READing Your Style: Scent on a Journey (Part 1)

The Holiday Season is approaching and, in my fashion, if you are anyone smart, you would be thinking of Christmas gifts now instead of waiting til the last few days before the big day (like I always do). Lately an aspect of style which has caught my fancy more than ever before is the use of fragrances. The model that I used for last month's Editor's Letter for October, Sophia, is a dear friend of mine, and her acute sense of smell, and obsession for fragrances is an ongoing topic with her. If you recall this year's Valentine's Day post, you will remember I spoke a little about how scents played a significant role in courting women, and sending certain messages to others. In my fashion, smell is an interesting sense when you really think about it. It's such a subliminal sense, but what most of us don't happen to realize is that perfume is liquid luxury. Smells affect our emotions by evoking memories, and when someone gets a whiff of your perfume, it leaves an extra impression in their mind. Perfumes help to remind us of romance, sex, happiness, and beauty, and in my fashion, the wearer, no matter what they look like, will always leave some hint of intrigue. Its all about the image one has of you after you have left the room, in my fashion. Think about the picture that famed perfumer, Jean-Paul Guerlain, paints for us in Part 1 of the below BBC Documentary, Perfumes: From Scent to Sale: 

"The most beautiful girl in the world: she takes off her dress, she takes off her make-up, and what's left? The charm of her voice and her perfume. A woman can be ugly at daytime and wonderful at nighttime."

I will be covering the three part documentary series in next 2 parts of this series, but in the above video you can learn some interesting facts about perfuming and the intricate business of bottling liquid luxury. Jean-Paul Guerlain, while having made a racist comment in an interview in October of 2010, and having been found guilty of in French Courts for committing a threat to “public order”, his families legacy for being one of the world's oldest perfume houses since 1828, The House of Guerlain is a great point of reference for learning about the beautiful craft of perfuming. While going to Bed, Bath, and Body Works is always a good option for buying gifts for friends, co-workers, and family members we may not know too much about, to receive a specially made fragrance from a high fashion designer puts the icing on the cake for our more intimate relationships with our moms, girlfriends, boyfriends, dads, and close friends. I found a wonderful guide in InStyle Magazine's November 2013 issue called, "Scent on a Journey", which offers some great comparisons of the perfumes out on the market. In my fashion, if you are unaware of how to think about buying a perfume and what a more discerning reason of why you are going to buy a perfume, either for yourself or someone else, the article asks some great questions in flow chart format to use when you are going to a store spritzing those little pieces of paper trying to find just the right scent. Continue visiting #IMFblog throughout November to find out how to distinguish between the floral, spicy, and fresh scents out in the market. 

FLORAL FRAGRANCES: 

If your happy place is smack-dab in the middle of a blossoming garden, look below to pick your next bouquet.

WHICH OF THESE AROMAS ATTRACTS YOU THE MOST:

             

White Flowers OR Roses OR Fruits and Flowers

*White Flowers: 

WHEN YOU WALK INTO A ROOM, DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO NOTICE YOUR FRAGRANCE?

-If you DO want people to know your fragrance:

DO YOU PREFER A SLIGHTLY SPICY OR A SWEET SCENT?

SPICY:

Boucheron Place Vendôme

As sparkling (with pink peppercorn, jasmine, and orange blossom) as the City of Light itself

SWEET:

Estée Lauder Modern Muse

Jasmine and tuberose smell elegant with a delicious dose of vanilla.

-If you DON'T want people to know your fragrance:                                                                                    

DO YOU PREFER A POWDERY OR A SWEET MIX?    

POWDERY:

Issey Miyake L'eau D'issey Absolue

It's light yet addictive with subtle freesia, lotus flower, and a hint of heady tuberose.

SWEET:

Lolita Lempicka Elle L'aime

Bergamot, lime, and neroli put a yummy spin on the soft pairing of jasmine and ylang ylang.

*Roses: 

DO YOU ENJOY BOLD ROSY BLENDS?

-If you DO enjoy rosy blends:

Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb Explosion

Peppercorn and saffron enrich the aroma of Turkish and Moroccan roses.

-If you DON'T enjoy rosy blends:                        
                             

DO YOU PREFER AN EARTHY, A FRESH, OR A POWDERY FINISH?

EARTHY:

Marni Rose

The rich, rosy fragrance deepens on the skin thanks to spicy cardamom and patchouli. 

FRESH:

Kenzo Flower in the Air

It's subtle, like a breeze blowing over blooming rose bushes. 

POWDERY:

Clé de Peau Beauté Rose Synactif

Creamy notes of musk and white woods make this delicate yet warm.

*Fruits and Flowers: 

DO YOU LIKE A HINT OF SPICE IN YOUR PERFUME?

-If you DO like a hint of spice in your perfume:

 Fendi L'Acquarossa

Juicy tangerine and plum brighten the heart of magnolia and rose, through the woody patchouli-spiked base comes through too.

-If you DON'T like a hint of spice in your perfume:      
                                                                 

Jimmy Choo Exotic

Blackcurrant, passion flower, and raspberry are charmingly sweet but not dessert-like.