It might sound a bit odd but I have decided to keep a scent diary for Evie. I remember interviewing the famous 'nose' and perfumer,
Roja Dove, a few years back and he told me that our first encounters with smells stick with us for life; they are sort of hard-wired into your brain. His
book on the complex subject of scent is compelling. How right he is: I abhor the smell of petrol as it reminds me of being car sick as a child. On the other hand I love the smell of freesias and peonies as they remind me of my mother's scent. The smell of lavender instantly whisks me back to a happy childhood holiday to the west country while leather reminds me of fun times at Brownies (anyone else remember those brown leather pouches?!). Dettol will forever remind me of the school hall in Infants. So, I thought it would be interesting to keep a list of all the most prominent scents Evie encounters in her first few years so that she can look back over it one day and understand why certain scents make her feel the way she does.
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Mummy's fave: Chloe eau de parfum
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Here's the list so far...
Houbigant Quelques Fleurs L'Original - an old school French floral perfume updated by the centuries old brand once favoured by Queen Marie-Antoinette mixing orange-blossom, lilac, tuberose, amber and musk. The scent I alternate with Chloe eau de parfum, a fresh, punchy oriental floral. My body lotion (used on hands too) is the delicious coconuty-scented Connock London Kukui oil. On my face I use Aromatherapy Associates Rose and Sandalwood facial oil so Evie must get a whiff when I hug or kiss her.
For Evie, I have been using Jurlique's Baby's Calming Massage oil and Bamford's dreamy Baby Bath and Massage Oil. I'm also saving up for Le Labo's gorgeous smelling Ambrette 9 baby scent (above) which is sweet and light thanks to a combination of fruit and citrus ingredients (I love the fact I can get her name printed on the bottle!)
On a more mundane level, Evie is probably well acquainted with the smell of Persil non-bio, Sudo cream, Johnson & Johnson's baby soap (tried and trusted in the CLB household) and Dove deodrant. Smells associated with daddy are more straight forward: Mitchum deodrant and
Chanel de Bleu aftershave (thanks to mummy). They are
all going in the diary. Who knows, she may even smile each time she walks past fish mongers in years to come - back in September on our family holiday to Portugal we spent lots of time in the local market buying amazing fish. Evie had such fun looking at all the funny looking sea creatures and being doted on by the Portuguese stall holders...
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| Another mum scent: Houbigant Quelques Fleurs L'Original |
I spent a lot of time with my Gran when I was little so I guess good old parma violet perfume. It's all she wore and I've kept one of her old perfume bottles that still has a faint violety smell.
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely idea. Hee-hee just remembering when I was about 8 I wrote in my diary that I was a collector of scents (though I used the word smells!). I had lots of jars & bottles & pots with various things in - lavender, musk, rose petals, orange peel - and I'd open each one and inhale the scent. A perfumist in the making? Scents are so powerful and you're right, it's fascinating to think about what our little ones will remember. Thanks for the inspiration. Bekka
ReplyDeleteSuch gorgeous memories! Hey Bekka, love that you collected 'smells' as a littl'un. Just shows how much of an impact they play from early on. I remember trying to make rose perfume from crushing up rose leaves and mixing them with water. It was putrid! And yes, Kickan and Conckers, granny scents are always so evocative aren't they? Thanks for the fab comments xx
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