makes scents

found a really interesting used book last week entitled, "the scent trail:  how one woman's quest for the perfect perfume took her around the world" by celia lyttelton.

not only am i learning a lot about everything from turkish baths and rose water to distelleries in india and the lavender fields of grasse, but also elements about each component of her sought-after scent in terms of origin, history, literary references, and culture.

while hearing and sight are sensory nerve-perception in nature, smell and taste depend on chemistry.  and this olfactory chemistry is linked powerfully to memory.

after my grandma smith passed away, for example, i found myself buying her signature scent of rosemilk lotion at the drugstore.

the book also has me curious about my own scent portfolio and memory history.

i started by writing down favorite moments and the smell i attach with them.  i then wrote down perfumes i've gravitated to over the years and proceeded to research the layers or notes of each one to see which elements they have in common.  

if these were to harmoniously culminate in one perfume, what would it be?  from my journal...

memories and associated smells:

rosemilk:  grandma smith

mossy rain:  riding my bike in the driveway of lacey, wa

mimosa:  tree in the yard on fir street

fig, lavender, anise:  visiting paris & provence

ocean + sea salt:  love of water

vanilla bean:  mentor colleen

favorite perfumes:

cool water by davidoff, paris

no. 12 gin + rosewater by tokyo milk

no. 13 song in d minor, "

inspired/fearless by infinite she

capri blue by anthropologie

linden by pre de provence

figue amour/lavande in love by bastide

i learned each scent has layers composed of base, middle, and top notes.  for example, figue amour's base layer (typically 25%) is sandalwood, crisp woods, musk with a middle layer (45%) of fig, violet, and orris and top notes (30%) of bergamot, cardamom and pink berries.

by looking at these together, i noticed repetition in my fondness for scents, particularly those of sandalwood, lime, violet, tonka bean, orange blossom, rosemary, rose, geranium, ylang ylang, olive leaf, petit grain, and clary sage.  

my least favorite are the spicy oriental scents and heavy musks, in that i tend to shy away from patchouli, amber, and some nerolis as well as anything sickly sweet or heavy such as cassis or too much bergamot.  

in foods i gravitate towards strong spices, dark coffees & teas, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, garlic, cloves, sharp cheeses, yeasty sourdoughs, pickled and fermented foods, pepper, honey, coconut, lemon, and anise.  

who knows, perhaps i'll make a signature scent, but meanwhile it's fascinating to learn and think about.  smell is such a huge part of our lives!  what are some of your fondest links to scent on the trail of your life?