Breeze; Memoize London’s Dark Range

When I think about growing up, what do I remember? Some images are vague and blurry, but certain smells spark crystal clear memories. I particularly remember my 11th year. September 1st was always the first day of school but also my birthday. I was eleven and awkwardly tall, and about to head to secondary school for the first time. I remember everything very vividly; my mum and dad seeing me off and weirdly, the chemical smell of my new backback and textbooks. My mum helped me laminate the covers, so the plasticky smell was quite overwhelming, but nice somehow.

We all have the personal memories connected to certain smells, which is really what perfume is all about. A perfume can take us back in time, over and over again, with every spritz.

Memoize London is a niche, high end label that links every scent with a memory. The Dark Range is Memoize’s first collection, inspired by the Seven Sins. Each fragrance is named after one of these sins, in Latin.

Holly Hutchinson has based her brand on her own childhood memories. She has been fascinated with perfume since the age of seven and when she received a set of mini perfumes she was sold. Hutchinson mentioned in an interview that her mum was “an avid collector of unusual scents” so Memoize is like a family album of scent memories she happily leafs through when feeling nostalgic.

Memoize London, Superbia

Superbia is Memoize’s new fragrance and the first of the Seven Sins. It represents pride, joy and delight in a bottle. Think of the unequalled pride of a parent, even when it is maybe not justified. Superbia has been described as “a first day of school, the pruned rose bushes, games in the woods, the leather strap of a satchel, a mother’s proudest moment…” I can totally see this connection with a parent’s overwhelming pride as it is quite a sweet and maternal scent.

Superbia has top notes of rose, ylang ylang and orchid. The middle notes are quite strong and powerfull and give the scent a high end air, with hints of cedar wood, sandalwood and saffron. The base notes are comforting and strongly connected with scents from childhood, with oud wood, leather, amber, musk and patchouli.

Another of the fragrances, Avaritia, is inspired by insatiability and opulence. Avaritia is warm and wealthy and the warm top notes of orange, bergamot, armoise and geranium will leave you wishing for more of its richness. The middle notes are a blend of jasmine and cedarwood, which gives it its oriental tones, together with base notes of patchouli, musk, amberwood and sandalwood.

Era is the most sensual of all the fragrances, and is connected to power, passion and provocation. It reminds me of the drab days I put on a certain fragrance and felt like it lightened my mood and give me the passion to rule the day. This strong emotion is probably caused by the rather sharp saffron top notes mixed with iris, ylang ylang and jasmine as the middle notes. This is deepened by the base notes of myrrh, amber, oud and leather.

The fragrances are available at https://www.memoizeperfume.com/product-page/superbia.