Every time I smell Sì Passione by Giorgio Armani, I am back in my mother’s arms. It is one of my favorite perfumes in the world, because it is hers — the red glass bottle that has sat on her bathroom counter ever since I was small enough to fear dropping it. My mom has changed a lot throughout the years, but Sì Passione has remained consistent as her poison. It is an immensely feminine scent that will always remind me of her. Fragrance has an incredible power to create intimate associations.
My sense of smell is quite remarkable. I can smell things before it reaches the noses of the people I’m around. I can smell my friends before I even see them come into the room. I can usually identify whose mysterious sweater was left at my house after a party. While this makes stenches worse for me, it also allows me to appreciate pleasant smells more. Any aroma will not only smell good, but, as I like to say, delicious. For this reason, I love controlling the scents I wear. Whether I am waking up or going to sleep, I will spritz on something that makes me feel delicious.
When I think of perfume, Giorgio Armani is one of the first brands that comes to mind (due to my mom’s aforementioned love affair). It is one of the world’s biggest fashion empires. From runway couture to minimalist apparel, it has been known for its luxury status for decades. Since the 80s, it has also continued to be one of the most high-end fragrance houses. Emporio Armani, a contemporary line of Armani, released a new perfume called Power of You in January 2026. An eau de parfum aimed to make you feel empowered — like you can command any room you walk into.
I am picky when it comes to perfumes, but I have to say this one hit a lot of marks for me. Personally, I love it when the base note of a scent is vanilla. It’s warm and comforting and a classic. The main top note is passion fruit, which I was skeptical of when I heard it, but that’s what made this fragrance stand out for me when I went through my collection of perfumes. I wore it frequently during my spring break. I traveled to San Francisco, where I was greeted by sunshine and greenery. The fruity beauty I felt when I wore it at the beach — it was the perfect summer vibe. I smelled sweet and sexy while lying in warm, soft sand. I reached for the ruby-colored bottle every morning.
This eau de parfum is also versatile. I wore it at different times and on different occasions. At night, I wore it paired with Cyklar Vanilla Verve to create a nighttime vanilla dream to fall asleep to. When going out to dinner and drinks, I put extra Power of You on to enhance the passion fruit element, which allowed me to take on the vibrant city of San Francisco with confidence.
The one drawback I ran into while testing Power of You was its duration. The scent would last on my skin for about four hours, so I would have to reapply throughout the day. I have worn scents that last longer. Despite this small downside, I loved wearing it for the way it made me feel — sultry, seductive, and delicious.
My favorite aspect of scent is the memories you connect with it. Whether it is a reminder of a person, a place, or a time in your life, it is incredible how our brains can trigger memory through smelling; how momentarily breathing in can transport you. I love having a signature scent that my friends and family can always associate me with. This way, when they smell it, they think of me — just like I do with my mom’s classic Armani perfume.
Power of You and San Francisco are now linked in my mind. One whiff and I am back with my friends watching the sunset over the horizon, or walking the Golden Gate Bridge, or exploring the Sunset District. I daydream of being in the presence of good friends, where our only worry is what adventure to do next. I wear it all day long and lean in close to my wrist when I feel down, or simply want to be there. It is a sensational ability humans have to use our senses to go back in time, one I use every chance I get.
