Fragrance can evoke memories in such a special way. This is why it’s so personal to many. Coco Chanel Mademoiselle, the all-time classic, does this for me. Not only does this perfume take me back to a moment, but it also brings me back to a version of myself I didn’t get to say goodbye to. I had a civil ceremony in 2020, like many resulted in during the pandemic and Mademoiselle was my perfume choice for the big day!
Quickly after getting married, I fell pregnant with our first son, that’s where a new version of myself quickly came to the surface. While I love her, I do miss glimpses of old me and that’s why this fragrance is so special. I get to go back with just one spray.
When my husband and I get a rare opportunity to go on a date, I spray the perfume, and boom, we’re both back, pre-kids and newlyweds, only for a moment. The perfume serves as a signal. A signal that we can just be and do us for a night. I also love this scent because it lingers into the next morning when we’re back in the rhythm and flow with our boys, I’ll get that faint whiff of the not-so-distant memory.
Our sense of smell, or more formally known as olfactory receptors begins to develop as early as 8 weeks gestation and becomes fully functional at about 24 weeks, according to this Very Well Family article. All of this development takes place while we are in our mother’s womb. It narrows in how powerful the sense
The use of fragrances and perfumes dates back thousands of years ago, researched in this article from Fragrance X. Examples of fragrances have been discovered in ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, Mesopotamia, and the Persian Empire.
Fragrances allow us to add to the picture we’re painting of ourselves for the world. So special that through fragrances and perfumes, we’re briefly reminded of past versions of ourselves.
Eleven Seventeen 