My Journey with Scents and Perfumery

Fragrance has always been a special kind of obsession for me—one I used to think belonged only to celebrities and legacy fragrance houses. I never imagined it could be something personal, something mine. For years, I played with essential oils and assumed that was the furthest I could go. But as with most beautiful things in my life, this story unfolded slowly.

It all began one autumn. My friends and I were chatting about spiders taking over our homes, and one of them bought a peppermint-based spider repellent. Curious, I skipped the branded spray and picked up a bottle of peppermint oil instead. I diluted it myself, and instantly fell in love with the scent—functional and invigorating. Soon, I was adding it to laundry, experimenting with vetiver and patchouli, and finding joy in the way my clothes smelled fresh, earthy, and grounding.

That opened the door to so much more. My diffuser became a daily ritual. I blended oils for mood support, immunity boosts during flu season (eucalyptus became a staple), and of course, my lavender pillow spray that I still can’t sleep without.

Beyond diffusers, I explored candles, incense sticks, oil burners... even homemade stovetop simmer pots with orange peel, clove, and cinnamon that turned winter evenings into something deeply cozy and comforting.

But everything shifted last year.

My sister visited Morocco and brought back a few essential oils, including the prized argan. But it was the gardenia that unlocked something in me. The scent transported me to my childhood, to Qur’an readings where the aunties and grandmothers wore that very floral note. It struck me then: scent has always marked my most vivid memories. And I suddenly knew—I want my daughters to remember me in this way too. I want to leave behind a fragrance they’ll associate with love, safety, warmth.

Every time I smell YSL Poison or Chloe, my mother is with me. I want to be that for them.

For now, perfumery is a beautifully aligned hobby—something I cherish deeply. It’s a passion I share with my sister; whenever we visit one another, we rummage through each other’s fragrance collections like kids in a candy shop. I remember telling her once about my fascination with oud, and now she has the most impressive oud collection I’ve ever seen.

I used to think gardening would be my only creative outlet, but then I came across Sam Macer from Fragrance Foundry and Karen Gilbert. Their work gave me the permission to go deeper, to trust my nose, and to create just for the joy of it.

It’s not about getting it perfect—it’s about following what excites you.

Maybe one day this path will evolve into something more. But for now, I’m savoring every moment—the experimenting, the learning, the scent trails that dance through my days—and embracing the magic of following what excites me.