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My Life as Defined by Four Fragrances

Posted 01/14/11 at 03:33PM by Audrey Fine

Are you an olfactory person? I catch a whiff of a fragrance and it instantly transports me back to a place and time. Love that.

Sometimes, just for kicks (and an instant stroll down memory lane) I'll stop at a department store fragrance counter to get a spritz of a scent I wore years ago because, somehow, the various stages of my life are as clearly identifiable by the perfumes I liked at the time as by other markers like hit songs or TV shows.

Here are the four fragrances that bring me back -- big time. Any of them gel with you?

#1. Anais Anais, $40: All of my friends wore this classic Cacharel fragrance in high school and while we were sorely lacking in originality, we made up for it by having fun lip synching to the Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian" and dancing like those hot girls in Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love" video.

#2. Chanel Cristalle, $94: The fresh flowery notes of my beloved Cristalle buoyed me all through college. It was such a part of me that when I saw my former flame a few years ago he asked whether I still wore it. (The answer was "no," but I was flattered that he remembered it.) I can't remember much about the classes but I remember Cristalle, "Vogue-ing" along with Madonna and drooling over Sebastian Bach every time "I Remember You" played on MTV. (That was tuition well spent.)

#3. Prescriptives Calyx Exhilarating Fragrance, $69: Ahh, Calyx's refreshing citrus scent brings me back to my days working in the Caribbean at Club Med resorts. Seal and Hootie and the Blowfish were all the rage and "Friends" debuted. But anytime I see that signature burnished glass bottle, I get a whiff of grapefruit in my mind's nose.

#4. Yves Saint Laurent Beauty YSL Paris Eau de Toilette, $62: This has been my signature scent for going on 16 years. I wear it every day (even if I don't leave the house) and it's such a part of me that my kids ask me to spray it on their pillows when I'm going to be away for work. When I first glommed on to it, the MACARENA was all the rage. Now THAT is a long time to be faithful to a fragrance.

How about you? Do different scents transport you to a different place and time? What's your favorite fragrance? Oooh, and what about men's colognes? I have 4 favorites that really make me remember certain someones.
And the survey says...
1-6 of 15 Comments

  • Posted by EricaC123 on 12/30/12 at 09:02am

    Thanks for sharing, Fantasy is still one of my favorites

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  • Posted by powerwoman033 on 03/14/12 at 07:42pm

    My teenage years were all about Elizabeth Taylor's Passion. A bit strange for being so young, I know! My 20's were all about Elizabeth Arden's Sunflowers. Now in my late thirties, I love Philosophy's Unconditional Love and the DKNY Delicious eau de parfum. It really is interesting to look back and see how my tastes have changed!

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  • Posted by anna_davis on 11/28/11 at 02:07pm

    ah chanel :)

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  • Posted by EnkaOwakura on 06/24/11 at 05:48pm

    My favorites are: HOT (Ralph Lauren), Midnight Fantasy (Britney Spears), Angel (Thierry Mugler), and Black XS (dunno). And about men's fragrances: 212 men (Carolina Herrera) and L'eau de Rochas Homme (Rochas) are the ones that drive me crazy.

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  • Posted by ladyboarder9669 on 06/24/11 at 02:04pm

    I don't think i've smelled any of those... I know, how sad! My favvs are: Calvin Klein Euphoria Yves Saint Lauret Parissienne and Georgio Armani's Acuqa di Gioia

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  • Posted by lea_m_gibson on 04/21/11 at 10:36pm

    nice

    Report Abuse

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