A Life in Perfumes
Early 2000s
My two first perfumes were Clinique Happy and Ralph by Ralph Lauren. I started wearing perfume between 1999 and 2000, and I remember taking my blue bottle of Ralph to summer camp and spraying half the bottle into my luggage to stave off mustiness. Instead, the sweetness attracted tons of ants (the Abba Zabba candy bars might've also played a part). Smelling these instantly transports me back to hot Southern California summers.
Victoria's Secret Dream Angels Heavenly felt like my first grown up perfume, and I was obsessed with the velvet lotion from the Heavenly gift set. It had a powdery finish to it that perfectly enhanced the powdery musky scent of the perfume. I wore this through most of 7th grade.
Very Sexy for Her by Victoria Secret aligned with sliding into my goth/punk phase (aka shopping at Hot Topic, listening to Sum 41, and wearing Emily the Strange clothing). It felt subversive because it was called sexy and that was the last thing I was trying to be. I loved this scent and wore it from 8th grade through my sophomore year of high school.
When I was 16 years old, my dad reconnected with his father who he hadn't seen in nearly a decade. My dad was born in France and my grandmother wore Chanel Number 5. It seemed so classy but intimidating, so I was excited to try the more youthful Coco Chanel Mademoiselle. I wore this perfume for a couple of years before switching to Marc Jacobs Daisy. I loved the light scent and the bottle and wore Daisy through the early years of college.
2010s
I've always loved the idea of switching to a new perfume during big life changes. In 2010, I transferred to the University of Washington from Los Angeles, California and started wearing Georgio Armani Acqua di Gioia. Similarly to Ralph by Ralph Lauren, I loved the bottle and the color. This scent kickstarted my love of unisex scents and I wore it from 2010 to 2013.
If I had to identify my signature scent, it would probably be Acqua di Parma Colonia Intensa. In 2012, I graduated from the University of Washington and moved back to Los Angeles. I wanted a dedicated signature scent like my mom's Jontue to mark my transition into adulthood, and I read that both Hepburns (Audrey and Katharine) and Cary Grant wore Acqua di Parma. I loved the idea of a unisex scent that evoked classic Hollywood. I went to the mall to sample the collection and was instantly hooked on Colonia Intensa which felt slightly more feminine than classic Acqua di Parma. I wore this perfume for over a decade until 2025.
Today
Thanks to TikTok, I fell down the rabbit hole of scent, memory, and personal fragrance in 2025. I bought dozens of samples from niche and well-known houses and started realizing that what I like to smell is very different than how I like to smell. The first full bottles I bought were DS & Durga's Steamed Rainbow and I Don't Know What.
Up until the spring of 2025, I was working remotely as an archivist which made it possible for me to live in California even though my office is based in Washington, D.C. I had been looking for a lilac scent which steered me towards Frederic Malle and their brick and mortar store on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood (a street I used to frequent in high school doused in Very Sexy for Her while looking at studded belts and creeper shoes) to sample En Passant. While I liked it, I was instantly struck by Lipstick Rose. I'd driven down through Laurel Canyon in the rain with my windows down and Lana del Rey playing on the stereo. Lipstick Rose was that scent - moody and a little bit dangerous. I bought the small 10ml travel size and when it accidentally shattered en route during my move back to Washington, D.C., Frederic Malle replaced it with a full-size bottle at no extra cost.
After having to move back to D.C. for a reassignment, I wanted a way to carry the ethos of Los Angeles with me. Los Angeles will always be the place that feels like home and I wanted a scent to evoke that feeling. I'd purchased the 20 count sample set from Etat Libre d'Orange thinking I'd love Fat Electrician or I Am Trash, but I wound up smitten with She Was an Anomaly. If I had to pick a signature scent from 2025's lineup, this is it. It smells like plastic pool toys warm from the sun and somehow seems to capture the best elements of all the scents that came before - the velvetiness of Dream Angels Heavenly, the sweetness of Daisy, the subversiveness of Very Sexy for Her, the nonconformity of Acqua di Parma. I am obsessed with this scent.
My latest full bottle purchase is Clue Perfumery's Warm Bulb. When Fat Electrician disappointed, I went in search of other electrifying scents and found Clue. Somehow it seems to perfectly capture the feeling of static that makes you tense in anticipation of the inevitable shock. This is another top contender for a signature.
Beyond
I currently have a stack of samples from tons of houses - Lis, Maison Margiela, Snif Co., Creed, Cardinal Scents - plus several from Lucky Scent. I'll be starting up a sniff diary to track these samples and my impressions of them, so keep an eye out for that!