The minute a girl reaches the age of 13, scents encapsulate her entire world. Her nose has finally adjusted to the strong floral, sandalwood, citrus and musky notes and she can't get enough. The issue is that during her adolescent years, her nose is much less sensitive than to those older and younger. She can't smell what we smell and it's beautiful.
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My perfume journey was just like every other teenage girl's — intoxicating, nauseating and migraine-inducing. And I loved every minute of it. As we've now entered adulthood and have (hopefully) found our scent of choice, it's important to look back and remember our roots to see how we started versus where we are now.
Here is exactly the type of person you are based on your 2000s perfume of choice:
Impulse body sprays.
I am immediately transported back to a high school bathroom. If you religiously wore an Impulse body spray as a teen — more specifically the "Spirit" or "True Love" scents (🤢), I can smell you from here. Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful for the chokehold Impulse sprays had on me and my friends.
If you were someone who had multiple Impulse cans on rotation, then I have one question for you... What Sol de Janeiro scent are you currently using?
You love super sweet, strong smells. They not only linger on you for days but on every other person who comes in contact with you as well. You like to leave a lasting impression and it works.
Victoria's Secret body sprays.
Impulse is for kids. You? You're a sophisticated 15-year-old grown-up. Victoria's Secret body sprays have been the best thing that has ever happened to you. You used it everywhere. All over your body, in your hair, as a bedroom setting spray and in your dad's car which he then yelled at you while he drove down the M4 with all four windows open.
Just thinking about the scent of "Love Spell" has transported you back to the airport where you first laid eyes on the Victoria's Secret kiosk and begged your mum to let you try some of the perfumes. Catching flights, not pheromones.
Britney Spears — Fantasy.
You thought that celebrity perfumes were for losers until you started seeing the older girls at your school carry around a little pink diamante studded bottle. You immediately asked your mum for the perfume for Christmas, but she bought you the mini four-pack that included Radiance, Curious and Midnight Fantasy. You palmed off the others to your younger sister even though Radiance was arguably the better scent — but that wasn't what the older girls were wearing.
Your little 10ml bottle was so precious you barely used it. You made sure you took it out of your school bag now and then so people knew you were cool. Eventually, you were so careful about not wasting the perfume that it ended up expiring and couldn't mask the Impulse body spray radiating off everyone else. You now have a fear of mini perfumes and it's justified.
Calvin Klein — CK One.
You were the smartest kid at school. So smart that you knew that you should probably just use the same perfume that both your mum and dad use. Calvin Klein's CK One was your family's perfume of choice. It was your collective scent.
You were so happy when your parents bought you your first "adult" perfume only to realise that the smell was (literally) too familiar. It has now become a family heirloom. You will buy your firstborn child the same perfume once they are of age and you must keep the legacy going. Calvin would be so proud.
Gwen Stefani — Harajuku Lovers perfumes.
You loved being different. As a die-hard fan of Gwen Steffani, this perfume matches your kawaii personality. To this day you can't look at a fruit basket without singing "B is for bananas B-A-N-A-N-A-S" in your head. Don't worry- neither can I.
You soon began to collect all the Harajuku Lovers perfumes regardless of the scents. The perfumes were displayed proudly in a girl-group triangle on your bedroom dressing table. Now, you're not as big of a fan of Gwen as you were when you were younger. Maybe your music taste has changed, maybe you find white women announcing that they're Japanese a little weird... Either way, you wish she would go back to making girly perfumes.
Kenzo — Flower By Kenzo.
Okay fancy. If you had this perfume, your parents were RICH. That or you stole it from your mum's dresser and told everyone that it was yours. You snuck it into your school bag to show off to all your friends at lunchtime. You also hated the way it smelt but pretended that it was perfect for your mature palate.
You now wear BYREDO's Gypsy Water. You can take Kenzo out of the girl but you can't take the girl out of Kenzo.
If you want more culture opinions by Emily Vernem, you can follow her on Instagram @emilyvernem.
Feature image: Myer, eBay, Pinterest, Instagram/@harajukuworld, Priceline.
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