Everyone has their own unique olfactory memory triggers, for good and for bad, and I think many of us have learned how to use them in order to gauge our progress in life. “How did I feel the last time I smelled this? Is my life better or worse now, or just different?” Sometimes these triggers can provoke just a general haze of emotion that can make us happy, wistful, irritated, and run the entire gamut of what human beings are capable of experiencing. For me, one of the strongest and most meaningful olfactory scent memories was triggered by Penhaligon’s Lily & Spice.
I was raised by my mother and my grandparents in my grandparents’ home, and my grandmother, Alice, had for many years the most spectacular flower garden. You’ve never seen lilies of so many exotic varieties, or iris and peonies that practically make you stagger backwards from absorbing their sheer beauty. My grandmother devoted so much time, energy and love to her garden. She had always hoped I would follow in her footsteps as a Green Thumb Supreme, so as a young girl, I was taught how to raise my own lilies and take the best of the best to compete in flower shows alongside my grandmother. We always won blue ribbons, each in our own respective groups, for years running. We were unbeatable. The truth is, I never loved raising lilies quite the way she did, and as I grew into a young woman, I lost interest in gardening, and in going to flower shows with my grandmother. Life became more complicated, and somehow, I grew into adulthood, got married and here I am today, sitting peacefully with some homemade peppermint iced tea and the scent of Lily & Spice deliciously filling the air around my immediate space. Even though I never developed Alice’s green thumb, that never took away from my wonderment of the spectacular finished product, the lilies that once were nothing but homely, dirt-covered bulbs in the ground.
Lily & Spice is a gentle soul, it represents many things to me. The lily aspect is true to the flower in some ways, but better (if you have smelled actual lilies, you know they often smell rather odd, but good), it is not humid and indolic, it is more like a cool mist just when you need it most on a sweltering day. It is accented appropriately by clove, saffron and pepper, and rests on the most satisfyingly lovely bed of white musk and soft incense. My favorite thing about this perfume is how the lily note dominates throughout all stages of wear, and you wouldn’t think it would be able to sing louder than the base-notes, but it does. To enjoy Lily & Spice is to give oneself over to sweet memories of the past, and not worry so much about the troubles of today. This perfume holds the power to remind me that life goes on no matter what we do, and that we would be wise to find our happiness with as much diligence as we would give any other task.
My grandmother passed away two years ago, and the year prior to her passing was unfortunately colored by the rapid progression of Alzheimer’s Disease. At the end of her life, there was no trace of her old self left, but I like to think that she had previously remembered those happy days of gardening with me, and trying to teach me the meaning of responsibility and tending to living things. Every time we would win blue ribbons, we’d just look at each other knowingly, and burst into giggles. We had done it again.
I have been given word from Penhaligon’s that Lily & Spice will be discontinued soon, to my profound sadness. Very rarely have I felt so much emotional attachment to a perfume, so I will be stocking up on it (and I might recommend that you do the same if you love Lily & Spice, or even if you’re new to it and want to give it a try). It’s a great perfume for floral-phobes like myself who shy away from perfumes based on heady floral blooms. Lily & Spice will never overwhelm, it will only enhance. Its light to moderate sillage and great longevity serve to further personalize the experience of wearing it; it’s your secret, your memory, your happiness. Embrace it as long as you can possess it.
About our guest blogger: Carrie Meredith’s blog - Eyeliner On A Cat - delves into the joys and challenges of retaining perfume as her sole mistress. She doesn’t review perfumes so much as she lets them speak through her, and she enjoys the company of the witty ones the most! If you’ve enjoyed her post as much as we have, take a peek at her blog!
We’d love to hear about your scented memories, share them with us below!
- Nicky
A couple of years ago, I took my then 14 year old daughter on a trip to Penhaligons to pick a signature scent for herself. After a glorious time with 2 lovely assistants, she chose Lily and Spice which suits her so perfectly. She’s just about to sit her Higher exams so I’ve just been online to send her a bottle for luck. It’s been reduced to £23 so get on there and stock up on such an incredible bargain. I’ll be so sad to see it go though but it will be an excuse to get her up there again to pick a new signature scent!
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This is indeed interesting. Lily & Spice is the absolute best scent around, imo. So imagine my dismay when I saw written here that it is soon to be discontinued! Not wanting to believe it I myself have contacted Penhaligon’s and what they’ve told me is that this is nothing more than an awful rumor. They are not currently nor do they have plans for a future discontinuation of this perfume. Thank goodness!!!
I was just at Penhaligon’s today and apparently the rumours are true. They will be discontinuing this amazing scent. BUT, there is a great sale on at the moment. 100mL for £24! GRAB, GRAB, GRAB!
It is indeed sad about Lily & Spice being discontinued, it’s just not as popular of a flower as, say, rose or jasmine. In my opinion it’s the most successful rendition of lilies to date, it’s a perfect composition. I am, however, very much looking forward to new Penhaligon’s releases, which promise to bring a more modern vibe to the house.
It’s always sad to say goodbye to a fragrance as we work so hard in creating them and as you say, the ability to trigger memories is second to none. However, we’re very excited about our new releases – we’re confident you’ll find a new scent to treasure, fit for cultivating more scented memories! Once they are released, we’d be delighted to hear your thoughts…
I’m shocked L&S is being discontinued! It’s absolutely gorgeous. It really does smell of a bouquet of lilies to me (mum’s favourite flower-the living room smells of them most of the time!) and as you said the spices only serve to accentuate the lily.
Thanks for sharing your memories of your grandmother too – it was lovely to read about her passion!
Thanks everyone for your comments on Carrie’s post.
In truth, we’re also disappointed to be discontinuing Lily & Spice as it has a bit of a cult following here in HQ. However, sadly it would seem that not everyone loved this fragrance as much as us. The silver lining to this cloud is that discontinued lines will inevitably make space on our shelves for new creations to spritz and savour.
Our advice is to stock up now as we still have a good amount available online and in our boutiques. Once your supplies are full store your fragrance in a cool and dark place to preserve and protect it. Spritz sparingly to cultivate your memories, transport you in time and trigger past recollections.
We hope you’re not overly disappointed and you’re looking forward to our new fragrances of 2011!
Yes, overly disappointed! Although I have stocked up at a bargain price. Those new fragrances had better be good. If we petition hard enough, might it be reintroduced like LPNo9 was?
I suppose the answer here is never say never! Although, in truth, there are no such plans in the pipeline.
A beautiful post, Carrie, thank you.
But why is L&S being discontinued?? It’s easily one of the best fragrances in the Penhaligon’s range.
Beautiful piece. I love the evocative power of scent. I get a nostalgia whenever I smell violet or orris. Thank you Carrie
Thanks for your comment Sharryn – we’ve also enjoyed Carrie’s post immensely.
I first fell in love with Penhaligon’s a year ago when my partner surpeisrd me at Christmas with products from the Artemisia range. Since then I’ve been enthralled by the story behind each of the Penhaligon’s scents and been on a journey of new discovery. I find the whole experience from choosing a scent or product to walking out of the shop with beautifully wrapped purchases absolutely delightful.
Thank you Liam! It’s really been one of my favorite perfumes for awhile now, we always lose the ones we love, right?
Unfortunately so!
Carrie, that’s very sad to hear about your grandmother. I hope in some ways, smelling Lily & Spice, all those wonderful memories of her are stirred up again and come blooming to the surface.
I’ll keep my eyes open for it before it disappears from the shelves