If you have known me since the dawn of time, you know that I am always surrounded by a cloud of scent. If you have not smelled me, you were probably just suffocating nearby while I was spritzing. You are my only real friends.
My love of musk started long before my serious perfume days. In high school, I was obsessed with a Bath and Body Works musky scent that I wore like it was my job. It was warm, slightly sweet, and made me feel grown up in a way no floral ever could. That was my first real introduction to the deep, clean, slightly sensual smell that has followed me my entire life. While I will try the occasional floral, like the Gucci sample I am still working through, they almost never stick. I always find myself reaching for something fresh, clean, and musky instead.
Let me take you on a tour of the perfumes that have been my faithful companions in the order they entered my life.
Trish McEvoy Number 9
Discovered in Santa Barbara when I was nineteen and living my best California life, this was my first true perfume love. I have gone through more bottles than I can count, and it is still one of only two perfumes I travel with. It smells like blackberry pie met a cashmere sweater, juicy, sweet, and musky in the coziest way. Trish has been a memorable gift from my husband many times over, and I know it will always have a place in my collection.
Escada Magnetism
One of the most fashionable people I have ever met introduced me to this in my twenties, and those years were completely scented with it. It is fruity, flirty, and has a caramel finish that makes you smell like dessert in the chicest way possible. Escada makes me feel like I am walking down the streets of Paris in oversized sunglasses with somewhere fabulous to be.
Versace Bright Crystal
Discovered on my own in my twenties at a Sephora in Seattle, this quickly became one of my most complimented scents, right up there with Baccarat Rouge 540. Friends, strangers, coworkers, it does not matter who it is, people stop me to ask what I am wearing when I have this on. It is bright, fresh, and slightly fruity with just enough floral to feel feminine without being overpowering. I have gifted it to many people because it seems to be universally loved. I no longer buy the big bottle, but instead keep the travel size because I like having one in my car at all times for a quick spritz before walking into a meeting, lunch, or even just errands.
Creed Aventus
I stumbled upon this during lunch with a dear friend in Seattle, and my mother and I both fell in love with it. Later, she gifted it to me because it is, to put it plainly, very expensive. It opens with pineapple and bergamot, moves into smoky birch and jasmine, and settles into vanilla, oakmoss, and musk. It is champagne in the forest, confident, crisp, and unforgettable. This one will always remind me of that sweet friend, the day my mother and I discovered it, and the fact that she spoiled me with a bottle I might not have bought for myself.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540
This is the other scent that ties with Versace Bright Crystal for the most compliments I receive from both strangers and friends. Matt researched this one like it was his master’s thesis. He read articles, cross checked reviews, and found out Rihanna wears it. Baccarat Rouge 540 is one of the most popular perfumes in the world, endlessly copied but never matched. It is spun sugar with warm wood and a touch of mystery that makes people want to get closer. I get texts from people all over the world saying they just met someone who smelled amazing and instantly thought of me, and without fail, it is always this scent.
Burberry Goddess
My current everyday go to, discovered in duty free at the Finland airport. Of all my newer finds, this is the one I have stuck with most. It is built around three kinds of vanilla, woody, creamy caviar, and deep absolute, with lavender weaving through it. It is warm, elegant, and reminds me of my European adventures.
YSL Libre
Another duty free find from Europe, though Burberry won my heart first that day. Libre is crisp, cool, and a little bit bossy with its lavender and smooth creamy base. It is my clean and fresh fragrance that somehow feels both jet set chic and effortlessly casual.
Hermès L’Ombre des Merveilles
My most recent discovery came in Las Vegas just two weeks ago while dressed up for a Backstreet Boys concert. It is smoky, woody, and mysterious, with black tea, incense, and tonka bean. I am waiting for the bottle to arrive in the mail, hoping it smells just as good as it did that night. There is a chance it was just the concert high, but if so, it will be the most expensive Backstreet Boys souvenir I own.
Emma and Kate have had long discussions about the difference between eau de toilette and parfum. As I have gotten older and started buying more parfums, I have learned that too much can overwhelm people. Emma and Kate already know exactly how to apply perfume and how much to use. I am still learning.
Emma will often comment on her mommy’s smell with a smile, and I hope that the scents I have worn will linger with my girls far into their adult years. My wish is that someday, long after they have grown, a familiar fragrance will stop them in their tracks, take them right back to our home, and remind them of me with nothing but warmth and love.
As a professional perfume connoisseur, my suggestion is to always buy the travel size or roll on version first before fully committing. Wear it for a week or two and see if you truly love it, and whether it lingers in a way that makes you want to reach for it again and again. Things that fade away never last in my book. Ask the people around you if you smell good and you will quickly learn how it reacts with your skin chemistry and hormones.
Perfume is a living thing on the body, and placement can completely change the scent it gives off. Applying it to pulse points such as the wrists, neck, and behind the ears uses your natural warmth to help release the fragrance throughout the day. A light mist on your hair or clothing can also extend its presence, but the oils in parfum interact best with skin. Heat, hydration levels, and even pH balance all influence how perfume develops, which is why a scent that smells incredible on one person may fall flat on another. The magic is finding the one that works in harmony with you.
