I’m sure the majority of us ladies have heard about the cosmetics brand Estee Lauder.
While I don’t use many of their makeup products, there is one fragrance that I cannot live without, Youth-Dew.
According to the Estee Lauder website, this was the first scent created by Lauder as a bath oil in 1953. The perfume has notes of rose, jonquil, lavender, jasmine, muguet, spices, moss, vetiver and patchouli.
It has been a while since I owned a bottle of Youth-Dew and last month, while at the cosmetic counter, I sniffed it again for the first time in years.
I can’t quite describe the feeling, which began in my stomach, traveled to my heart and manifested itself in the form of tears flowing from my eyes.
The scent, you see, is most special to me and reminds me of one of the most important women in my life, my late grandmother, Sinia Hartigan.
In that crowded department store, I remembered those moments spent with her in the back seat of the car on our way to church. I always held her hand and would take her rings on and off to see how they would look on my fingers.
There were the early mornings spent feeding the chickens, Canadian geese, baby ducks and the mean-spirited turkey. She also raised peacocks and peahens, and I remember going on a scavenger hunt to find the nests.
She loved black licorice and in the evenings before our walks around the farm, she would hand me a piece.
Grandma was one of the sweetest and kindest people I’ve ever encountered. When you were around her, you knew you were loved.
The greatest compliment I’ve ever received came from my grandfather on the day of her funeral. With tears in his eyes and a crack in his voice, he told me how much I reminded him of her.
I won’t ever forget those words. I, in no way, have reached her status and fall short many times. But she is my idol and I aim to make her proud.
She wore Youth-Dew constantly. I, wanting to be just like Grandma, begged to have my own bottle during my teenage years when my obsession with perfumes began.
I always receive compliments, and many tell me I wear it well.
So, last month, after seeing my reaction to the fragrance, my husband bought me a bottle, even though he loathes the scent.
I use it sparingly and keep it for days when I know I will need more courage and want to wrap myself in the invisible embrace of my Grandma, who always made my world a better place.