Notes Of Nostalgia

I think most of us can relate to perfume holding memories. We all probably started either at Bath and Body Works or reaching for our mother’s bottles. My mother had one expensive bottle of perfume, Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana, and now whenever I smell it I remember looking up through messy hair at my mother, watching her spray it carefully so as to not waste it. Light Blue will forever hold the essence of the caring and nurturing nature of my mother. Or Velvet Sugar by Pink, my first perfume, brings me back to the days of One Direction and hiding from boys I thought were cute.

My all-time favorite scent is Philosykos by Diptyque, a Paris-based perfume house. Philosykos was created by Olivia Giacobetti and includes notes of fig leaf, fig, coconut, and cedar. The description of this perfume is lucid and imaginary: “A wild grove bathed in sunlight, through which you had to pass to reach the sea. The Philosykos Collection from Diptyque is a recollection of a summer spent in Greece, at Mount Pelion. A scented ramble and a tribute to the entire fig tree.” I can attest to the fact that this perfume smells like a European summer. It is green and bathed in sunlight, the embodiment of spring. Philosykos was also the first luxury perfume I ever smelt, and as soon as I did, it awakened me to the world of perfume. It has an incredibly steep price tag, but it is well worth it. Diptyque is careful in the creation of their scents–a rose scent is not simply a floral, but they include the stem, the root, the soil– and they excel at capturing the entire experience of an object. Wearing Philosykos instills a sense of warmness, confidence, and curation of myself. It makes me feel as lovely as a garden of fig trees.

We have Olfactory memories; for example, when I smell a bonfire, I am reminded of my Grandfather. I’m sure everyone has at least one scent that transports them to a memory. This is why perfume can be such a potent form of self love. I mean, the ancient royal Egyptians and Persians were on to it thousands of years ago. It is important for us to have scents that make us feel certain emotions. I have perfumes that instill confidence that I wear for presentations or on emotional days. Perfumes that invoke romance for first dates. Perfumes that are sweet for silly days with my friends. I have perfumes for every season and atmosphere. It is a special moment in my routine to look through my perfumes and decide which energy I want to curate today. It helps me to set myself up for the day, beyond breakfast or a morning shower. It is a small step, but incredibly impactful.

Beauty can be so many things. I look at a horse and I think it is lovely. I look at a leaf and I think it is wonderfully created. I look at a shade of purple and am captivated. We often look at ourselves and see anything but beauty. And, of course, there are a million self-love rituals you can search for on the internet, but none of it will change your face or your body. We can only love ourselves so much, but the imperfections remain. I found that, often, the strangest things can become transformative when trying to love myself more. For me, perfume has been that, as it offers me something outside of myself to increase my confidence, and thus, my beauty. I am a believer that energy is impactful in our self-perception, and what is perfume but a cultivation of energy and memory into scent?

Strike out,

Jaden Rudd

Editors: Maya Kayyal and Indigo Carter

Saint Augustine

Jaden Rudd is a Staff Writer for Strike Magazine, Saint Augustine. She loves Fantasy and wishes to one day have a pet dragon. You can find her at @jadenrud on Instagram, at jadenrudd95@gmail.com, or check out her poem “The Fae” at Midsommar Magazine.

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