Scents & Senses

I've been wearing a new scent lately. I got given a cute little mini-bottle in a prize pack at the last RWNZ Conference and I decided to try it out. It's very nice, but at odd moments throughout the day, it creeps up and surprises me, and I turn to look around to see who smells so delicious. *grin*

But my deliciousness aside, the sense of smell is a very interesting thing. So many of our memories are tied up with the way things smell, rather than the way they look. In one magazine article I read, men were quizzed about how they felt when their beloved changed her signature scent - most of them found themselves upset by it on such a deep level, they couldn't quite figure out what was setting them off. Something just didn't feel right.

Personally, I've had several experiences where my swiss-cheese memory has been kickstarted by a familiar smell. Having been born on an island, the smell of the sea is something that immediately brings back images of childhood.

What about you? Are there some smells that are just magic, that send your brain and body into a higher gear and have you remembering things that you'd thought you'd long forgotten? And for the perfume buffs among you, what's your favorite scent?