memory triggers

My wife used to wear Loulou by Cacharel when we were in our twenties.

Now she hates it but she loves me!

For some reason or another, I'm very affected by scent triggers. Most of them trigger specific times in my life. I always feel like I'm transported back. Most of the time it has to do with the first time I smelled that fragrance. These are just the strongest triggers for me.

Drakkar Noir - Freshman and sophmore year of college. I am always brought back to my dorms when I sniff it but I don't wear it often anymore.

Midnight in Paris - Spring and ice puddles and cuddling. I always feel happy when I wear this one.

Aventus - Takes me back to when ex broke up with me last spring. I often joke that it has top notes of 40 degree weather, freezing rain, middle notes of heart break and tears, and the bottom notes round up with depression. I rarely wear this one anymore due to the memory which is a shame.

NdN - It brings me back to last summer and my recovery post break up. It's a bitter sweet trigger but some wearings transport me back, while some other times it doesn't, which is good because I really want to enjoy this fragrance for its beauty. Pair this with songs from Avett Brothers and I'll definitely be brought back.

Neutrogena's shaving cream - I am reminded of my summer term studying ecology in the Amazon rainforest and Galapagos Islands. When I smell it, I can feel the humidity, heat, and hear sounds at our research station in the Amazon. I can also feel the cold, hard floors and the heavy, itchy sheets of our hotel in the Galapagos. I still have the tube left but can't bring myself to use it. It was such a happy time in my life with a once in a lifetime opportunity but I miss it so much.

This summer, I was hunting for a scent to wear when my wife and I celebrated our ten-year anniversary in Hawaii. I landed on Mont Blanc Legend. Now, whenever I wear it, we're both sent back to that amazing week.

Vintage Polo Green reminds me of my college days, going out with friends, being wild, free and young again!

Balafre - my wedding

Versace Man Eau Fraiche reminds me of Vegas. Because I bought it on my way to Vegas.

Estee Lauder beautiful reminds me of my mother.

Colors by benetton - Reminds me of College
Joop - Reminds me of a old job from years ago.
Brut - My dad.
Pacco Rabanne & Polo Original - School
Boss Bottled - A friend who used to wear it when all the lads went out on the town on a Saturday night.

Brut - Mom in her 20's
Tea for 2 and CdG2 - her current scents

I feel the same way about YSL L'Homme. It was my signature scent back in the day and I use to wear it all the time (only had 3 fragrances) when I first started dating my ex and she used to always compliment me on how good it smelled. We went through a horrible break up and though I wore the fragrance before I even knew her, it still sometimes reminds me of her.

That's why I feel like having an actual collection can be a good thing, because many times it is difficult to attach memories to one particular fragrance when you own and wear so many. I am up to 33 bottles now, and the lady I'm dating always compliments me on all of my fragrances so, there isn't just one that is a standout. In which she really loves Michael Jordan Legend on me. Lol go figure!

I thought it was just me.

Silver Mountain Water: Reminds me of my Nana (God rest her soul). I don't know exactly what she used to wear but this reminds me of her so much. I actually have a bottle of it, and i only spray it when i think of her at home.

DK Men: Reminds me of when i was 19 and i just started dating my Fiance. It was love at first sight. I used to wear DK Men, and i remember finding out it had just been discontinued! We went on a hunt for any more bottles we could find. We found none! Then she found an Ulta that had one last bottle. We drove 2 hours to get it. I think of that every time i spray it to this day.

Eternity: I remember being 10 years old and going to visit my Father on the weekends. My older brother used to take me under his wing and even though i was a little kid, he used to take me everywhere since my Father never had any time for me. My brother used to used this stuff, and i thought he was so cool.

Dolce & Gabbana PH: I found this from a old friend that i worked with. I was a Fragrance newbie and this guy used to wear this amazing stuff. I had never smelled anything like it. He took me to bloomingdales to buy my first bottle. It became my signature scent for the next 15 years. I was heart broken when i found out it was reformulated. Nothing has quite filled the void since.


This thread made me smile. Thanks OP

Sorry to hear about your break-up, tonghpafu. Imo she did you a big favor with Aventus.

For me...

RL Polo Sport... me as a 17 year old. Gym. Cramming for exams. 1st heartbreak, lol.

Givenchy Noir Drakkar. Popular with my army bunk-mates. I told nobody I was using ...Yves Rocher!

Armani Eau pour Homme ... me as a 21 yr old. New girlfriend + overseas scholarship = long distance romance.

CK Eternity for Men. Wacky housemate's 'lady-killing' signature scent. More like bug-killing to me, lol. Party like it's 1999.

Tommy by Tommy Hilfiger. Nice inoffensive fragrance. Perfect for my life at the office. Followed by Cerrutti Image, Guerlain Heritage, L'eau d'Issey pour Homme, RL Polo Black.

Come to think of it, it's kinda nice having fragrances mark the milestones in your life.

Miss Dior (original) EDP: my Mother. So strongly that I contemplate buying it just to have it to smell. Thank God my Mom is still healthy and active!
Colours by Benetton: First teaching job. This was back in the days I wore one fragrance exclusively so all of my jackets and ties smelled of it. I bet I still have a few ties where I could detect the scent (although I don't wear ties these days).
Guerlain Vetiver: my first serious relationship, in a very odd way. She and I were perfume shopping for her one day, and she sampled something by Missoni (this was in the 80s). Her immediate reaction was "the elephant house at the Baltimore Zoo". Many, many years later when I first sampled Vetiver, this phrase came ringing back into my ears. I love it now, although it took a while.
L'Eau d'Issey PH: London England. The first time I took a vacation solo. I bought a bottle of this in duty-free just before I boarded the plane. Now every time I smell it, it brings back that trip.

Pretty much anything in the currently owned and, also, used to own-sections of my Wardrobe reming me of someone or something, often almost instantly.

I have worn most of this scents for so long, most of them bring up certain personal, but also professional, recreational, mental etc. experiences, as well as people from the past and/or present.

The very reason I got into fragrances was the power of scents which imprint upon memories the most, and of course I like to smell good while doing that. I remember the first scent given to me by my grandfather back around 97 was something exactly like Dior Homme Intense (it was some Indian product, probably amberette) but when I smelled that note in my DHI I was transported back to my grandpa's house and to the very day on which I got it and that exact evening, back then I didn't care about it as I was just 8 but now it comes back every time I put on my DHI. (I miss him, such a great man.)

Cigar by Remy latour brings back memories of my school as it was around that time that I gifted it to my grandpa and bought a bottle for myself too, and my 2 best mates along with me, would douse ourselves in this while going out.

Brut has been my dad's scent from last 15 years or more.

Burberry London reminds me of the day my mom complimented it in the car and I was happy to get it as my birthday gift. Same story with spice bomb as it was the first frag I got on my 23rd birthday and everyone in my family liked it and my gf (who doesn't know almost anything about fragrances) liked it too.

Curve Crush reminds me of the first time I kissed her :3 takes me back to that nervous moment xD (she's my fiancé now so Im gonna turn her to the light now)

Versace Man eau fraiche reminds me of hot summer collage days
Dior homme remidns me of great times with my girlfriend

We love the fact that perfumes are more than just fragrances; they are memories and recollections of emotions and thoughts!
Here's Sophie's personal story from (in a very apt shape!) -

Drakkar Noir, Eternity for Men and Paco Rabbane. On the rare occasion I catch these scents on a man, I get weak in the knees remembering the men I dated who wore them too - and specifically, the nights I spent with them. I allow myself exactly two seconds to think about this and then quickly put it behind me, as I've now been married for 15 years (to a man who wears no cologne!)

I had to sell a bottle of my wife's perfume because it reminded me of an ex.

Tommy by Tommy Hilfiger-- 6-8th grade
Polo Sport by Ralph Lauren-- 9-12th grade

Synthetic heaven.

I'm 47, and I would love to get a sample of the Liz Clayborne Red Triangle bottle scent. I had a girlfriend years ago... Oh and Hugo Boss Boss #1 reminds me of my first job, and Aqua Velva reminds me of my father, and Old Spice my grandfather...Ah, reminiscences...

I really do love how fragrances can create unique memories, it shows that it's more than just smell.

Parents

D&G PH - My father's favourite scent which he wore for quite some time. I will always think of my dad when I see this, and I'm talking about the original of course, not the garbage reformulation.

Givenchy Pi - Another one my dad loved. Every morning when I would get ready for school I could smell the heavenly vanilla trail it left in the house because my dad would put it on.

Givenchy Organza Indecence - My mom wore this back in the day, the original version. Heavenly scent, I LOVED smelling this on her when I was little. It's a damn shame they discontinued this, I wish I could still find a bottle somewhere and buy it for my mom

Poison - Another one my mom wore quite often. This was even longer back

Calvin Klein Truth - Another of my mom's, this was her signature scent for a while and she still has a bottle

For me

Ferrari Black - My very first, full bottle fragrance. Purchased when I was in grade 8, I remember how happy I was when I got the 125 ML tester for only $20. Wore this to school everyday, would spray like 15-20 sprays everywhere LOL (thankfully, it had weak sillage and longevity so it wasn't really a big deal that I sprayed so much). I finished this in only a few months since I sprayed it so damn much.

Tommy by Tommy Hilfiger - Grade 9. Love that clean, minty smell.

Bvlgari Aqva - Another wonderful scent, I oversprayed it though and killed the bottle in only a few months time. People loved it though, got so many compliments in grade 10

Nautica Island Voyage - After grade 10 gym class!

Le Male/Cuba Gold - my signature scent for the rest of high school pretty much. I would wear Cuba Gold on a regular basis because I didn't want to waste my precious Le Male :P And I used Le Male for more "special" times. Either way I loved that vanilla smell, and Le Male will always be a special favourite of mine. My girlfriend who I've been with for 2 years says how she always remembers that smell on me when we first started dating in grade 12

Joop Jump! - Great gift I got from some family, also became a staple in my senior year.

Romance Silver - Of course, haha. Wore this in grade 8 for my graduation, as well as my grade 12 prom. I don't feel the same way about it anymore tbh....but at the time I had thought it was a very classy scent that I enjoyed. Still, this will always hold fond memories for me.

Burberry Brit - Originally my brother's bottle, he gave it to me a couple of years ago. Used it quite a bit in senior year too.

I have more bottles, but I haven't had them long enough to evoke any lasting memories really. I look forward in the future to continue building my collection and harbouring more memories with all my fragrances

I have several memories linked to scent, main ones being...

L'air Du Temp for my late mum - if I get a whiff of that now I still turn round to look for her (for some reason?!?)

Chanel No5 for my grandma

Georgio Beverly Hills for an ex girlfriend. Smelling that takes me back to frolicking in her dads apple orchard and etc, etc, etc