Fragrance Wardrobe: The Perfume Jen Atkin Wears When She Wants to Give a "Badass Vibe"

Your perfume isn’t just how you smell—it’s how you feel. Usually, it's an accessory to how you present yourself to the world, but these days, it can serve as a source of comfort and nostalgia during days spent at home. In the upcoming weeks, we're sharing a new version of Fragrance Wardrobe, our series in collaboration with The Fragrance Foundation that highlights the rotating perfume “wardrobes” of tastemakers through key points in their life. In this new take, we'll be asking them to share their favorite scents through the lens of comfort and their at-home routine. Get to know them better via the scents they choose to wear (and smell) during this uncertain time.

If you've tried Jen Atkin's haircare line OUAI, you'll note that there's one thing that every product has in common: they all smell really good—like really, really good. A fragrance obsessive after our own hearts, Atkin expanded OUAI to include of a line of four fragrances in 2018, all named after her favorite streets in various locations around the world (our favorite is Mercer Street, a heady blend of jasmine sambac and lily to evoke the feeling of downtown New York in the summertime). Knowing Atkin's penchant for fragrance and eager to know the scents the hair queen chooses to spritz, we asked her to share her rotating Fragrance Wardrobe over the years. Ahead, find out the fragrance Atkin wears when she wants to give a "badass vibe," the one that makes her feel sexy (it's pizza-related), and the candle she's burning now to give her comfort. Keep scrolling to see all the scents in Jen Atkin's Fragrance Wardrobe.

The fragrance you remember most as a child:

"I grew up in Hawaii so the smell of gardenia, white lily, and plumeria will always take me back—basically, just think of a Hawaiian lei. That and my mom’s OG Liz Claiborne."

The first fragrance you bought for your fragrance wardrobe:

"Tribe in 8^th grade. I just heard it was re-issued—not not on the waiting list."
The fragrance you wore when you fell in love:

"Even though I’ve been with my husband for 11 years, it’s still OUAI Melrose Place (launched three years ago)...kidding. On the real, probably Child—I still love it so much."

The fragrance in your carry-on, pre-quarantine:

"I’ll always bring OUAI with me—it’s such a staple whenever I travel and all the scents are subtle and versatile enough to not evacuate an airplane. That or Byredo Mojave Ghost—the composition is crazy good and honestly, Byredo can do no wrong."

Your "goes with everything" fragrance:

"Kirke by Tiziana Terenzi is super versatile. I’ve had it in my life for years now and it’s a great backup or a solid choice if I want to throw it into the everyday rotation."

Your power-suit fragrance:

"Literally all of the above. One of my favorite’s these days is KKW Crystal Gardenia. It’s super lush, and even a little feminine, but still evokes a badass vibe."

Your leather jacket fragrance:

"Not to be on the nose, but Tom Ford Tuscan Leather. It’s super sexy, not too feminine, not too masculine. It’s modern, it’s classic, very much like a leather jacket."

Your slinky slip dress fragrance:

"I mean, is it weird to say Jon & Vinny’s LA Woman pizza? Nothing is sexier. That, or Kai. Will never not have Kai in my bathroom."

The scent that brings you comfort these days:

"One of my earlier memories is going to the hair salon with my mom. She was always getting perms in the '80s, which had such a distinct smell. Shocker—I loved it. There’s something about it that brings me right back and reminds me of home."

The candle you're currently burning at home right now:

"Literally anything Byredo. I have them all—Mojave Ghost, Gypsy Water, Blanche, Rose of No Man’s Land. They’re all so amazing, so unique and Ben is such a genius. He nailed the name for each scent—they pair perfectly with the fragrance."