Reminder: This week only, I’m offering 50% off paid subscriptions! If you’re already a paid subscriber, 1) omgthankyou, and 2) you can also send a gift subscription with the promo. Thank you for reading, and for your support!
We all have those fragrances that serve as an instant pick-me-up. My two favorite smells in the world are 1) fresh coffee and 2) walking into an ice cream shop. The former gets me out of bed every day, and the latter is what gets me through very long weeks.
When it comes to wearable scents, I’m currently in a bright and spring-y phase. I’m really liking Prada Rhubarb* (it reminds me of a less sweet RALPH*—still around, btw—which my friends and I loved in middle school), and Glossier You Fleur*, which is mysterious—not a straightforward floral at all. Almost spicy.
I’ve discreetly been asking past Gatekeeping guests to share their favorite scents over the last few months; some are perfumes, some are foods, some are other things entirely. What they all have in common is that they smell incredible—find them all below.
*Sold at Sephora and included in their Savings Event, now through 4/14.

“Fresh baked Pumpkin Bread. You walk in the house and immediately know fresh loaves are on the counter. My kids love it and when they are surprised by the scent in the house it is so fun to see how excited they get.” — of Retail Diary (now part of Line Sheet)
“Lilyphea by Diptyque. I've been saying it's Glossier You* for people who bathe.” — of
“We’re perfume collectors/hoarders and scent snobs. Friends sometimes think we have a problem. Current favorites are Bo by Liis and Toï Toï Toï Extrait by Ormaie. Subtle, unfamiliar, and impossible to name to most noses, which is why we love them.” —
“Lemongrass, lemongrass, lemongrass. Because I cook SO much in my house, before I have friends over I make sure to tie up a few stalks of lemongrass, lemon peels, and citrus peels and boil it for around 15 minutes. The house smells like a spa and it's a neat trick you can do with kitchen scraps. Yummm....” — Thu Pham Buser, culinary artist, food stylist, and chef
“I’m Puerto Rican and grew up wearing Nenuco. It’s a ‘baby cologne’—if you’re Latina you know. I spent years trying to find the notes in it and looking for perfumes that take me back there. Neroli is the closest thing (Reddit confirmed this). I love Celine’s Parade; that’s been my go-to for a few years and what I feel like the most myself in. I’ve been really into Perfumehead’s Reines de Anges and Somewhere. I love them solo, but in the summer, I layer them with Tom Ford’s Portofino* to make them a little lighter and more fresh.” —Lola Gonzalez, creative director of Versed
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Gatekeeping to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.