R&R Aura: My Fragrance Autobiography

Fragrances have a way of attaching themselves to memories that is reminiscent of music. Your first kiss will always be punctuated with the scent of his cologne or you may think that Black Raspberry Vanilla body spray reeks because your tyrant boss wears it. Like music, fragrances frame our lives in a way that gives it the power to transport us back in time with just a faint aroma. These 10 scents take me back to varying parts of my life, from high school to now:

Peach Soft Musk by Avon

This was one of the first fragrances that I spent my own money on. It was my signature scent during my freshman year in high school. The mix of sandalwood and peach was a lot more sophisticated than the Loves Baby Soft spray that all the other girls were wearing, so I figured that I stood out. I guess it wasn't as much of a signature as I thought since I sprayed an anonymous note with the perfume before I mailed it to my secret crush. He never knew it was me, but it was funny watching him fantasize about who he thought it was as he kept sniffing it in class. His ego was swollen all day. Skin Musk by Bonne Bell

I used to steal some of this from my late grandmother's bathroom when I was in high school. Musks were my thing at the time. I alternated between this and the Peach Musk. It was warm and sensual, but not overbearing or obnoxious like something a "fast girl" would wear. My grandmother would show me how to wear it: one dab on each side of my neck, a dab in my cleavage, and a dab on each thigh. I still follow the same perfume application ritual today. Sunflowers by Elizabeth Arden

Every cheerleader in my high school wore this, and that meant that every girl at my high school wanted to wear this. It's very bright and full citrusy; everything you would expect for a cheerleader preferred fragrance to be. I wore this for a while, but it started to become way too cloying for me. Vanilla Musk by Coty

Another musk. This was the scent that started a long vanilla trend in perfumes. I think I got this for Christmas towards the end of high school. Peach Soft Musk had been retired as my signature scent and I thought this would be a great replacement. The only problem was that it was so popular that every girl plus her mama and grandma were wearing it. To the bottom of my drawer it went. Miracle by Lancome

I wore this during my freshman year in college. And yes, it is another musk. Hampton is such a fashion show school that I didn't have to worry about someone else wearing my scent. Finally, I had a signature scent without biters. Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana

Ok, I copied this one from one of my roommates. It was a different type of citrus that was popular among girls from New York, New Jersey, and other northern areas. I stopped wearing it because it started to smell like air freshener on me. Love Spell by Victoria's Secret

I think everyone wears Love Spell at some point in life. It's pretty much required if you're a girly girl. Love Spell was so popular at Hampton that you can smell it as soon as you walk into any girl's dorm.

Romance by Ralph Lauren

This was a Christmas gift one year while I was in college. I'm surprised that I liked it because it has a very masculine scent to it. I think the bottle broke during the move back to campus for spring semester, so everything in my suitcase smelled like Romance. People would come in my room and wonder who I was hiding under my bed.

Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel

I was introduced to this scent by one of my sorority sisters who has since passed away, and it is still one of my favorites. It's not as stuffy as some of the other Chanel perfume offerings. I treated myself to a bottle of eau de toilette for surviving a year of teaching sixth graders. Dark Kiss by Bath and Body Works

This is by far the best scent B&BW has ever made. I raved over it profusely when it was released last year, so I'll spare you now. It reminds me of Coco Mademoiselle, probably because they both share the vetiver note. It's one of the signatures that I trade out for other scents as I find them.

What's your fragrance autobiography?