Isn’t it funny how scents  instantaneously trigger memories from long ago? Just one whiff of Lauren perfume and I’m sucked back to my mother’s bedroom, where I would stealthily sneak around for makeup and Guess jeans. Just the hint of my first boyfriend’s cheap cologne takes me back to those awkward makeout sessions with the Spice Girls singing along in the background. But of all the smells I love most, it’s that musty aroma that instantly takes over my senses when I walk into a library. God I love that smell! It takes me back to my summers in Baytown when my bookworm grandmother used to take us out for our weekly collection of Babysitter’s Club and Sweet Valley High books. Ah the good old days!

So when I found out that Alyssa Harad, author of “Coming to My Senses: A Story of Perfume, Pleasure, and an Unlikely Bride” was stopping by UT for a book event, I took advantage of the opportunity and talked her into doing a little video Q&A. I came across her article in Marie Clare not too long ago and was mesmerized by her evocative descriptions of scents. Although not all of us are big into perfume, I think a lot of women could relate with her story of self-transformation.

Like a splash of White Diamonds, this is some heady, powerful stuff! What’s your favorite scent, and why?