Scents I’ve been gone
Holding a candle to the aromas of our past.
by NUAZN Exec Board
Have you ever smelled a scent so nostalgic it reminds you of a fond memory or returns you to another time? nuAZN’s executive board crafted candles for their olfactory oases, taking a trip down memory lane.
Candle Recipe:
60g soy wax block
1 candle tin
1 wick + wick sticker
1 centering stick
5ml fragrance oil
Decorative botanicals
Instructions:
1. Stick the wick onto the bottom of the candle tin with the wick sticker.
2. Melt wax block in a pot until fully liquid.
3. Pour wax into the tin, along with your fragrance oil.
4. Stir wax and oil together for one minute.
5. Place a centering device to secure the wick.
6. Decorate candles with botanicals.
Bea’s Rainwater and Citronella
The wet season air in Manila is humid, infused with the distinct smell of rain and sweat. It’s that odor, tinged with citronella to keep the pesky mosquitoes at bay, that I associate with safety. I long for those summer afternoons in my grandparents’ home, lazing around with my cousins and getting lost in a new book.
Jackie’s Bamboo and Coconut
New Year’s never came and went without the subtle, fresh scent of bamboo wafting through the house. Family dinners with massive bowls of seafood piled atop each other would always end with coconut refreshers to wash everything down. College forced me to part ways with experiences that used to be constants in my life, but the memories always linger, conjured up by a tropical scent that reminds me of home.
William’s Mala
Catching a whiff of Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilis — the peppery and tongue- numbing base for my favorite Chinese dishes — is a synesthetic experience. It surrounds me with bustling Saturday night restaurant chatter and fills my stomach with memories of my mom’s 水煮肉 (shuǐ zhǔ ròu) — succulent pork pieces floating in a spicy broth. Are my eyes watering from the smoke or nostalgia? Probably a bit of both.
Joyce’s Apothecary
Traditional Chinese medicine helped treat colds, headaches and dampness when I was younger. The prescriptions, made up of various herbs, would often come with orange peels to help alleviate the bitterness. While I didn’t particularly enjoy drinking the medicine, I have grown fond of the herbal apothecary smell that transports me back to humid, tranquil summers.
Sarah’s Citrus Sunshine
My mom once told me that tangerines were a lucky fruit to eat — Mandarin for tangerine (橘 - “jú”) sounds like the word for “good luck” ( 吉 - “jí”). My best friend and I would each eat a tangerine before our middle school Science Olympiad tests, inhaling the sweet scent of the peel when we’d eaten all the fruit’s flesh. Citrus sunshine brings back memories of waiting anxiously at exam room doors, studying late at night and winning our first state championship — no doubt achieved with the luck of the tangerine.