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Erica Golding
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Greetings all of you fragrance lovers! I hope this little note finds you well.
Today I am having a nostalgic mommy moment. I took a pause to think about what kinds of perfume my 7-year old tends to react to, and he is just all about the florals! Every time I ask him to help me pick a scent, he always selects a floral aroma. Sometimes I let him sniff a few sprayers and he chooses my perfume that way. Other times, I name general categories like “woodsy, sweet, soapy, or flowers?” Without exception he always picks florals, with a high affinity for jasmine and orange blossom.
Nuda by Nasomatto 2010
Nuda by Alessandro Gualtieri
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
French jasmine, animalic notes
I got to thinking why he might lean this way, and I truly hope that it’s because of the following shared scent memory.
When my little boy was just a baby, I had a soft blue sling to carry him in, nuzzled into my chest. I didn’t wear perfume when he was an infant because I didn’t want to risk harming him or causing irritation, but once he was about 6 months old, I started lightly applying very small amounts. One of the first perfumes that he probably ever experienced was Nasomatto Nuda.
I had a treasured sample vial from Luckyscent, and one day I swiped a little on. The narcotic fragrance washed over me with a wave of pure euphoria, intensely lush and passionate. I was overcome with the joy of finally enjoying the extravagant yet simple adornment of perfume, after sacrificing that pleasure for so long. I will never forget that snapshot in time, his warm little body cozy against me, his sweaty baby head soaking my blouse, feeling peaceful and like a living safe haven for the miraculous life developing in my very arms. For several days, the sling hung onto the spellbinding perfume, a haze of luxurious delight. I like to think that this sensory association is something that we share, and that subconsciously, he associates the intoxicating perfume of sugared jasmine sambac to my boundless love.
Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Memory of Scent
Nuda is discontinued but eBay sometimes has bottles
Have you built a shared scent memory with a loved one? Was it intentional or a happy coincidence? Tell me your story!
With love and light,
-Erica
(Ed: Love the photo Erica. You two look so peaceful)
Australian Perfume Junkies 
Yes, a guy I dated at 16 and 19 wore Fahrenheit. I used to sleep with my sweater because it smelled like him. Then I got some in high school and wore it to smell like him back before unisex existed. We reconnected in July, 29 years later. I got a bottle of vintage and we both wear it.
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Hey Erica,
My first love and I wore a few fragrances over the years we were together but the three that stand out most firmly are Gucci No 3, CHANEL Antaeus and Givenchy Gentleman. All of these have continued with me and now even Jin is an Antaeus convert.
Portia xx
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I LOVEEEEEEEEE Gucci No.3 and Givenchy Gentleman but Antaeus has so did not wow me as much. It may also be because no other fragrance has made me sneeze as much as Antaeus. I might have worn a turned-off sample of vintage so might try another relatively better vintage sample. I do have antaeus in my collection in both vintage and modern formula but have not tried modern yet since it is in storage.
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Erica, thank you so much for sharing that. What a beautiful image. I’d like to think your son picked up on that moment too. This post has started my day off with a bit of inner sunshine. ❤ K xx
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Ohhhh!!!!
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