Are there any fragrances or other scents that take you back to a special moment or an important phase in your life? I can imagine this wouldn’t be easy to answer in a movie theater with the scent of popcorn in the air, but this morning, when I wasn’t expecting it, I caught a whiff of something that took me back to my wedding day. I must have brushed the bottle by accident, but the memory it triggered was as bright and clear as the actual day.
Here are some of my milestone perfumes listed in reverse chronological order (’cause that’s how I roll). What are some of yours? 🙂
Cover Girl Navy (1990)
Ah, the scent that started it all… Every high school freshman girl in my class wore Liz Claiborne (remember the triangle bottle?), but since I couldn’t afford it, I saved my pennies and bought Navy at the Thrifty’s drugstore near my house. I went through that bottle like it was goin’ out of style, dousing myself with it and hairspray in the girl’s bathroom between classes. There’s still a bottle in the bathroom at my parents’ house.
Yves Saint Laurent YSL Paris (1993)
I’ll never forget the day I went to the store to buy Paris with my mom and dad for Christmas my senior year. I wore it every day from then on through graduation, and then took the bottle with me to college. I was so lonely that first year away, but Paris is one of the few things that always reminded me of home.
Estee Lauder Pleasures (1994)
This one takes me back… Whenever I catch a whiff I picture those little black backpacks, and floral dresses or plaid shirts worn with Doc Martens.
Gucci Envy and Gucci Rush (1999)
After college I moved to San Francisco for work and bought both of these with my very first “grownup” paycheck. I have so many good and bad memories tied to these scents… Man, my early 20s were rough.
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue (2006)
The scent I wore on my wedding day. 🙂 When I wear it now, I can hear the sound of the ocean and waves crashing far off in the distance.
Dolce & Gabbana Rose The One (2010)
I started wearing this last fall and haven’t gotten my fill of it yet. Both this scent and Gucci Guilty define my 2010.
Can you remember any of your milestone perfumes and scents? Please share yours in the comments.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. When I mentioned this post to El Hub, he said, “I can’t remember any of mine,” to which I replied, “Trust me. Women will remember theirs.”
Ralph by Ralph Lauren – it’s what I wore on my graduation day. 🙂
Clinique Happy- first perfume that wasn’t from CVS.. oh middle school memories.
Victoria’s Secret Heavenly screams high school to me, but I’ve since moved on to Love Rocks and Demeter’s Clean Laundry.
I can’t process the smell of patchouli based scents without thinking of a particularly icky ex.
Dang, there should be a category for Scents That Remind You of Your Ex! Polo Sport will always be Eau de Douchebag for me, followed by Cool Water as Eau de High School Douchebag.
Also, when I was in fifth grade, I used to picture the man I wanted my man to smell like (TM the Old Spice Guy) as someone who wore Drakkar Noir. For shame.
Estee Lauder Beyond Paradise – my first “big girl” perfume that my mom gave me in high school, after years of using various body splashes
Vera Wang Princess – a gift for my high school graduation that I wore throughout college
Marc Jacobs Lola – A wedding gift from my husband and the scent I wear almost everyday now
1.) Aquolina Blue Sugar-first cologne ever, wore it religiously
2.) Calvin Klein Man-second cologne ever, expanded my view of the scent world
3.) Zirh-very personal…
4.) YSL La Nuit de’l Homme-reminds me of my summer with my best friends; one of them picked it out and we’d travel to Sephora just to test it haha
5.) BANG by Marc Jacobs-best friend inspired me to buy it; got me started on my review spree
6.) Prada Fahrenheit-signature cologne, forever
7.) 1 Million by Paco Rabanne-gift from someone amazing, second signature to Fahrenheit
I sniffed Bang while shopping for a Christmas present for my dad a few weeks ago and loved it! Understandable that it started your review spree.
I bought my first perfume a few months ago – Hermes Eau des Merveilles smells heavenly. I don’t like perfumes that are too girly, and this one has the perfect combination of citrus and sparkle…while appealing to my cologne-loving nose but still smelling feminine.
I started wearing Love Spell body mist by Victoria Secret in 7th grade, and we went on a cruise that year so whenever I smell that I think of the cruise. Next would be Vera Wang Princess, the first one (which I have a little less than half a bottle of still!) that reminds me of Christmas three(?) years ago. I also have perfumes tied to men! Granted, I’m only 18, so theres only a couple lol. Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy reminds me of a guy named Joel, and Kat Von D’s Sinner reminds me of Nick. Bath & Body Works Orange Sapphire reminds me of this summer and all the crazy times before college. Now I change based on my mood and wear Vanille (random scent I bought at Anthropologie), Viva La Juicy, or Victoria’s Secret Dream Angels Heavenly mist. 🙂
Sunflowers by Elizabeth Arden – totally middle school (mid-90s)!!
Victoria’s Secret Pink – college!
I brought along a limited-edition set from Sephora on my honeymoon, and now I wish I would have opted for something that would have been around for a while, so I could always link that smell to my wedding!
I have the same memory of Sunflowers – I wore that ALL the time back in the day. 🙂
My signature was Gucci Rush for the longest time. It then became Narcisco Rogriguez for the early 2000s when it was a Saks exclusive. Now I’m all preggo and cant stand fragrances lol
1995 – Tresor by Lancome – I had just came from Haiti and my mom wore this to meet me at the airport. She used to wear it religiously every time she went out. I still associate the scent with her
2002-2005 – Tommy Girl – girls in my HS went crazy for this. I did too
2003 – Glow by JLo – my very first purchase of my own. Wore it in 2006 during HS graduation
2010 – YSL Parisienne college graduation
i’ve gone through a small handful of perfumes in my short-ish life but only 2 are a milestone for me (so far :p):
1. burberry classic – this reminds me of my late teenage years and just growing up in general.
2. giorgio armani she – i was given this as a gift when i was in milan a few years ago and i started using it then. whenever i spritz some on, i feel like i’m transported back to that magical place. i really can’t wait to go back 🙂
What a great idea!
Love’s Baby Soft -remember that stuff?I think I was, 14?
Lauren by Ralph Lauren – senior high
Lancome Magie Noire- University
Calvin Klein Eternity-my first job
Jessica McClintock-wedding-love lily of the valley
Polo Sport for Women-when I was pregnant & had my baby
Then I discovered Jo Malone! Favourite is Orange Blossom-reminds me of the orange blossom tree we had in the front yard of my house growing up and my late mom(miss her every day!)
Last year I was into Burberry Sport, Victor&Rolf FlowerBomb, and Ricci, Ricci.
Amarige, by Givenchy. My mother and I don’t have much in common, so anything that we both like means a lot to me. She and I both madly adore that perfume.
And Daniel Day Lewis, but that’s a story for another day. 😉
Love’s Baby Soft in junior high through tenth grade. My junior year I switched to alternating between Navy and Le Jardin in the black bottle. Moved to Coty Wild Musk until I started wearing Pleasures in 2000. After getting married I started searching for a signature fragrance and I’ve now settled on a few higher end scents. Nothing takes me back like LBS or Coty WM though!
Polo black.
Even though it’s a men’s scent, it reminds me of the ephemeral but amazing romance I had with Griffin Taylor. 🙁
Aquolina pink sugar reminds me of the 1st couple years of college and working at tower records. For my wedding trip to Mexico I bought a philosophy coconut shower gel, so fresh coconut smells remind me of that trip!
Love this post–I talked about something similiar on my blog–faveorite scent memories. High School-Anais Anais, 20’s Oscar de Renta, 30’s CK Eternity 40’s Dior J’adore, 50’s ???
ooooooh! I haven’t thought about Anais Anais in years! Defined my high school scent experience!
A perfume that a boyfriend gave me – it’s something Brazilian, I can’t remember since I don’t speak Portuguese – that whenever I wore it later, brought me back to the same mindset from when we were dating.
Oh, and at Safeway the other day, in an empty aisle, I caught a whiff of some guy’s cologne and it jolted me completely. I guess someone I used to date had a similar scent, because it made my heart race! Lol
couldnt help but notice chloe in the photo- my signature 🙂
Gap Dream/Heaven/Om is 7th grade
Euphoria by CK always reminds me of my honeymoon..:))
Ralph Lauren Romance-I wore it on my wedding day in 2007
I Don’t remember exact dates, but I do remember the time periods of them.
Infancy and Toddlerhood: Petite Guerlain (my mother’s doing)
Grammer school Period: I was very into Charlie Red (CVS sells them)
Freshman year of highschool: Tommy Girl
Rest of High School: Between Tommy GIrl and Estee Lauder Beyond Paradise
College years: a mixture of Bath and Body Works fragance
Current: Theirry Mugler Alien or Angel
my first “big girl” perfume was Tommy Girl by Tommy Hilfiger when I was 12.
Current fave is Lola by Marc Jacobs, a gift from my S.O.
Everytime I spritz a bit of Miss Dior Cherie it brings me back to the summer just after my high school graduation.
Haha, I’m gonna have to be the one that proves you wrong, just don’t tell El Hub. I have a terrible memory anyway, but I still haven’t really gotten into perfume. I guess there’s still time but I dunno. I don’t like the idea of possibly wearing a scent somebody else might not like or whatever.
In my early teens I always wore cucumber melon body spray that I’d buy at the Rite Aid near school. When I turned 16 my mom bought me my first Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel; it was the eau de toilette, now I use the parfum since I’ve gotten older and it’s a bit stronger.
Ooh, memories! Plus this is gonna age some of us!
Let’s see, I started with all the usual drugstore suspects: Love’s Baby Soft and Love’s Fresh Lemon. I also was a big fan of Navy.
I loved Gloria Vanderbilt.
Another memory, my mother always wore 4711 when I was growing up. She got it sent to her directly from some relatives in Germany.
My first department store fragrances were Anais Anais and Paloma Picasso.
I remember wearing Estee Lauder’s Tuscany Per Donna when I had my first job.
Later I got into Noa. I was heartbroken when it was discontinued.
For a male fragrance memory, my first serious boyfriend wore Obsession for Men. At the time I found it sexy as all get out, now I think it’s overwhelming! Funny, looking back HE was rather overwhelming!
In recent years I go for really light, clean fragrances. I love Clean Ultimate.
Totally remember Noa! I was this close to buying it when it first came out and then passed. I wish I had picked up a bottle!
Loves baby soft & avon soft musk in the late 80’s because this is what babysitting work could pay for. My hubby met me by the scent D&G Light Blue….my 3rd year old takes away my Harajuku Lover “Love” she loves the bottle that I’ve given up on that battle, and currently I’ve been liking Kenzo perfumes, clean and subtle notes.
Year Unknown: A Shania Twain perfume from my mother. Smells like roses.
2006- MAC MV2 Husband says it makes me smell like a vanilla cake. I wear it whenever I feel sad to perk me up.
2008- Escada Moon Sparkle. MMmmm! Berries! reminds me of my school trip to Ethiopia/Jordan/Israel that year.
2010- Breath of God by Lush. Feel the epic power!
Hi Karen,
I think I tweeted my current scents but thinking back:
(I stole a lot of sprays from either my mom or my aunt’s perfumes)
1988
Obsession – it was a gift from my jr. high boyfriend (yes, I realize that’s way too young to have a bf). I was strangely attracted to the obscure commercials
Lulu – I discover my love for florals.
1989
Eternity – also from the same BF from Jr. High – I think I’m in love but this is really puppy love.
1992
Paris and Lancome’s Tresor – I remember stealing sprays of these from my mom’s perfume counter. It’s described the woman I hoped to become after high school – sophisticated
1999
Gucci Rush and yes many bad things happened at this time. I blame it on that perfume!
2007
I hate to admit this – Juicy Couture – I wore this throughout my pregnancy. All I wanted was to eat anything sweet and I wanted to smell equally sweet. I have only myself to blame for my daughter’s active sweet tooth! I also wore this at my City Hall wedding
Marc Jacobs Pear
I wore this immediately after her birth. It was a toned down sweetness and it made me happy.
Currently
Love and Tears – By Killian
The most elegant Jasmine ever. As my co-worker said as she smelled me, “you smell so refined and calm even though you out of your mind right now!”
Ralph Lauren Romance. It reminds me of my senior year of high school, when I was on top of the world and also when I first fell in love with my boyfriend (and am still in love with).
i dont really remember wearing any specific perfume on special days because i typically forget to even apply perfume when i go out. though for some big occasion like my wedding i will probably be wearing light blue because its my favorite
2002: Just Cavalli by Roberto Cavalli was my official “going out perfume” lots of great memories going out with friends, etc.
2007: “West Side” by Bond No. 9 was what I wore on my wedding day. Went to the Saks 5th Avenue in Santa Barbara and bought a bottle the morning of 🙂
*A lot of scents have come and gone, but those 2 are my favorite for sentimental reasons.
I never really used perfume before about two years ago when my ex’s brother gave me Viva La Juicy. It was a nice scent, but just wasn’t really “me.” Earlier in 2010 I bought Chanel Chance Eau Tendre and it’s been my go-to.
Love’s Baby Soft will take me right back to middle school.
Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers was what I wore in high school
However, the worst is Jean Nate. I know it’s a woman’s body splash, but my grandfather used to wear it all the time. Smelling it reminds me of him. He passed about 4.5 years ago and if I catch a whiff of it in a store I still get teared up.
Love’s Baby Soft, Exclamation – elementary school
Anais Anais, Guess, Laura Ashley Dilys, Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers, Crabtree & Evelyn Veranda, Colors de Benetton – middle school
Aqua di Gio – sophomore year at boarding school & high school in general
Victoria’s Secret Desire – reminds me of my husband, it was one of the first gifts he’d ever given me back in 2000.
Gap So Pink – takes me back to my clubbin’ days 2001-2003.
Curve! (old school-my first)
Clinique Happy
Beyond Paradise
Kenneth Cole Black
Vera Wang Princess
Fancy Love Jessica Simpson
and currently, Viva la Juicy (which is my absolute favorite!!!)
Most of my early fragrance memories come from things my older sister used to wear. CK One, Davidoff Cool Water, Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers, Revlon Charlie White, Gap Dream (and other Gap fragrances), etc. In general, really light, fresh scents. I didn’t wear much perfume as a young teen because all the ones I had were gifts — usually light florals like Estee Lauder Pleasures — and they just weren’t my taste. Even as a youngin’ I preferred warm, heady, oriental fragrance, which people just typically don’t buy for kids! I figured that out when, one Christmas, I got an Estee Lauder gift set with five or six adorable mini bottles, and it contained my new loves, Intuition and Tuscany. I wore those all through high school and college. In college I also added Ralph Lauren Romance and several of the Britney Spears ones (don’t judge me, I had newfound purchasing power and a love for Brit!). On my wedding day I wore Vera Wang. Now my go-to scents are Vera Wang Rock Princess, Kate Spade (combines my two favorite flower scents, honeysuckle and gardenia), and Valentino Rock ‘n Rose Couture (the one with black lace covering the bottle). …wow that was long, but what a great question!
-Coty Wild Musk (if I close my eyes I can smell my Caboodle)
-Vanilla Fields
…then Grandma gave me a bottle of Emeraude at Christmas and I tried to wear it a couple of times until I saw a magazine ad for it that said “you’ve raised the kids, now raise hell”…
-Gap Dream (first paycheck, along with Weezer’s Blue Album!)
-CK One (came with a wee trash can, of all things)
-Romance until it reminded me of a crazy dude.
-Romance Tender Heart until I lost it in a fire and couldn’t replace it.
-Lolita Lempicka until it leaked in my purse and I got sick of it.
-Pink Sugar until I got too damn old.
-Stella Sheer until the boyfriend complained that it gave him a headache, but the bottle is great (it was the last one, with all the silver plants on it) and I saw Squeeze the day I bought it! And Crowded House the next day! I wear it when he’s not around and it makes the good memories come.
-Now it’s The Different Company’s Sel de Vetiver (I think it might be meant for dudes but that’s not my problem), or the EA Pretty I won here, which was awesome :D.
Oh gosh, and how can I forget Lancome’s Poeme??
chance by chanel – i remember saving up for it and buying it when i was a mere 13 years old. this was my favorite perfume to wear at formals and if i was trying to get a particular boy’s attention. the memories that stand out the most when i think about this perfume are the ones i spent on stage with my rock band. i was the only girl, and i was respected. it was the coolest feeling at 13/14, so that is what i remember when i smell it. i was really sad to have lost my bottle of it when i moved back to the states.
bath & body works’ twilight woods – i was looking for a new perfume (somehow japanese cherry blossom was attracting all the wrong guys, and my boyfriend sneezed everytime he smelled it) so i was looking for something lighter, but sexier. i found this one and every time i spritz it on i feel so much more confident, even if i’m just wearing yoga pants and a tshirt. my boyfriend of almost two years can’t get enough of it! :]
I agree, I love the way scents bring back memories.
CK One (circa 1999) My first fragrance ever, I think
Banana Republic Classic (2001-2005) back to high school and my first boyfriend
L’Occitane Ruban d’Orange- (2006-2008) a gift from my boyfriend in college
Dolce and Gabbana The One- (2008-present) This one is the most special to me. I bought it for myself when I was living in Florence, Italy. I wanted a new signature scent, and I still wear it often. It brings me back to sunny afternoons in the Boboli Gardens.
Marc Jacobs Daisy- A new favorite, but haven’t fully formed an opinion about it yet. It isn’t as distinctive as the others.
There are a lot of fragrances I’ve tried over the years but these are the ones that conjure memories for me. The cologne my boyfriend wears gives me mini butterflies every time I catch a whiff of it.
Clinique Happy – wore this through late middle school and early highschool
Clinique Happy Heart – reminds me of boarding school and into college. I had my first boyfriend who would comment on how much he loved it. we broke up and so did I and the perfume
Burberry London – I could not get enough of this when I was 19/20. Wore it everyday until my bottle ran dry and started wearing…
Marc Jacobs Woman – started wearing this because a girlfriend of mine did. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. couldn’t get enough. Reminds me of being 21. I still wear this today on occasion.
Victor&Rolf Flowerbomb – searched high and low for this until I finally stalked Saks enough they reserved a bottle for me as soon as a new shipment came in. I still wear it today and love the scent.
Marc Jacobs Lola – I love this scent and got a bottle as a holiday gift last year. I feel like it’s the perfect scent for where I am in my life.
Chanel No. 5 – Christmas present from my boyfriend when I was 16.
Cinnabar – winter scent in my very early 20’s when I moved to snowy PA
Estee Lauder White Linen & Beautiful – daytime staples
Curve – Christmas 96. A very short lived fad when I bought a gift pack for my boyfriend (now husband) and me.
Van Cleef and Arpels First – my current love and 2010 Christmas present
Victoria’s secret heavenly and pink, and very sexy all remind me of high school.
I’ve always been a scent skank, I change it up all the time, every new relationship or adventure required a new scent.
Victoria’s secret supermodel reminds of Florida where DH and I made a baby!
Chanel chance was when we moved to Japan.
I’m currently in love with Jessica Simpson fancy love, and holding out for flowerbomb once I finish this bottle.
My first perfume was in 2003, I believe as a hs graduation gift, Tommy Girl Summer. I brought it with me to college and accidentally dropped it and it no longer sprayed after that. 🙁
My go to scent in hs was BBW Warm Vanilla Sugar and later VS Love Spell in college. Going back even further, I used to wear various Calgon Body Mists.
2010 was dominated between Marc Jacob’s Daisy or Stella McCartney’s Stella. I also spent time trying to decide between Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche and Chance Eau Tendre, I still can’t decide which one I like more to be my next purchase.
None. Most perfumes give me headaches/stinging watery eyes/nausea. Commercial perfumes smell like migraine to me-like getting hit with a sledgehammer. Natural scents are okay, like spices and real flowers; I used to go for vanilla or lavender. I find people’s descriptions fascinating, though!
Stella McCartney – In Two Peony – Reminds me of a guy I used to work with that I got involved with. Couldn’t wear it for a long time because it made me think of him. But I got over it!
Chanel – Coco Mademoiselle – Also reminds me of that guy, but also Christmas time. I think the first time I wore it it was at our Christmas party.
Jennifer Lopez – Glow – Reminds me of working at HMV. There was a sample in the CD she released at the time. I initially thought it was such a joke – a celebrity creating a fragrance – but I grew to like it.
D&G – LIght Blue – This reminds me of a friend’s stag/stagette party. One of our mutual friends was wearing it. I found out what it was and got it for myself.
I love this question, Karen! Such a fun topic 🙂
There was one body spray by Secret (the deodorant brand) that I wore all throughout middle school… there’s an empty canister laying around somewhere purely for nostalgia :p in high school I didn’t wear anything, but last spring break, during my first year of college, I bought a rollerball of Fresh’s Citrone de Vigne from Sephora. LOVE!!! Such a nice, light, zesty spring/summer fragrance. I still have about a third of the bottle left and it totally takes me back to last spring, long days in the library with my friends, and this one boy I liked – haha!
Burberry The Beat for Men and Viva La Juicy are my two latest purchases (and my only real full-bottle, really nice fragrances, actually). The Burberry cologne is so musky and sexy and not too masculine, so I think it works. I like to wear it when I’m a little more dolled up, to contrast all the girliness :p and I NEVER thought I’d have anything to do with Juicy Couture at all, but I kept coming back to Viva La Juicy… it’s somehow young and fresh but not juvenile, or too floral or sweet, which I don’t like. I think it’ll be my go-to perfume for a while 😀
In chronological order
1. those Calgon body sprays in peach and raspberry. The Body Shop strawberry scent/soap
2. Clinique Happy samples from my mom’s gift bags
3. Estee Lauder pleasures (again from mom’s gift bags)
4. Ralph Lauren Romance – this is a big one for me in high school. This is the first real fragrance I ever bought. I loved the ads and I loved the scent. Sometimes I still smell it just to remember.
5. Gucci Rush – a girl in one of my classes also wore it and she told me some guy said its a granny scent…Gucci during Tom Ford??? lol boggles the mind to think that / Escada summer limited edt scents / Oscar dela Renta’s So De La Renta – this might be a ‘granny’ scent but it just smells good on me even as a teenager
6. Chanel Chance/Coco/Mademoiselle – still in the Chanel phase / The Body Shop Vanilla spray etc – this is a fave with the men. Apparently they really do like girls who “smell like a bakery” as one male put it.
My husband gave me Saint by Kat Von D last february after our daughter was born. Its warm scent will always remind of that warm time when she was a tiny newborn!
Egoiste by Chanel reminds me of when I was four, my dad used to wear it often back then. I love that scent!
And the Beat by Burberry reminds me of last summer!
D&G Light Blue reminds me of my first 2 years of uni, and the early days in my relationship with my boyfriend
sigh…
My first perfume O de Lancome, a fresh lemon fragrance.
A few years later the Benneton perfume “colors”.
Dune de Dior, a gift from my first big love.
Angel de Thierry Mugler at the university, whenever I wanted to feel like a grown-up!
Hypnotic Poison Dior when I met 11 years ago my husband.
Tresor de Lancome a few years ago reminded me of a close friend in High school who was wearing it and I like it very much now.
Bulgari Rose when I discovered that a lighter fragrance could be full of personality.
And Burberry the classic will always be my mum’s!
And now, I own almost a bottle of each of those perfumes and every day I choose one of them and smell a different time of my life!
Oh, what fun! I still remember writing an entry about scents and memory back when I first started blogging (http://maisondumei.blogspot.com/2005/09/case-for-scents-and-memory.html), so I thought I’d share a few more that I didn’t mention in that entry:
1988: Love’s Baby Soft. Reminds me of my sister, who bought it for me when she was in college and I was in fourth or fifth grade. Still get misty-eyed just thinking about it.
1996-2000: Chanel Allure. The first fragrance that I practically emptied. It did not help that I once spent a summer soaking myself in that stuff.
1998: Fresh Mukki. I still have a bottle of this and REFUSE to part with it, because I followed the whole saga on Makeupalley: The bottle I have is the original formulation, which smelled more like chocolate milkshakes. Then they reformulated it to smell more like nectarines, and finally they discontinued it (along with the rest of the Fresh Milk line). On the plus side, my BFF now associates this scent with me, so it’s a bit of a signature.
1999: Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille, which was one of the things I bought when Sephora first opened in Honolulu. Sometimes it smells like burnt sugar on me, and sometimes it smells like flowers. Gorgeous.
2002: Chanel Chance, which was my First Grown-Up Paycheck fragrance. (What is it with fragrance and first paychecks?)
Cute anecdote: I used to wear Calvin Klein Obsession (long story), so I shared it with my cousin who was living in the Philippines at that time. She joked that she should wear it too so she could have someone who’s “obsessed” with her. Fast forward ten years, and my cousin finally ended up with a guy who’s been crazy for her since they were kids… and they just got married this weekend!
Hy Karen! My best perfume memory is with Naomi Campdell – Naomagic, it reminds me of 8 grade, before highschool, so many emotions (a, and Emotions from Destiny’s Child). And there is also Escada – Magnetism that reminds me of my faculty days. Other than that, there are the perfumes of my girlfriends that they used at a certain point and they remind me of something 😀
kiss
I’ve up until recently been a perfume virgin but my boyfriend bought me Vicktor and Rolf’s flowerbomb, Ilove the scent and if I am honest, it does make me think of him, and walking through the perfume sction spraying lots of girlie scents on his arm!| Good times! 🙂 Of course since this relationship is going so well, it does make me go all gooey with happiness when I smell it.
Hmm… I lived on a duty free island so perfume was relatively cheap 😀
Younger, during my 12-18 year old period, I mainly shared perfume with my Mum because of our communal dressing area (A room), and we would shop for them together. The ones I distinctly remember sharing with her were Calvin Klein Eternity and Calvin Klein CK One, especially CK One. Then somehow (I think my Mum bought it), my younger brother got Clinique Happy for Men, and I stole some of it from time to time, though he rarely uses it anyway! And I still have a new bottle of Calvin Klein Eternity, but it has gotten a bit too strong for me.
Then we moved when I was 20, and we got our own dressing areas in our rooms, and I bought my own perfumes. There was The Body Shop Amorito, and when I discovered online shopping and bulk ordering/sprees, I ventured into Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and bought some of their perfume oils, and I love Aizen-Myoo, Embalming Fluid, Kumiho and Shanghai!
Then when I was 23, I bought The Body Shop Japanese Cherry Blossom when I started my part-time job as a game shop sales assistant.
Last year, Mum bought me Lancome Magnifique at my request, which I truly love, and it was a perfume I fell in love with trying out myself on a whim during one of my sojourns to the cosmetics counters. I have to forget to use it at times so that it would last… not that I think it will run out so soon, but still!
And recently I acquired Harajuku Lovers Angel, which, though not as nice as Lancome Magnifique IMO, is nice in its own right. I bought this together with Mum (Partly due to the doll), and she got the Baby version.
Oh, and during my 13-20 year old period, I also had Estee Lauder Pleasures, which is still so lovely IMO.
And you proved your El Hub wrong it seems haha!
The Body Shop Oceanus took me back to my junior high days 🙂 it was the first “perfume” I remembered to be all mine.
Davidoff Cool Water has a special part cuz my best friend wore it in jr. High. I really love the scent so I finally got one.
Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille Amande was my favorite in college. Someone gave it to me, when I look for it again I couldn’t find the vanille amande anywhere :'(
Nowadays I’m trying to find its replacement by wearing Marc Jacobs Biscotti. I also love D&G Rose the One and Chloé :))
Anyway I love this post, Karen. Kinda sentimental :’)
In high school, my mom had a second job at a department store and brought home fragrance samples. From that, I wore Hugo Boss Hugo Woman and Lancome Tresor, in very tiny amounts. I re-bought both fairly recently and I still like them – even if the lady at the Lancome outlet went on and on to another customer about Tresor being “an EXTREMELY mature fragrance, I wouldn’t buy THAT for a young woman…”
When I graduated from college a friend gave me a $50 Sephora gift card and I used it on Vera Wang Princess. I know it’s got a bad rap as being only for preteens but I like it on me. Two years later I sniffed the Rock Princess version at a mall with a friend who is a huge shopping enabler, and so I have that one too.
My boyfriend at the time – fiance now – bought me Estee Lauder Pure White Linen Light Breeze for my birthday the first year we were together.
I’m with you Karen… I just recently got a Sephora Frangrance Sampler and I looove D&G Rose the One 🙂 it’s so nice and floraly fresh.
By the way I really do loooove your typographic & photography skillzzzzz – it really does make your blog so unique!
Chanel #5 reminds me of my 3rd grade teacher…
Chloe was my grandmother’s signature scent.
I wore Lauren through tenth grade to impress a boy who liked it. Too bad I didn’t, and I usually stunk.
I remember wearing Opium to senior prom, but it was too strong to wear any other time of my life.
My scent in the late 80s was eternity. I still can smell it on other people the second they walk in to the room.
Since i have been married (16 years last Friday) my husband does not like perfume. So it’s a splash of body spray now and then. I like Gap heaven. I’m also fond of Fresh scents, but usually use samples.
Wow, taking me back in time and making me think! I love reading everyone’s replies but some of them make me feel very old and I’m only in my mid 30’s! Ha-ha.
Teens – Liz Claiborne “The triangle one”, Jessica McClintock, Love’s Baby Soft
20’s – Pleasures, Eternity, L’eau de Issy, Gucci Rush, Miracle
30’s – Vera Wang, Pleasures Exotic, Coco Mademoiselle, Bobbi Brown Almost Bare, David Yurman
My daily staple is Bobbi Brown though. Husband bought me Eternity for Christmas because it reminds him of 13 years ago when we first met.
Middle school – Love’s Baby Soft, Navy, Malibu Musk (that was some pretty stinky stuff, I even knew it then!)
High school/College – Gucci Rush, BCBGirls, Spark by Liz Claiborne, Prada
Now: Dolce and Gabbana The One
As far as men go, Obsession and Drakkar Noir brings me back to the days of making out in the backseat almost instantly!
wow such a fun topic
my first perfume,in high school was Fleur d’eau de Rochas, which is now discontinued I think. i remember feeling all grown up wearing it because none of my friends had perfumes…
After, I got into Pink, by the Gap.
Then, in college, I wore Live Luxe by Jlo (gosh was I embarassed to say it was a jennifer Lopez perfume)
Then Maybe Baby by Benefit and a few others I can’t remember… I used to really like super-flowery perfumes and now i can’t stand ’em.
Currently wearing un Jardin après la mousson by Hermes, which smells like heaven i’m sure! My mom bought if for me after a trip to France. i can’t afford it since a bottle is more than 100$ here in canada, so i’m being very savvy with my bottle and wearing only on very special occasions, like x-mas…..
* My first perfume was Electric Blue by Debbie Gibson lol. I think I was like 12 or 13 (does anyone remember that? Lol)
* Then I got Anais Anais by Cacharell. Which is really light. My mom also got me the body lotion and that was my first time using body lotion…loved it!
* Then at 16 I went to a prom and my mom took me to the Chanel counter to have my makeup done (I’ve been in love with Chanel since. It’s been a 15-year affair). Thats when I was introduced to Allure. I was instantly in love! I still have that empty bottle 🙂
* once my first bottle of Allure rsn out I bought Pleasures by Estee Lauder and Happy by Clinique.
*. Then my mom got me So Pretty by Cartier
*. Now I use Coco Mademoiselle, Coco, Allure and Allure Sensuale as my “nighttime” perfume
* Also using Estee Lauder Sensuous and Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb as my everyday perfume
My first fragrance is Black XS by Paco Rabanne. I dressed like a punk when I was in high school, so this fragrance really emphasized the punk me. I still wear it sometimes when having a party all night with my friends.
I wore Light Blue on my wedding day, too! Now I just wear it every day because it makes me happy 🙂
Oh I remember that triangle bottle!!! Liz Claiborne was my first perfume in middle school. In the ’90s I had two faves – Sung by Alfred Sung and Carolina Herrara. After that I briefly used Sunflowers and W by Banana Republic. I stopped wearing perfume 10 years ago while pregnant with my first baby (serious morning sickness) and never picked it back up. Now I just use a Dove Body Spray in the same scent as my deodorant – LOL!
I was wearing Pure Poison during my first kiss, and I still love it to this day. Every once and a while I’ll think of him when I wear it, but not that often. I also think of the guy I first fell in love with when I go through the cologne section at Macy’s. Juicy Couture’s Dirty English I think of Mike.
I love ‘Gucci Envy Me’!!!!! I ALWAYS get compliments whenever i wear it, mostly from boys – surprisingly. They’d go, “Wow, someone smells really, really nice.” whenever i sprtiz it on 🙂 I got sick of it at one point, though, and wanted a change so i tried ‘Dolce & Gabanna Light Blue’ for the first time as i read rave reviews about it.
Unfortunately, i didn’t like the scent much. My dad said i smelt like a hotel shower gel – LOL. So, i bought ‘Gucci Envy Me’ again, and i love it all the same but i still want to try something new. Any suggestions on any similar scents or any scents that would be attention-grabbing but not too overpowering for a 17 year old? 🙂
Hi – this is a few days later but I figured better late than never. I also LOVE Gucci Envy Me – wore it mainly my senior year of college and smelling it brings me back to the apartment I lived in then instantly. I don’t like D&G Light Blue so I’m thinking our perfume tastes may be similar… My suggestion would be Juicy Couture Couture. I really like that and I think it’s a quite young scent. The Escada summer fragrances are another thought…anyway, hope this helps!
first perfume ever – DeNeNes, a cologne from spain by puig. i used that for years!!!
when i graduated highschool – my eldest sister gave me a Dior scent whose name i forget. i used that for my entire college life!
first perfume i bought w/ my own hard earned cash – davidoff cool water for women LOL!
perfume i used for a solid 2 years – d&g light blue
my 2011 perfume – stella by stella mccartney
I really only have two milestone perfumes so far:
Amor Amor by Cacharel – I’ve been wearing it since I turned 16 (I’m 22 now), and I’ll forever love that scent because it will always remind me of my adolescence. I think I’ve finished around 5 large bottles of that perfume so far in my life, which is pretty remarkable if you ask me.
J’Adore by Dior – I think this is a more mature, sophisticated and grown up perfume, but I only wear it at night or on special occassions because I find it too overpowering and sultry for everyday wear. I get compliments everytime I wear it though 🙂
Right now I’m dying to get my hands either on Viktor & Rolf’s Flowerbomb (I’ve wanted to get it for years, but IT’S TOO EXPENSIVE!) or Gucci Guilty (I smelled it at the beauty counter the other day and fell in love <3)
I have so many perfume I can wear them till the day I die!
I must say I love B by Boucheron ,the first fragrance I made my boyfriend get me ( his idea of a gift is something PRACTICAL ,SMH at him!) I love the scent!
Also Jean Paul Gaultier classique, I can never get it out of my head, just because its nice.
Tommy Girl. my first ever fragrance my sis bought me for one of my teenage birthdays.
Laguna,Salvadore Dali, scent my mother wore all throught her 30’s , so unique!
http://www.estrogenexplosion.com
I didn’t really start wearing perfume until college! I had some of the Bath and Body Works body mists (Sweet Pea comes to mind first). My freshman year boyfriend bought me VS Very Sexy, which is nice smelling, but I rarely wear it now… not really because of memories, but because it’s not one of those scents gravitate towards naturally. I’ve been wearing Marc Jacobs’ Daisy for the past few years, so I’m sure I have plenty of memories associated with that.
I have so many of these:
Junior High- Love’s Baby Soft, Exclamation, and Malibu Musk
High School- Victoria’s Secret body sprays, VS Heavenly, CK One, Tommy Girl
Early 20’s- Ralph Lauren Romance, Estee Lauder Pleasures, VS Pink, Paris Hilton
Circa 2006- Calvin Klein Euphoria, Gucci II
2008- Present- Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Gucci by Gucci, Gucci Guilty, Miss Dior Cheri
Such an interesting post! It took me awhile to think about all of the perfumes.
The early years
Tommy Girl
Clinique Happy
Curve
Later
Anna Sui Secret Wish
Burberry Brit
Escada Signature
Gap Close
I know there are so many more in between! Lots of vanilla and floral scents. Such memories reading everyone else’s posts!
My mother has a giant special edition bottle of some kind of Opium spin off- Opium Shanghai I believe it’s called? She’s been wearing it for as long as I can remember. Every time I catch a whiff I am transported back to my early gradeschool days, sent home from school for being unruly (This happened at least every other week, lol) and sobbing angrily until my mum gathered me in her arms and cloud of scent.
My other perfume memory is of my father giving me this Hermes perfume that he got in Paris for my ninth birthday. I didn’t even like the smell of it, but I doused myself in the stuff to feel elegant and French. All the kids in the third grade would tease me for smelling like an old lady. 😀
CK One- my all time favorite. I can remember being so intrigued that both men and women could wear it.
Clinique Happy- I recently got a tiny bottle as a gift with purchase and when she smelled it my best friend said “Holy crap! That smells like you in Middle School” That’s because I bathed in it in Middle School.
Tinkerbell cologne- Remember the little toy perfumes that came in sets at the drugstore?
Gap Grass- I used to load this on every time I went to the mall as a kid. I’m so glad it’s back.
I always had tiny sample bottles of perfume my Nana in the “big city” would give me (they were her free gifts with purchase) even as a little girl.
I have fond memories of an Avon roll-on Christmas perfume that I was also given as a young girl-I seem to remember it was also ok to use as a bath wash. It came in a little roller tube and felt so neat.
Fetish by Dana was the first scent I bought myself at 13. Remember those colourful ads http://www.msmagazine.com/images/jan01/hooked_fetish.jpg ?
I wanted to be just like that girl in the bikini and hook it into my top, and it smelled amazing. I actually wouldn’t mind tracking it down now.
Next was Gap Blue, bought on a trip alone across Canada via airplane during spring break in Grade 8. I wore this for a couple of years until I used it all up, and in the meantime, my friends were stunned by this sophisticated perfume (there was nothing like that in my small town).
The rest of high school contained a mix of Herbal Garden scents, including one called Fire that kind of stunk. And an aphrodisiac one called Rose.
First year of university=Calgon Marshmallow and Hawaiian Ginger. I was going through a bit of a tanned Barbie phase and wanted to smell uber girly and club-centric. Heavy clubbing years but balanced out by equally heavy study.
Estee Lauder Beautiful Love was a present, and smelled like Peony-my favourite flower.
Now we come to this year, where I’m working a corporate job and on the the look out for a new signature. So far it’s between Prada Milano and Dior Miss Cherie.
I was all about some Warm Vanilla Sugar from Bath and Body works when I was in the 8th grade.
Then freshman year I started wearing Pink by Victoria’s Secret.
I soon graduated to Very Irresistible by Givenchy around my junior/senior year and I wore only that until my junior year of college…
when I started wearing Princess by Vera Wang.
Now, out of college, I’ve started wearing Chanel Chance. I own Eau Tendre, but will soon buy Eay Fraiche as well. YSL Parisienne will also be obtained. I’m kinda obsessed now.
The “milestone” perfumes that stand out to me the most are the earliest ones. I am instantly transported back to my elementary school and junior high years by ex-cla-ma-tion, Malibu Musk, White Musk from the Body Shop, and Love’s Baby Soft. Eek! And the first “high end” perfume I ever owned was Karl Lagerfeld’s Sun Moon Stars. My mom bought it for me in high school. : )
I also have strong memories of perfumes that people close to me wore at various times in my life. CK One always reminds me of my sister (again in high school), and Clinique Happy takes me right back to college and the close friend and roommate who wore that scent exclusively.
I prefer to stick with one scent at a time. I don’t wear it often these days.
First 3 years of high school – Sung. Switched to Samsara after my bf and I broke up. I mostly went with scented shower gels in college for a lighter scent that didn’t fog up my shared dorm room. A lot of perfumes come in delightful shower gel versions (loving the Bulgari Aqua Marine men’s scent right now).
Bounced around for years after that without anything that really sticks in my mind. The last 5 years or so I’ve been loving Michael Kors Island.
The first milestone perfume I got was for my college graduation. I bought myself Vera Wang’s Princess. It was also for my wedding, which was only a couple of months after I graduated college. 2007 was a crazy year!
When I was pregnant with my son my BFF gave me Chanel No.5 which has since become my signature scent. Love it to pieces, though I do have others I still wear too.
I so remember Avon’s “Sweet Honesty”, my first perfume in high school and my best friends wore it too!
I don’t remember the years but….
Liz Claiborne – I wore samples!
Paris – bought it in my mid teens? Still a scent I really like and occasionally wear
Calvin Klein One – Late teens
Chanel Allure – early twenties
Calvin Kein Truth – early/mid twenties
Stella, Pure Poison, Bulgari Rouge de Tea – late twenties & on going
Tom Ford Black Orchid – 30’s and ongoing
I own many, many bottles of perfume…never liked to stick to just one scent.
My first real perfume was Beyond Paradise, and my husband got it for me – before we were married, I want to say in 2004. I don’t wear it, but the scent is lovely, and just looking at the bottle always makes me smile.
Correction – I do wear it, just not often.
i’m totally on the d&g rose the one train.. it’s been my signature of 2010!
Well, I remember wearing Love’s Baby Soft in grade school and thinking I was very sophisticated to be wearing “perfume”. Of course, I think my whole class wore it too, so I suppose it’s the smell of youthful conformity! hee hee!
I really wore a lot of different stuff in high school because I had friends who worked at the Duty Free and we’d get tester bottles of all the high end stuff. I always loved Poison and probably chose that more often than anything else.
In college, I’d say it was LouLou. Still one of my favorites because I love the smell and the fun memories associated with it. I generally keep a bottle on hand, even now.
I went through a Clinique Happy phase when that first came out and it lasted about 1 bottle or so. Currently I’m on a Love and Toast kick (Persimmon Plum and Paper Flower). I don’t remember what I wore on my wedding day but have a sneaking suspicion that it might have been nothing. 🙂
Ohh scents! This is a great post! Well i have few that bring memories and secial people to my mind:
Clinique happy: First years of middle school.
Tommy Hilfger & Tommy sports:My first boyfriend
Ck one: My dad.
Issey Miyake eau de Issey: My mom
Versace Blue jeans: my brother
Calvin Klein Eternity For women: my sister
Any patchuli loaded perfume: my high school bff
Dream angels heavenly: my favorite cousin
Jean paul gaultier classique(the man shaped bottle): My high school boyfriend (ouch!)
Skin musk and jean nate: My granny
Dream angels divine: My signature perfume
When I was a young girl my favourite scent was a vanilla body spray by Bonne Bell. I was absolutely crushed when they discontinued it! That was at least 10 years ago and I haven’t found another vanilla that even comes close. It smelled so yummy!. Almost exactly like vanilla extract, and not at all synthetic like most vanilla scents out there. Does anyone have any ideas for a replacement?
When I was in high school, I wore Fuzzy Peach, Mango, and Strawberry body oils from the body shop. Then those got discontinued too.
Last summer I went on a shopping spree and got my current roster of scents: Fresh Sugar Lychee, Fresh Sugar Lemon, Cake Satin Sugar, and Cake’s Barbie scent. Haha, everything I love smells like food!
I also remember the day my mom came home with Gap Grass as a kid. I still like that one.
I’m surprised no one mentioned those super sweet turquoise and magenta hot/rocks/cool/etc Ralph Lauren perfumes. Those were all over the hallways at my high school!
I love food smells too! I don’t know what the bonne bell one smelled like, but have you ever tried l’aromarine vanille? it’s my favorite plain vanilla.
Avon’s Pavi Elle, 8th or 9th grade (*koff* 1986 *koff*)
Perfume Oil from Muslim street vendors–vanilla, baby powder or Ck Eternity for Men , 1990-1994
Lancome’s Poeme–1995-2000
Tommy Girl–1997-2000
cK Obsession–2001 to present
cK One for women– 2002 to present
Halle by Halle Berry–2010 to present
Orchid by Halle Berry–2011 to present
I like to mix it up but in the cold months I like scents with musky/vanilla base scents. In the summer, I like citrus/clean scents. However, if I have to narrow it down to just one scent, it would be cK Obsession.
Im an ardent fan of pretty much all D&G fragrances. D&G Light Blue is my fav, been using it since I was 16. Euphoria by CK is good as well and Lola by Marc Jacobs. I love soft smells, nothing too strong, light blue is just that. I’ve actually had someone ell me to change my perfume, cuz ive been using it for too long. But i refuse too.
i have always preferred scented lotions but i have some scent memories none the less:
2-9 L’air du temps (my grandmother wore it)
9-12- chanel no 5 my mom wore it
13-15 obsession (on my boyfriends)
15-18 eternity for men (on my boyfriends)
18-20 White Linen (my grad prof wore it)
20-24 Cool Water (again for my men)
then i went through a phase where all i smelled was patchouli
30-present D&G Light Blue and Aqua di Gio
I remember my first perfume it was a barbie brand. It was bright pink, glittery and smelled like a lollipop! I thought I was so grown up.
Kenzo Flower – got it as a peresent when I was about 14, (before that, I only had some drgstore scents, like the ones from puma, adidas, esprit and so..)
then
Chanel Chance – that I picked up in the airport duty-free before my trip to the sea – so If I want to feel like I was on the beach I just splash it
and
Burberry Omnia Crystalline – from my college years and I’m still in love with it
Ralph by Ralph Lauren was the first perfume I ever wore in high school. I started college wearing Bath & Body Works Pear Blossom… but then I put it away halfway through the year because it reminded me of my first ex. I went through an entire bottle of Burberry Brit, which I LOVED… but shortly after I got to the end of that bottle my sense of smell changed and I just couldn’t stand it anymore. Since then, I came to love fig fragrances. Ava Luxe Figuer is my favorite and I know I’ll treasure that one for a lifetime. I wish she still made it in the spray form (she does oils and extraits only now). And, I’m not sure Harajuku Lovers Baby is necessarily a milestone perfume, but I think it’s my everyday favorite for now.
Estee Lauder Pure White Linen Light Breeze – the scent I wore on my wedding day. Takes me back to it every time.
this is too funny because last night i dropped by my friends’ house – 3 guys, 1 girl and i noticed my girlfriend kate smelled different and fresh, but unisex. turns out it was new shampooo – the guys were making fun of me and then agreed that scent is the strongest trigger for memory! and oh man…
1998ish – middle school, bath and body works sunripened raspberry. i totally remember getting a gift set for christmas in fifth grade, and all of the girls would douse ourselves in this stuff after gym class. blech.
2000-? – beginning of high school, LUCKY YOU! i can’t believe i’m the first one that came up with this! there is definitely a bottle in my closet at my parents’ house. i must’ve switched to something after about 10th grade but i can’t for the life of me remember.
2004-6- michael kors michael. it was so not that popular and got discontinued in 2004? early college…i remember trying to figure out a new scent and my bf at the time freaking out, grabbing my perfume off my desk (freshman dorm!) and screaming at me “THIS is what you smell like!” he smelled like the gray lacoste cologne and i used to get really upset when other guys in the dorm would borrow it from him
2006-2009- carolina herrera 212 on ice. such a yummy smell, sort of spicy, like kors. i still wear it occasionally because i love it so much – and its DCed as well, alas.
2009-2010- vera wang princess. its so much sweeter than a law student should be wearing, but i think it smells sexy. like a baby prostitute haha
2010-11- GUCCI FLORA! i switched this fall, and i occasionally wear a couple different lolita lempicka perfumes to switch it up for special occasions, and 212 on ice and princess in the summer.
viktor & rolf flowerbomb makes me think of my best friend, her mom wears miss dior cherie and it reminds me when we went to visit her in italy after we graduated college 🙂
#1 perfume i can’t wear but wish i could: tom ford black orchid. it is like hot sex in a bottle, but i’m really sensitive to smells and its too strong for me 🙁
i’m really sensitive to smell because i get migraines
Jessica McClintock by Jessica McClintock reminds me of being woken up by my mom kissing me goodnight when she got home from a night out while my sisters and I stayed with a babysitter. Or the way she would rock me in an ancient rocking chair when I wasn’t feeling well.
Acqua di Gio by Giorgio Armani reminds me of laying on my father’s lap or against his chest when I was really little and we would go out to dinner and I would get tired and fall asleep against him, feeling his chest rumble when he talked or laughed.
Victoria’s Secret Heavenly reminds me of my sisters and watching them get ready for prom and homecoming and eventually graduation. Then later how the scent faded with time after they moved away.
Victoria’s Secret Love Spell reminds me of my first boyfriend and sneaking out and driving around with nowhere to go and everything be so dramatic and do-or-die right now.
umm..My mom gave me Givenchy “Red Jeans” when i was 10.
and my dad bought me Givenchy “organza” and Dior “Jadore” and Burberry ” Burberry” and i kept using them in both prep and high school :))
And i bought The beat by burberry and D&G the one and Escada Magnetism from my own money in college(too late..ha?)
This is such a great topic, it’s amazing how fragrance can evoke so many memories! here’s my journey through fragrance….
grade school- love’s baby soft and rain fragrance, charlie, avon sweet honesty.
junior high- chantilly that my aunt bought me, exclamation, malibu musk.
high school- patchouli oil
late teens/early 20’s- ck one (i despise this now!) lavender, geranium and pathouli oils, gap dream.
30’s- everything from bath and body works (i was a store manager there), especially sensual amber
Today I’m obsessed with pacifica california star jasmine and lily pulitzer beachy.