Your scent tells a story before you say a word

Today, I am presenting two different perfumes for the first time @ the Community Market in Hilton Head.

Perfume is your invisible signature—wear it wisely. ✨

Do you remember the day you bought your first perfume? Do you remember how old you were? At the age of 16, I bought Quartz pour Femme by Molyneux.

I did some research and this is what I found: Quartz Pour Femme by Molyneux is a classic floral fragrance for women, first launched in 1977. Created by perfumer Raymond Chaillan, it is known for its elegant and complex composition. Fragrantica

Ever wondered why you are rebuying a certain perfume?

The Emotional Side

• Memory and nostalgia: The brain links scents to the limbic system, which governs emotions and memory. A perfume worn during significant moments—first dance, school milestones, family trips—can become a trigger for recalling those times. Rebuying the perfume essentially “replays” those memories.

• Attachment and comfort: Smells can provide psychological comfort. Familiar fragrances act like emotional anchors, giving a sense of closeness or security. For a parent, this could be the comforting presence of their growing child.

• Symbolic continuity: Perfume can represent a phase of life (adolescence) or a personal identity. By keeping it around, someone may feel connected to that phase or preserve a sentimental link to their teenager.

The Chemical Side

• Olfactory processing in the brain: When you smell perfume, odor molecules bind to receptors in your nose, sending signals to the olfactory bulb. This directly connects to the amygdala (emotion center) and hippocampus (memory center). That’s why scents instantly trigger strong emotional reactions.

• Pleasure chemicals: Certain perfume notes—vanilla, fruity, floral—can stimulate dopamine release. Dopamine is associated with pleasure and reward, creating a subtle “addictive” effect. That’s why someone may enjoy a scent repeatedly.

• Associative reinforcement: If smelling the perfume evokes a happy memory or calming feeling, the brain reinforces the desire to experience it again. This creates a feedback loop: “Scent → good feeling → want it again.”

Did you know? Here are some tips on using perfume:

• A change in diet can alter chemistry causing fragrances to smell differently. Fragrances will be more intense on people with a high fat, spicy diet.

• Wear stronger scents in cold weather, as the cold reduces a scent's strength.

• Wear stronger scents in higher altitudes, since they decrease the long-lasting effects of fragrances.

• Always try a fragrance on your own skin.

• If coffee beans are unavailable, sniff cotton clothes or unscented skin to clear your olfactory palette.

• Apply perfume where your skin is warmest (your "pulse" points, your wrist, navel, behind the ears, the décolletage). The heat generated in these areas will keep fragrance on longer.

• Moisturize skin with an unscented lotion before applying perfume to help it last longer.

• Scents last longer when applied after bathing when your pores are open.

• Scent your hair by spritzing freshly washed hair with fragrance, spraying your hairbrush before brushing, putting a few fragrance drops in your hands and run through your hair.

• Allow it to settle before layering or judging its true character, as the full composition unfolds gradually.

• Store bottles in a cool, dark place to preserve their integrity, as heat and sunlight can damage delicate ingredients.

• Spray from a short distance (about 5–7 inches) for an even, delicate mist.

• Consider the setting; lighter application suits professional or enclosed environments, while richer scents shine in the evening.

  
  

This is not a good choice:

• Rub wrists together after spraying: this breaks down the fragrance molecules and alters the scent. The fragile top notes will evaporate more quickly.

• Over-apply; a quality perfume should linger subtly and invite, not overwhelm.

• Spray directly onto clothing; alcohol in perfumes can stain or damage delicate fabrics.

• Mix too many fragrances at once; layering should be intentional and subtle.

• Keep bottles in bathrooms or cars—humidity and heat can spoil the perfume.

• Expect the scent to smell identical on everyone; body chemistry makes it unique to you.

Some quotes I like...

"A woman's perfume tells more about her than her handwriting" Christian Dior

"Perfume puts the finishing touch to elegance - a detail that subtly underscores the look, an invisible extra that completes a woman's personality. Without it there is something missing."

Gianni Versace

"Perfume is like a new dress, it makes you quite simply marvelous." – Jean-Paul Gaultier

"Perfume is a story in odour, sometimes poetry in memory." – Jean-Claude Ellena

"Perfume is the indispensable complement to elegance." – Coco Chanel

Source: Invent your scent - Tijon St. Martin - www.tijon.com