Scents and sensibility
The smell of comfort and nostalgia.
Welcome to Small Joys, a bi-monthly(ish) newsletter about finding great joy in the little things. Here are a few recent things that have sparked joy.
The nostalgia-fuelled joy of Bath & Body Works
My first encounter with fragrance was the fancy stuff that lined my mom’s vanity table like Guerlain’s Shalimar and Dior’s Poison. They were too overpowering for my young and sensitive nose so I admired them from afar. But the first fragrances that I shared or borrowed from my mom were the things she bought us from Bath & Body Works. It’s the stuff we bonded over. She loved Warm Vanilla Sugar and I grew to love it, too. It reminded me of cozy blankets, freshly-baked sugar cookies and what I imagined autumn smelled like in Stars Hollow. Cucumber Melon became my warm weather jam and Japanese Cherry Blossom was a springtime delight. All of my favourites growing up still exist and continue to sell.
Bath & Body Works deals heavily in nostalgia, and so many of its scents have been around forever, defining entire childhoods for kids growing up in the nineties. Rarely do popular scents go completely out of play. More importantly, they might update the packaging, but they never ever tweak the sacred formulas. I listened to a great episode with Chrissy Montera, Associate VP of Marketing at Bath & Body Works on the Smell Ya Later podcast and she talked about how when the brand knows something is working, it makes it available in every form—candles, shower gels, fragrance mists and more.
I know some people like to turn their nose up at Bath & Body Works, but I think the brand is a great equalizer—it doesn’t just make scents accessible for everyone, it also lets us share a collective memory, thanks to a mutual love of scents like Warm Vanilla Sugar. I still enjoy going to the stores as an adult and discovering new fragrances (Rose Water & Ivy in everything, please). Which brings me to an important question: what’s your favourite Bath & Body Works scent? Leave me a note!
Lather, rinse, repeat
I’m at the stage of quarantine where I’ve convinced myself that a fancy laundry detergent is just the thing I need. I recently bought The Laundress Signature Detergent after months of trying to rationalize the purchase. The detergent is, in fact, the fanciest thing about my WFH wardrobe right now. It’s the Chanel of laundry detergents. And I can say that because the brand founders previously worked at Chanel and Ralph Lauren respectively and translated that fashion sensibility into the brand. They started The Laundress to cater to people who wanted that dry cleaning experience and fabric care without having to spend an obscene amount of money. One of their most popular products is the Signature Detergent, which smells like lily of the valley, jasmine and sandalwood with a touch of citrus. I’ve always found laundry to be tedious. But during a time when everything feels tedious, the soothing scent of a pricey laundry detergent is a gentle reprieve.
Some of my seemingly simple pleasures also happen to be expensive pleasures and what I really want is the Le Labo Rose Signature Detergent (Le Labo’s Rose 31 is one of my favourite scents). But it’s double the price and it feels like too much of a splurge. Still, it sits in the far recesses of my mind, just waiting for the day I work up the courage (and a more robust bank account) to smash that checkout button.
Sugar and spice
Photo via Homecoming Candles
I wanted to stay on theme so I'm sharing the first candle I burned this fall: Cardamom + Star Anise by Homecoming Candles. It’s from a BIPOC-owned, Vancouver-based brand. The candle has a spicy base with some ginger, star anise and vanilla in there, a combination that reminds me of the kind of baking flavours I gravitate towards. It comes in a simple jar that feels like having a piece of the pantry in your living room. It’s the kind of candle you burn when you don’t want the traditional pumpkin spice lattés, crème brûlées and aggressive slaps of cinnamon, but still want to enjoy a cozy fall scent.
From my bookmarks:
We're Not Going Anywhere This Winter. So Why Do I Want to Buy a New Coat So Badly?
Peek Inside a French Country Kitchen Inspired by the Seasons
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If you enjoyed reading this newsletter, I would really love and appreciate it if you shared it with a friend and spread the joy. <3
Have a great week!
x Mishal