I’m so glad to hear this. I have been wearing Nuit de Bakélite since 2019, and I love how embodied it is in me now—the fresh cut green pepper of it lingers in a room for so long. I never met a man who truly loved it, though most women I meet are ravenous for it. I wear it when I want to feel truly all of me. ♥️
I’ve been thinking about fragrances lately. My love died four years ago and I miss him so and smell is all about emotion and memory. I thought wouldn’t it be wonderful to talk to a parfumer about creating a scent that was his. It’s too late now because four years has passed and even his T-shirts that I wear no longer smell like him. Then I thought, what if you could create the scent of your loved one, before they died. Wouldn’t everyone want that?
My first husband died almost 10 years ago and for the longest time I would cry into his pillow, breathing in his scent between sobs. Until eventually the fragrance had dissipated. Now, on occasion, I'll catch something similar wafting through the air and I never know for sure if it's real or just a bit of remembering.
I wish I knew more about perfumery. I really think this would be a big hit if you could craft a scent of a loved one before they died and keep it forever.
Oh Joy. This was so delicious to read. And smell. And what a brilliant question to ask. For me it might be this: gardenia, tears, and centuries old Jefferson pine. (You must go to Yosemite and scratch the belly of one, butterscotch will lick your fingers in return. XO
Such a lovely post and I heart this prompt so much. I will have to say my bio-scent is: a base of worn leather baseball glove with notes of salted sand, conifer cones and a lingering finish of just opened champagne.
scents have always been powerful for me, so this piece was stunning to read. right now mine are vanilla/almond, Boise in the summertime, coffee grinds and transformation.
Vanilla macadamia nut coffee brewing at 5 in the morning, because in the summer I wake with the chickens. A splash of hazelnut creamer creating a decadent, rich scent that reminds me of Hawaii, the salt of the ocean mixing with plumeria, mango, coconut sunscreen.
Back in bed, laptop propped on my knees, two warm bodies press themselves against me. I rub their paws while I write and sniff my fingers, inhaling their popcorn smell deeply.
A breeze blows in through the open window, the promise of a brandnew day sweet in the air. Suddenly: the smell of dog shit. Housetraining the puppy is still a work in progress.
I've written an essay in response to your magnificent piece, Joy. Thank you for the prompt and inspiration!
Gosh, Joy---this is amazing. When I was working on my last kids' book, I came across the idea of smellprints--like finger prints, we all have a unique one. It's such a vivid way to think about someone. I do think mine change with the seasons, and my current one involves flat-leaf parsley, plump tart gooseberries, and the dew on the lawn first thing in the morning-damp with hope
Also this is reminding me how I bought spikenard essential oil, because it's the most expensive, and dabbed it on my wrists every morning for a season. I didn't even love the smell overly much, just wanted the anointing to linger. Spikenard has a long history in the world of scents - it still smells mysterious and complex to me.
Ah, this was right on time for me! In March I went to perfume-obsessed Paris where everything smells lovely, and I started kicking myself the moment our plane landed back in Portland for buying no perfume for myself.
After reading your post, I went down to the Fumerie with my SIL and we spent a lovely never-mind-how-long amount of time sniffing perfumes as then sniffing them again as they morphed over time. I came home with one I love ("Insulo" by Jeroboam).
Oh! Also I read your book in the spring and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was reading it at Edgefield Hotel soaking pool one night and some random guy came up to tell me that he was not a weirdo but that he was there with his wife and mother-in-law (points to them over there) who had been watching me smile at your book all night like I was thoroughly enjoying myself and had sent him over to ask what the book was. So, that's how much I enjoyed your book. Enough for strangers to send over their spouse to ask me what it was.
I really want to smell Nuit de Bakélite now!
Same!!!
Eau de Sam: Garlic, onion, cat fur, hopefulness, and brand new tarot cards
Hahaha! I love this! Eau de Danielle would be dog hair, chocolate, summer rain, pine trees.
I’m so glad to hear this. I have been wearing Nuit de Bakélite since 2019, and I love how embodied it is in me now—the fresh cut green pepper of it lingers in a room for so long. I never met a man who truly loved it, though most women I meet are ravenous for it. I wear it when I want to feel truly all of me. ♥️
Beautiful!
I’ve been thinking about fragrances lately. My love died four years ago and I miss him so and smell is all about emotion and memory. I thought wouldn’t it be wonderful to talk to a parfumer about creating a scent that was his. It’s too late now because four years has passed and even his T-shirts that I wear no longer smell like him. Then I thought, what if you could create the scent of your loved one, before they died. Wouldn’t everyone want that?
My first husband died almost 10 years ago and for the longest time I would cry into his pillow, breathing in his scent between sobs. Until eventually the fragrance had dissipated. Now, on occasion, I'll catch something similar wafting through the air and I never know for sure if it's real or just a bit of remembering.
I wish I knew more about perfumery. I really think this would be a big hit if you could craft a scent of a loved one before they died and keep it forever.
this is such an interesting idea--love that thought of bottling up someone's scent
Oh Joy. This was so delicious to read. And smell. And what a brilliant question to ask. For me it might be this: gardenia, tears, and centuries old Jefferson pine. (You must go to Yosemite and scratch the belly of one, butterscotch will lick your fingers in return. XO
I just wrote a poem recently about pine and how in the summer sun it can smell like butterscotch and vanilla. Such lovely smells!
Such a lovely post and I heart this prompt so much. I will have to say my bio-scent is: a base of worn leather baseball glove with notes of salted sand, conifer cones and a lingering finish of just opened champagne.
This is a beautiful piece of writing!
scents have always been powerful for me, so this piece was stunning to read. right now mine are vanilla/almond, Boise in the summertime, coffee grinds and transformation.
OMG I love this post.
A California Girl myself, placed in places afar, even abroad for a bit
Living now so far away, a persistent longing to revisit
My aromas being sea breeze and Santa Ana winds Rainbows
Jacaranda on hot pavement evaporating recent raindrops, roses
Christmas trees, pool chlorine, burnt pumpkin and smoldering fireworks
Evoking childhood memories. Walking on my dad's feet to mow the lawn and to dance.
Dad is easy to recall, smoking his Tipperillos or his cherry scented Erics that he gave up
But too late, his heart too loaded with junk from years or casual smoking,
Nearly daily drinking, but never to much excess.
My mom making coffee and waffles, melting butter,
Her tea rose and Anias Anias perfume, Jeannate body splash.
But I never really thought of her a smelling of any particular thing.
Just clean and just like a mother should smell.
My dad's perfect popcorn with the butter melted in the special orange pan
Salted a bit heavy for my current taste but then it was just right
These are my smells for my early California years, and so many others came along like
Mocha in Seattle
Our baby in San Diego
The rain in Eugene
and now the countryside throughout South Jersey
Thank you for helping me take the journey into scent,
It's been fun and a great spontaneous exercise!!
Warm dog breath kissing me awake.
Vanilla macadamia nut coffee brewing at 5 in the morning, because in the summer I wake with the chickens. A splash of hazelnut creamer creating a decadent, rich scent that reminds me of Hawaii, the salt of the ocean mixing with plumeria, mango, coconut sunscreen.
Back in bed, laptop propped on my knees, two warm bodies press themselves against me. I rub their paws while I write and sniff my fingers, inhaling their popcorn smell deeply.
A breeze blows in through the open window, the promise of a brandnew day sweet in the air. Suddenly: the smell of dog shit. Housetraining the puppy is still a work in progress.
I've written an essay in response to your magnificent piece, Joy. Thank you for the prompt and inspiration!
https://miriamverheyden.substack.com/p/what-does-your-life-smell-like
Gosh, Joy---this is amazing. When I was working on my last kids' book, I came across the idea of smellprints--like finger prints, we all have a unique one. It's such a vivid way to think about someone. I do think mine change with the seasons, and my current one involves flat-leaf parsley, plump tart gooseberries, and the dew on the lawn first thing in the morning-damp with hope
Also this is reminding me how I bought spikenard essential oil, because it's the most expensive, and dabbed it on my wrists every morning for a season. I didn't even love the smell overly much, just wanted the anointing to linger. Spikenard has a long history in the world of scents - it still smells mysterious and complex to me.
Thank you for sharing. I totally understand. It has been four years and his scent is gone. Only two dimensional photos in hard glass and sharp edges.
Ah, this was right on time for me! In March I went to perfume-obsessed Paris where everything smells lovely, and I started kicking myself the moment our plane landed back in Portland for buying no perfume for myself.
After reading your post, I went down to the Fumerie with my SIL and we spent a lovely never-mind-how-long amount of time sniffing perfumes as then sniffing them again as they morphed over time. I came home with one I love ("Insulo" by Jeroboam).
Oh! Also I read your book in the spring and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was reading it at Edgefield Hotel soaking pool one night and some random guy came up to tell me that he was not a weirdo but that he was there with his wife and mother-in-law (points to them over there) who had been watching me smile at your book all night like I was thoroughly enjoying myself and had sent him over to ask what the book was. So, that's how much I enjoyed your book. Enough for strangers to send over their spouse to ask me what it was.