As I sit at my desk, I gaze left and right at the intentional clutter. I have multiple colorful bottles full of mysterious-looking elixirs, but I see a journey, memory or feeling captured inside each bottle. My perfume collection has amassed more than 40 fragrances, and I don’t think I could choose my most treasured as each one brings something unique to the nose.
One of my favorite things about perfume is how a fragrance will project its scent differently depending on the wearer’s body chemistry. One may call my love for fragrance a hobby or obsession, but embarking on my journey to becoming a “frag head” has been a fascinating and delightfully scented experience.
My first meaningful interaction with perfume was with my mother in elementary school. We didn’t have much money when I was growing up, but sometimes we’d splurge a bit and buy one of the fragrances on sale at T.J. Maxx. Building a collection together became something we looked forward to, and it was fun to spoil ourselves a bit.
We were mostly drawn to Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Lovers fragrances; my mom was a huge fan of Stefani and was excited to see her release a line of perfume. Each one had a figurine on top, and we’d add to our collection if we saw one and had some change to spare.
It was exciting to find a new bottle and discover the heavenly scents they had inside, adding a dash of luxury into our lives. My preference was called “G of the Sea,” which had overwhelmingly sweet notes of water lily, amber and jasmine.
When I was 14, I had the opportunity to tour the historic Fragonard Parfumerie, a fragrance distillery on the French Riviera in France, which grew my love for perfume. Learning more about the artistry of perfumery during the tour gave me more context for the process and influenced me to do some of my own research. I’m able to decode and understand each note of the perfume, which makes it interesting and enlightening.
The experience was so intoxicating and inspiring. I wanted to dedicate my life to becoming a “nose,” a person who designs fragrances. I changed my mind after learning noses shouldn’t smoke, drink coffee or alcohol or eat overly spicy foods. I decided to pursue a casual route of fragrance because I didn’t want to restrict myself too much.
After I graduated high school, I went to work at a popular makeup retailer which also has an extensive perfume section. During my shifts’ downtime, I would smell fragrances and make samples for myself to dissect the different notes, like bergamot, rose and patchouli, and see how the fragrance interacted with my skin and what the wear time was like.
My coworkers and I would practice blind-testing fragrances, and sometimes I would freak people out a bit because of my uncanny ability to identify a fragrance someone is wearing, and it’s become my party trick.
It was so interesting to see what kind of fragrance people choose for themselves, and I absolutely loved pointing people in the right direction to help them select one. Although I no longer work in retail, I still enjoy helping people find fragrances to make them feel beautiful and unique.
When my friends come to my apartment to get ready to go out together, they know the odds of me having them pick out a perfume from my personal collection to try a spritz is almost inevitable. It’s a fun way to bond with them and get to know them better through the sense of scent.
Being fragrance obsessed is a daily joy. Selecting my perfume in the morning is so ritualistic, I feel naked without it. It’s beautiful, complex and so personal that it can trigger memory and set a mood.
My love of perfume began as a fun indulgence with my mother, and we continue this tradition by occasionally gifting each other a new fragrance as we expand our collections. I love living my life in a lightly fragranced haze and can’t wait to see which scent will become my next signature.
My current signature scents:
- “She Was an Anomaly” by Etat Libre D’Orange
- “Glossier” by Glossier
- “Another 13” by Le Labo
- “Vanilla Musk” by Nemat
- “Philosykos” by Diptyque
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