I still remember the first time I experienced beauty as a feeling, not as something I saw, but something I touched, smelled and felt deep in my soul.

My earliest memories of sensory beauty take me back to my grandmother’s perfumed talc powder box in her small country house. It was like a hidden treasure chest, something that intrigued me with its soft, delicate mystery. I would approach it with curiosity, dipping my fingers into the silky dust, watching as it settled in swirling patterns. The texture was light, almost ethereal, and the scent, delicate and powdery, felt like a whisper of old-world elegance. It was so enchanting that I couldn’t resist playing with it, even when I was told not to. So, I started approaching it in secret, like a tiny explorer uncovering a world of scent and texture, enjoying every stolen moment. Even now, I can still feel the powder between my fingers, smell that soft, nostalgic perfume in my mind.

Well, smelling it so often was probably not the best idea, considering what we know now about talc and its controversies. But back then, that was the beauty we had, and those were the moments that shaped my love for textures and scents.

Then, there were my visits to my other grandmother, that had a beautiful Violetta di Parma box in her bedroom. I was mesmerized by it: the intricate decoration, the velvet lining, the gorgeous bottle of perfume inside. And yes, another box of talc powder. The first time I opened it and smelled the violet scent, I fell in love. It was probably the beginning of my lifelong violet obsession - I’ll talk about it in a future blog post, but I use to post some instagram stories about it already. Every time I visited, I would sneak a peek, absorbing that perfect aesthetic. Even if I was not touching it, I was feeling the soft velvet under my fingers, breathing in the delicate feminine notes. It was as if I was recharging my senses with my eyes, soaking in the beauty of something so simple but so magical.

Then came the cherry lip gloss.

My mother bought it from an Avon catalog when she was purchasing from a friend, and even though it wasn’t natural (no options at the time!), I adored it. The texture was liquid, smooth, slightly sticky but delicious. I loved the scent, the taste… I think I spent more time eating it than actually wearing it! And oh, how I loved flipping through the catalog, especially the pages with kids’ beauty products. Everything looked so perfect, so magical, like tiny treasures in beautifully packaged bottles.

And then there was my first makeup.

I was around 14, on vacation with my aunt and cousins, when my aunt gifted me my first eye pencil and colored lip gloss. My mother didn’t know yet (and wasn’t thrilled when she found out—oops!). I remember how I felt the first time I applied a simple black line to my inner eye. It was a feeling more than a look. It made me feel beautiful, like I had unlocked something powerful within me. And the lip gloss? It was a tiny jar of fuchsia magic, scented with red fruits, intensely flavored and pigmented. It was so rich that I could almost taste the color. Again, I probably ended up eating half of it.

Those are my first and most nostalgic beauty memories, little moments that, looking back, shaped the way I see skincare today. I’ve always lived beauty through the senses. And as time passed, I found myself moving towards natural skincare, where ingredients are excellent in creating a sensory experience. I fell in love with raw ingredients, their textures, the way they mix and transform. It became more than a passion: it became an alchemy, a craft, a ritual.

Now, I love the feeling of creams melting into my skin, the richness of butters, the silkiness of serums. I’ve learned that certain ingredients can enhance those experiences. Cetearyl Alcohol gives creams that dense, rich body and feeling, Fucocert adds a silky, slippery touch that makes application luxurious. With time, I realized that for me, beauty is not just about results, it’s also about the experience, the moment of self-care, the pause in the day to touch, to feel and to indulge.

Beauty, for me, has always been sensory. It has always been about more than what we see. It’s about what we feel, how we connect with the textures, the scents, the emotions they evoke. And above all, it’s about creating a ritual, a space to slow down, breathe and reconnect with yourself. An holistic experience.

What about you? Do you have a beauty memory like this? A scent, a texture, or a moment from childhood that still stays with you? Feel free to send me your comments in Instagram. I’d love to hear your story!