we celebrated our first wedding anniversary (My FAVOURITE scent!)
Eau du Soir - Sisley: A gift from my parents (another favourite)


Coco Mademoiselle - Chanel: Alan and I when we first met (One of Alan's favourites)


April Violets by Yardley: My Belgian Grandmother Gabrielle
Jack Wills for Women: A day out to Salcombe, Devon with Alan
Dior Addict Eau Fraiche: Similar to a perfume my Aunt Suzy used to wear
Angel Innocent by Thierry Muggler: When I was expecting Miss P


Un Jardin sur le Nil - Hermes: France (What I have been wearing over the past couple of weeks, a wonderful scent to wear in Spring)
Pomegranate Noir -Jo Malone: Alan, I bought it for him and occasionally wear it
Blue Agava & Cacao - Jo Malone: A weekend break in London with Alan
Chevrefeuille - Yves Rocher: The first eau de toilette I ever bought myself at the age of 12


Amber & Lavender Body Crème - Jo Malone: A weekend break in London, I preferred to have that scent as a cream rather than an eau de toilette.


Patchouli Antique - Les Nereides: I first discovered this scent when living in Cannes, France when I was 13.
Ambre - L'Occitane: My sister, who also wears it
Caribbean Vanilla - Perlier: Bought on honeymoon in Sardinia
Boudoir -Vivienne Westwood: No particular memory, I like the bottle


Well... I couldn't leave out Alan's scents.. Where as I wear eau de toilette every day, Alan just wears it from time to time.
Rocabar - Hermes: It reminds him of a weekend we spent in London where I bought it for him. (My favourite!)
Promegranate Noir - Jo Malone: Same as above
West Indian Lime - Crabtree ans Evelyn: No specific memories

What is your favourite scent and does it evoke any memories?

A bientôt!

Isabelle X

31 comments:

Mary said...

I so wish I could wear them. But they are horrible migraine triggers. Envious!

Thedarkerside73 said...

What a fragrant post!

My favourite perfume that would bring back so many good memories is Mostly Musk by the body shop. I dont think you can buy it now, which is shame. It was a very strong exotic perfume. I used to wear it a lot in my 20's.

Today my favourites are Casis Rose by the Body Shop and Isabella Rossalinni's Manifesto. Such wonderful perfumes although very different.

MBB x

Laura @ 52 FLEA said...

What a wonderful and interesting post! My favorite scent...until they stopped making it was Tilleul (Linden)...by Lothantique...just a simple Eau de Toilette...very organic.
Now I usually just wear Heavenly Angles by VS...a gift from my son. My daughter only wears Chanel.
:)

It's me said...

Ooooo i have also a lot of parfumes...........but i buy every time an other new fragrance...........now i have prada........guerlin........... l'eau d'issy etc etc........

Too bad we COMPUTER HAVE NO ODOR..........than we could smell ................have a great day tomorrow hugs from Ria

Victoria - Florence and Mary said...

Yay there's someone else who wears Boudoir! It's my signature scent and I love that many of my friends love it and try to wear it and it completely changes smell on them!

I also wear Coco Mademoiselle!

Victoria xx

Unknown said...

Heaven scent! (Actually that was a perfume).

I can only wear Opium.

Love the write & beautiful bottles.

Have a blessed Mother's Day.
TTFN ~ Hugs, Marydon

Josephine Tale Peddler said...

Divine post, Isabelle. I have always loved perfumes and never feel fully dressed until I am wearing one. I would love to have just one signature scent but I have a few that I can't let go of. Coco by Chanel, Daisy by Marc Jacobs (I am normally more an Oriental girl but I love the bottle and the youthful feeling this scent gives me. I also collect the old bottles for my Daisy,)
Shalimar by Guerlain, Youth Dew by Estee Lauder as it reminds me of my Mother and my Nanny, Cinnabar by Estee Lauder as I am reminded of being a teenager when I wear it. Cherry Blossom by Loccitane.
That is all but I am always on the look out for more scents. Your collection is beautiful. I am sure I would love to wear some of your tastes. Miss P is going to be wearing perfume soon, i should imagine, if she doesn't sneak into your collection first. Thanks for such a beautiful post. Have a lovely day. xx

Cowboys and Custard Mercantile said...

As you say ... perfume if most evocative. My dear mother always wore Chanel No:9 and I still have one of her half empty bottles which is one of my greatest treasures. I can remember the scent of her perfume mostly on car journeys.. a heady mix of perfume and her Dior lipstick.
Wearing a dab of parfum behind the ears is one of life's essentials.. I love Amarige by Givenchy these days.. but in my youth I favoured Poison by Dior or Obsession.. far too cloying now!

Vintage from the Village said...

I can almost smell that post mmm !
What a lot you have.
At the moment I have Sanctuary - cheap and cheerfull
Davidoff Cool Water Woman- for the summer
and Provocative Woman - ooh Mrs !! given to me by sister who had been give 2 bottles.
Best memories from the old days are of Opium which I used to wear and my first Mr V used to bring back duty free from his travels in the Navy.
I also remember Body Shop Dewberry !
Thanks for great post
Sue x

Anonymous said...

Oh what a wonderful romantic post! i love it!

I have a few but.............
At the moment i am wearing Cherie by Dior and it reminds me of much needed girl time with my lovely mum on which i bought this perfume only two days ago actually,but i sat on the sofa last night and smelt my wrist and thought of mum instantly.
Hope all is well in your world!
Love Kristina XxX

Guenievre said...

Dommage que les ordinateurs n'aient pas encore la fonction "sentez-moi" ...
My favourite are Guerlain perfumes ...
I love "L'heure bleue", "Jardin de Bagatelle", "Shalimar", "Chamade". Pour l'été "Eau du Coq", "Eau de Cédrat"
Sinon, j'aime aussi "Diorissimo" de Dior pour son agréable odeur de muguet, "London" de Burberry, "N°19" de Chanel.
Tu vas rire, mais le 1er parfum que j'ai acheté était ............ "Chèvrefeuille" d'Yves Rocher, lol ... J'ai continué avec "Venise" et "Ispahan" !
Et, une petite dernière : j'adore les savons "Roger & Gallet"
Je vais essayer de trouver "April violet" de Yardley, je ne connais pas, mais le nom (et la marque) m'inspirent bien.
Euh, ma réponse est un peu longue, mais le parfum "vaut bien ça"
Très bonne fin de semaine ;-)

bellaboo said...

I used to wear Chanel No 19,if I was lucky to have it bought for me!...and Diorissimo,also Rive Gauche.I have an old perfume bottle of my mother's which is called Ecusson...Jean D'Albret,Paris.Old perfume bottles are lovely to collect aren't they?
These days I seem to forget to put perfume on...I'm more likely to smell of 'eau de dog'!!thanks to Bella!

Bellaboo :0)

Unknown said...

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I love perfums, well...I love scents! I daily burn scented candles, when I was single(loooooooooong time ago;)) I used to "snif" when a nice guy walked by, and he could walk on if I didn't like it ;))))))...I have lots of perfums, and it depends on the occasion or mood which one I wear, the last three I got given is Parisienne(YSL), Daisy(Marc Jacobs) and Jill(Jill Sander)....but Thierry I also have in two versions....and I can go on, for a while because as said....I have lots....I love it....scent is very important for me.

Greetings
Lynda

Sarah said...

How lovely - pefume is definately my thing - I would rather go out without lipstick than a squirt of perfume! I'm currently wearing Elle - YSL. For special treats I wear Jo Malone - Pomegranate Noir or Grapefruit.
x

Susie's country cottage said...

I love the way perfume smells remind us of the places and times we were in when we first wore them. You have a wonderful collection. I love Chanel and Jo Malone scents.
Susie

ted and bunny said...

my mum always wore Chanel No 5, I still keep her half-used bottle in my lingerie drawer (gosh that sounds a bit posh for me) and whenever I have a bad miss-you moment a smell it and I'm right back to 5 years old
xx

Jess said...

Oh such a choice! How do you decide each day which one? My current favourite is the very modest Bodyshop fragrance 'Love etc'. Warm and comforting (to me anyway!) xx

Andi's English Attic said...

ARAMIS reminds me of the 70s; MITSOUKO by Guerlain reminds me of a friend no longer with us; DEVON VIOLETS as a child on holiday in Cornwall; GEORGIO in the 80s. I currently wear MOLOCULE 01 by Eccentric Molocules. I gave up wearing Body Shop MUSK when M told me his secretary wore the same. I saw it as a security move! xx

Little Emma English Home said...

Hi Isabelle!!! Thank you for your comment. It's true- I've been to St tropez and just imagined how great it was at the years of BB...I love Villefranche as well, I saw one of the best sunsets of my life... I send you a big hug xx

Louise said...

Lucky you to have such a selection. I wear Paris- always! Even if I am going to the supermarket I have a quick squirt. The children say it is the Mummy smell! Could be worse ...

A time to dance said...

I have worn Chanel for years, Coco and Chanel No 5...I love the romance of it, but recently ( last 3 or 4 years ) I have worn 'Tiempe Passatte' by Antonias flowers, you can only get it from Space NK and the price has gone up and up from £98 to £128 for 60mls - so I have moved to a cheaper option Clinique.... although I did linger over Coco which I wore when I met Pete. Tiempe passatte does hold a rather unpleasent memory, I had a bottle in a bag of marking and school files, the glass lid wasnt on properly and came off!!! I lost the contents ( half a bottle) every time I opened my school files I wanted to cry....

Sylvia said...

Thanks for sharing your perfumes, Isabelle !
My favourites are Moschino and
24 Fauburg - Hermès.
Have a great weekend,
Sylvia

vintage mum said...

Nice to meet you Isabelle
My daughter and I often go out on perfume finding days, we try and get a sample if we can : )
I love Angel, chanel no5 and used to wear youth dew but it doesen't seem the same anymore.You have given us lots to look for, Thank You

Cate x

petals and vintage said...

This is my first comment!
What a wonderful collection of perfumes. My favourites are Chanel No 5, Estee Lauder Pleasures, Sensuous and Youth Dew. Currently I am wearing Joy by Jean Patou and nearly down to the last drop!

Love your amazing posts and inspiration.

Alicia ~ time worn style said...

I'm not sure what i love about perfume more, the scent or the bottles!
alicia

OhSoVintage said...

Gosh, what a lot of bottles of scent you have! My favourite which I have worn for the last 40 odd years is Diorissimo. I have tried many others over the years but this is always my favourite. Another I used to like was Helena Rubinstein's 'Apple Blossom' which my grandmother used to wear but is no longer manufactured. My mother always wears 'Blue Grass'.
Ruth x

maría cecilia said...

mmmm, I know many of your perfumes and Angel Innocent reminds me when in Germany back in 2000.. today I´m wearing Burberry from Burberry and L´eau Issey Miyake... loved them!!!
Cariños,
Maria Cecilia

Alex said...

You've almost got as many as me! I'm a perfume-aholic too but my favourite is Penhaligon's Bluebell... I wore it on my wedding day (it was my something blue).

Reading Tea Leaves said...

You have a wonderful collection of perfumes Isabelle - such a great idea for a post!

My signature scent is Chanel No 19 - I've been wearing it for years and love it. I'm also very fond of L'Occitane fragrances for both me and him!

Your mention of Patchouli by Les Nereides brings back memories. This was bought for me on a holiday in the South of France many years ago. I must seek it out again.

Jeanne
x

Kelly said...

What a great post!
I have to be careful what I wear as some fragrances smell god awful on me!
I love Parisienne by YSL and every summer I neeeeed to have the escada Summer fragrance, they are alwasy different but always smell like yummy tropical fruits!

Donna (Timeless Settings) said...

I love your perfume post. My favorite of all is Jo Malone Orange Blossoms. It makes me think of Spring. My Mom wore Windsong. I have a bottle that I keep just to smell and remember happy memories. It's amazing how a scent can bring up such memories and emotions.

Donna