Growing up in such a verdant place such as Hawaii where sweet scents can be found right from your porch. The morning mists early in the morning trailing down the valley. The salt and sun in the air mixing in with delicious food smells along with spicy and floral trails from the forests. Ahhhh.....Closing my eyes listening to the waves methodically dance their gentle beat into my heart and mind forever. It's no wonder why I have grown so keen on triggering memories through my sense of smell. I love to tell stories through my scents.
I have been a collector of perfumes for many years now. When I was younger, I didn't quite know the value of my collection and in error I tossed out some very rare pieces that I could kick myself for doing so later. However young and inexperienced as I was, I am grateful that I held onto my collection even as some of them I eventually outgrew with age, experience and chemistry that alters ones taste. Every now and again I will peruse my collection and sniff a scent I had long forgetten and it takes me to a place I'd forgetten. That is the pure pleasure of collecting scents for me. Each bottle I hold, has memories attached to it. It's my life in pretty little glass decants.
I sometimes wonder as I have yet to meet anyone else as obsessed with scents as I am, if there was something the matter with me. Are you one of those like myself? Borderline obsessive about scent and perfumery. I adore my collection of scents and as I have a daughter, she has developed her own interest in scents. I have slowly started a collection for her to enjoy as a little girl. She has her very own perfume table. Though not allowed to wear it to school or herself just very rarely, she is allowed to scent her teddies and dolls and she delights in the whole process. It's a wonderful passion to share with her and I count myself fortunate to gift her with this memory which I hope she will treasure as I surely did with my beloved Mother did for me. I will never forget the first perfume she let me wear. It was the original Zen by Shiseido. Still to this day brings back stark memories of her.
I continuously ad to my collection and am always very interested in others collections as well. I'd delight in knowing or hearing about your collecting and how you go about it and any tips I could learn to enjoy this addiction to the full!
Enjoy your wonderful perfume treasures....
Samantha
There is certainly nothing wrong with you, I suffer from the same delightful obsession with scent. To me, scent is as vital as breath, I don't think I could live if I ever became anosmic...I would surely descend into great sadness.
ReplyDeleteEach fragrance in my collection is a keeper of memories, moods, feelings, passions. Scent is a joy, an individual marker of style, and the bottles themselves are works of art. I do believe my own daughters will pick up on my hobby one day. It is far more than just a hobby, it is passion I enjoy on a daily basis. I didn't grow up in a lush tropical paradise like Hawaii, but I did grow up in the Sierra mountains in California. I believe that upbringing really shaped my tastes as I grew older. I've always loved the deep, resinous and warm scents of trees, the wood, the classic flowers my grandmother would grow...I could ramble on forever about scent! :)