Eau Is Me: The Scent of a Book

I got my start in perfume as many little girls do – through Barbie. The perfume-making kit was supposed to smell of roses, but inevitably smelled like an earthy (read: smelly) towel. I couldn’t even tell you what the perfume’s intended notes were, because by the end of its glorious run in my hot little hands, it smelled of tap water, dirt, and a base of mildew. Also, it was a kid’s cheap cologne. So, you know, gorgeous. Soon, I was old enough to start appreciating the Love’s Baby Soft and it was downhill after that – I’ve been collecting fragrance for over 20 years. I have always had at least 10 in rotation. Right now I have about 100.

After a year as a Beauty Associate at The New York Times, I’ve spent the last two years as a beauty blogger. You can find my shouting-perfume-love-from-the-rooftops on my blog.

But now, on to the fragrances. Perfume has been duping the sexes for centuries, asserting false pheromones, enticing friends, making people think you’ve bathed that morning. More confusing is how to navigate the fragrant waters – scents come and go faster than a grocery store paperback. On that note, perfume-newbies and bookworms, get ready to meet your match.

The following are the tried and true, best-selling fragrances for a modern generation, paired with its literary counterpart. These have been around for a hot minute, rarely threatened by changing trends, but are not completely ancient.

D&G Light Blue –> Room with a View; EM Forster

Ah, love, sweet love. D&G Light Blue, a knockout, best-selling fragrance since its creation in 2001, is both buttoned-up and stripped down – white rose evokes pristine & conservative England versus Sicilian citron reminiscent of Lucy Honeychurch gallavanting around Italy. A daywear perfume at its finest, I’ve seen this on every woman’s dresser, sink, and dorm room desk.

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle –> The Bell Jar; Sylvia Plath

The word “Mademoiselle” is hardly a coincidence – Coco Mademoiselle is slick and chic, just like Plath’s old employer, but is vulnerable and dark, just like Plath herself. It is energetic and urban, maybe dashed with a bit of madness. The concoction is spicy vanilla, bourbon, jasmine, and orange. Sophisticated and a little bit crazy.

Michael Kors Michael –> The Great Gatsby; F. Scott Fitzgerald

Michael Kors has such a way with capturing a lockjaw Long Islandy feel, it’s no wonder his eponymous fragrance is as East Egg as Daisy. A mixture of tuberose, peony, and musk, it’s been called polite, wealthy, and comfortable. Doesn’t it smell great to be bored to tears?

Thierry Mugler’s Angel –> Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris

Sedaris has perfected the humorous memoir by making it reek of style, modernity, and childhood. This same funny sentimentality is echoed in Angel. The scent runs the line between oriental (spicy) and gourmand (foody) – it is at times warm and evocative, other times, birthday cake and fuck-it buckets. It is a walking toothache, fit for mall elves.

CK One –> Blake Nelson’s Girl

Girl, Blake Nelson’s Sassy-approved novel about teenage adolescent hell is perfectly paired with CK One, *the* fragrance for the 90s. It’s grunge, androgynous, wicked, but just a tad clean – the only bathing the CK One body has seen is the pink soap at a dive bar. Pull on your motorcycle boots and relive angst.