To me, applying perfume is not simply a last minute step you turn to do before running out the door in the morning. It’s a ritual. It evokes emotions. It brings back memories.
I’ve always had a complex relationship with smells and fragrances in particular; in fact, there are times I can think of a certain scent and sort of, well, see what it smells like. I’m in no way claiming to be a ‘nose’ (or anything close to one), but I’ve always felt very strongly that perfume is the most personal area of beauty.
I always find it a little odd when my peers claim to find fragrance the hardest thing to write about, too. I get it, but I tend to see it from the other side: as well as all the beautiful notes and ingredients featured in each bottled elixir, you can explore the way it makes you feel, along with the emotions it brings and the memories it may unlock.
This is where perfume is at its most powerful in my opinion; one sniff of a certain scent and I’ll be transported back to a particular time in my life, remembering exactly what I was doing and how I felt while wearing the fragrance in question. I have binned half-full bottles of £100+ Santal before because they’ve reminded me too potently of an ex, cried real tears of nostalgic joy while sniffing rich scents my mother once wore when I was a child.
For this reason, I like to utitlise my perfumes strategically during the happiest times of my life, which have often come – unsurprisingly – through travel. Whether it’s been roadtripping and camping across the U.S. for six weeks straight or cenote-hopping and drinking margs aplenty in Mexico, I’ve always chosen to spritz something new for each adventure I’ve taken. The result? Years of sharp, vivid memories to revel in at a simple spray of a bottle.
Keep reading to learn about some of my journeys across the world using just my nose.
Barbados: Yves Saint Laurent Saharienne
Interestingly, I’m beginning with a perfume that was not actually mine to wear, and does not even exist any longer (I’m sorry). This now-discontinued product was my mum’s favourite to pick up at the airport while on one of our family trips to Barbados during the school holidays.
When I remember this scent, I think of it as being distinctly ‘sparkly’. In my mind, it dazzles – perhaps because of the beautiful gold bottle and citrusy, aromatic notes used – or maybe because it was always used on sun-kissed skin and bronzed limbs. All I need to do is smell the bottle (my mum has one she’s saved following its discontinuation), close my eyes, and I am back at the hotel, getting ready for dinner after a long day lazing around the pool or swimming in the Caribbean sea. It’s a highly emotive smell for me – my family has not always had happy times, but these yearly trips were halcyon days epitomised.
Costa Rica: Tom Ford Fleur De Portofino
This perfume came to me by way of my former boss at Glamour Magazine, who is now our publisher here at Eliza! Natasha very kindly let me have her half-full bottle of Tom Ford after seeing just how much I adored the scent ahead of my holiday to Costa Rica. I had been working as a temporary assistant for six months at that point, and the trip would straddle the weeks when it would be decided whether I could stay on as a permanent staff member.
Unsurprisingly, that time was a period of anxiety for me, but the trip was full of magic, adventure, and freedom. We stayed in the middle of the jungle in a glass house and road tripped across the island by day, enjoying the food and culture. I was 24, and life was good – and that’s what this perfume brings back, with its floral, fruity, zesty hints and Mediterranean notes, from Sicilian lemon to tangerine and bergamot. Aaah simpler times.
New Zealand: Atelier Cologne Vétiver Fatal & Santal Carmin
New Zealand was my first big press trip I took through my job – and one of the happiest times of my life. It was 2017, and I was free from any ties back home, ready to go on a major adventure. I was nervous though – especially because of the crazily long flight and the fact I would be travelling with a small group of women I had only met for an hour or so beforehand.
Just days prior, I had attended a beauty event with Atelier Cologne, where the brand had kindly gifted me a couple of mini bottles, making them the obvious choice for travel. I wore Santal Carmin on the plane, when my conflicting nerves and bubbling excitement were at their highest. With its smooth notes of vanilla and sandalwood, it was a calming accompaniment on the long journey there (along with all three Lord Of The Rings films, of course).
Once there, I began reaching for the other scent, Vétiver Fatal: a green, earthy smell that woke me up during my jet-lag yet kept me grounded and curious while travelling the country with new friends.
Both evoke such strong, joy-filled memories of my New Zealand trip, while simultaneously making me a little sad that it’s over.
Australia: Frederic Malle Geranium Pour Monsieur
Ahead of a big two week trip across Australia, I popped into Liberty in London to grab a new perfume before I went, and left with a small vial of this beautiful geranium perfume, which is minty, fresh, and sexy. It’s designed for men, but I prefer a deep, layered scent rather than something obviously pretty or ‘girly’.
My travels with my friend were full of ups and downs – the downs including a bout of food poisoning and endless rain – but it was an adventure in every sense of the word. I even met my then-boyfriend’s family, which was nerve-wracking but lovely.
One sniff of the stuff now and I feel a nostalgic warmth for the fortnight, as well as a bittersweet pang when thinking about my former relationship – I spent much of my journey missing my partner, who was at home waiting for me. Smelling it now reminds me to stay in the moment more and really embrace the present – life moves fast and before you know it, special experiences pass you by.
Japan: Jo Malone London Poppy & Barley
Perhaps the most complicated of the list, Jo Malone London’s Poppy & Barley is a scent I can rarely wear any longer due to its associations with a former relationship.
I had just received this exciting new cologne from the brand at an event, so naturally had to bring it along on my two-week-long holiday to Japan, with my then-partner. The problem was, we were at a very tumultuous stage in our relationship, so it was a trip of high highs and very low lows, with arguments and fall-outs aplenty.
It was the last trip we took together however, and still remains very special to me, as does this perfume – despite it not being one I reach for much any longer.
Unlike most florals, it’s not overly sweet – which is probably why I took such a liking to it. With powdery notes, fig, blackcurrant and violet, this is complex, sultry, and thought-provoking.
All in all, Poppy & Barley reminds me to see the past for what it is: something to look back on fondly and take lessons from, no matter how hard it has been.
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