The World Of Aromas

A woman’s evolution is one of the most versatile and fascinating – emotional and physical – metamorphoses from the days of being a pretty little thing to the gorgeous years of ageing gracefully. As she embarks on this fabulous journey, the perfume she loves also holds a special place in her life, changing as she herself evolves.

How many of us remember the saccharine sweet ‘body splashes’ from college days? This is the time when we haven’t chosen our own personal scent; we want to smell like all the edibles we love…raspberries, blueberries, cocoa. A 16-year-old-in in all the glory of her newly found womanhood is quintessentially expected to reek of a syrupy sweet bottle of perfume like Britney Spears’ Midnight Fantasy. And the notes of plum, orchid, freesia, and vanilla can be seen floating through her candy pink room.

Like the inner child in us, not all of us completely abandon all things sweet but in the mid-20s, as we dive into the world of jobs, there is a need to don bouquets that are more aquatic and lighter like Calvin Klein’s One. And as life bifurcates into work and party, our perfumes do the same. The floral notes are stored away for the night.

With the experience that the world puts upon us, the nose and the palate train the tastes. Opinions are formed, weekend wine-tasting classes are attended and most importantly several toxic experiments are conducted in the kitchen. As we experience the world of spices and flavour, we learn to distinguish between our moods and our colognes. They can tell you that a perfume is ageless but it really isn’t. There are some whiffs that are made for the woman in her fully mature stage – and the average 20-something-year-old will veer clear of them. Woody, musky, slightly heavier aromas fill our lives beyond the 40s.

So never let anyone tell you that a perfume is just something you splash on. It is a culmination of your palate and experience; everything that you have learnt. It is a personal album of your years of growing up; keep the empty bottles close and the scented memories closer.

Subscribe to Verve Magazine or buy the Verve issue on stands now!