by Wendy
What’s your favorite fragrance? This question was posed during an afternoon spent visiting friends and family in New Jersey. The answers were as varied as you would expect – as was the general interest in the topic. After everyone else drifted back to other subjects, I enthusiastically chatted about perfume and cologne with the questioner, who works in the luxury beauty industry and is a wealth of knowledge. To hear him discuss various designer scents is like listening to a sommelier describe wine.

We talked about the fun of taking a new sample fragrance on a trip, and then forever being reminded of that time and place by the perfume or cologne. This is not a new idea – other writers have mentioned this connection. But I think we often forget how powerful our sense of smell can be, how immediate our reaction to scent can be. A fragrance can be so evocative, almost conjuring memories to the surface as if by magic. It can influence an atmosphere or give a hint of someone’s personality. Continue reading →