If you’re into #mindfulness, and you’re actively trying to stop and smell the roses, then once in a while it might be nice to smell something other than roses.
Here are 5 products and scents that I’ve found to be so gorgeous and intense that they catapult you right into the present moment:
Orange – 
specifically, ‘Body Shop’s Vitamin C Skin Reviver.’ I put this on before my makeup, in the thick silence of the morning. Not only does it feel like rubbing silk into my face, but the smell of intense orange is just so refreshing. It’s one part of the morning that I’ve really started to look forward to.
Coffee Beans – It’s the habit that I just can’t kick. I’m an addict. The aroma of a freshly opened bag of coffee beans is just heavenly to me. I’m currently crushing hard on Taylor’s Rich Italian. A sniff alone can jolt me awake. Seriously – I would snort it in lines, but can you even imagine the bogies?!
Lavender – This one is a little controversial in our house, because Mr. G associates the smell of lavender with ‘old ladies who’ve wet themselves’…and that’s the censored version! Personally, I can’t get enough; in my bath, in my oil burners, on my pillow.
One product that I adore is Temple Spa’s ‘Drift Away.‘ This is some high-end shizz with a price tag to match – certainly a step up from my usual supermarket-own bubble bath. Luckily, a few drops in the bath will do the job so it will last. And honestly, it’s totally worth it. Your bath will become your spa-esque sanctuary.
Washed, wet hair – I chop and change shampoos all the time, desperately searching for the one shampoo that will cure my 80’s stadium rock man-hair. Still searching.
Right now, I’m using Alberto Balsam, ‘juicy green apple.’ It’s dirt cheap at around 99p a bottle and the smell of sweet apples is just straight-up DELOISHUS! After using this, I spend most of my day sniffing my own hair.
One of my favourite sensations is going to bed with wet, washed hair, especially if I’ve just washed my sheets so there’s that fresh cotton smell in the air too. Just bliss. The only problem is that I wake up looking like a Hungarian Sheepdog.
Your fella’s neck, especially if he’s wearing something like Ralph Lauren’s ‘Polo’ aftershave. It’s just such a sexy, delicious scent. Mr. G is completely perplexed when I sniff his neck – it causes a lot of amusement when I do – but I just can’t get enough of this!
Smells are a very wonderful and often personal thing. And whilst I’ve listed scent-providing products here, remember that many amazing smells are free! Fresh air, especially after it’s just rained; my cats’ fur after a night out in the wild; bread rolls in an oven; a neighbour’s dinner cooking; petrol in the air; fish and chips as you pass the ‘chippy’; wood burning; old things; new things….
Not only does a smell have the power to take you into the present moment, it can also transport you into a memory – of a place, a person, a time. I remember one early morning, waiting at a bus stop about 12 years ago, moodily preparing for a bleak journey to a bleak job on a severely bleak day. When someone walked into the cramped bus stop, along with a bouquet of cheap, pungent coconut, my mind packed it’s suitcase and took me on holiday. I spent my whole bus ride on a Greek island. There was sunbathing on the beach and mornings at the pool; leisurely strolls in the sun and of course, incredible food. It was definitely a step-up from staring out of the window at life in Wakefield.
What scents do you love? Are there any that you hate? Personally Vanilla turns me right off! Are there any ‘smelly products’ that you love so much you think they’re worth sharing? Have they transported you back in time, or into the present moment? Tell me below:
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