I hope this Christmas season you took my advice on buying fragrances as gifts, and that the flow chart descriptions of scents provided by InStyle Magazine helped you to look at the world of perfumes and colognes more clearly. Since the beginning of my expedition to become more familiar with scents and fragrances this season, I have done a zillion scent tests on basically any fragrance I could get my hands on: Parfumes, Colognes, Eau de Toilettes and Parfumes, as well as air fresheners, car fresheners, and body sprays. I found that the combination of materials used to create scents contain certain scent notes (i.e. Top, middle, base, and oriental notes) that must be balanced as to appeal to the smeller in a certain way. As I mentioned in Part 2 of the READing Your Style: Scent on a Journey series, I am a visual person, so studying and reporting on fashion through the use of my nose has been quite different. I have been able to smell a lot of the fragrances out on the market in the past few months, and considering this is the time where fragrances products make their highest profits and promote the heaviest, I have been able to really study the subject of Part 3 of BBC’s Fragrance Series. It’s funny because while fragrance is an invisible product, when it comes to selling the product, as I always say, “It’s all about the visual!” The last part of the BBC series has to deal with the sociological aspect of scent fashions and how scent makers determine the tastes of regions to market scents. I have been taking the time to recognize what are the differences in how each fragrance in the market smells, and what I found for myself is that while it is important for the actual scent to resonate with the individual and their scent preferences, selling the scent has a lot to do with how the product is packaged. Considering how massive the fragrance industry is, and how accessible fragrances are, an invisible product needs a visual in order to stand out to its perspective owner, so I have been comparing the scent of a fragrance, to its packaging to tell if one can easily determine what the scent smells like, and how well each brand sends that message about the contents in the bottle.
The marketing and research that goes into creating fragrances for a particular market is a fascinating process because scents tend to be region appropriate. As we learn from the above video, in Russia, heavy, rich smells tend to be the favorite; in China, light, airy scents are preferred; Brazilians enjoy fruity smells, and Arabic countries prefer the musky, oriental scents of the Victorian era. It’s interesting to think about what smells tend to turn on a region of people and generate that euphoric sense of attraction. In the focus group sessions performed by predictor of global scents, Ann Gottlieb, she offered some interesting reasons as to the shifts in popular appeal and the demand for certain trends in smells. Lately, I’ve been preaching about the power to enhance one’s style and appeal by simply finding a signature scent or fragrance. Even if you are not the best dressed, it’s fascinating how intriguing a person can become when that proximity threshold is broken by an electrifying scent that catches our attention and transports us from our normal train of thought. Finding a signature scent—one that you can be exclusively known for—which burns an image of who you are into someone’s mind is a powerful way to make an impression, which in my fashion, is the beauty of fragrance. Fashion is all about developing an allure, and smells, while we tend not to think about them often, have an unconsciously grabbing hold on our desire to interact with others. Perhaps, going into the new year, I implore you to pay more attention to what you want your signature scent to say about you.
To help you out I’ve found some online sources above for choosing fragrances that could help you find a scent perfect for who you are, or someone you want to get a fragrance for. Even though Christmas is gone for 2013, don’t forget, Valentine’s Day 2014 is around the corner. The last type of scents I feature in this series are Fresh scents.
~*Happy New Year!*~
WHICH OF THESE AROMAS ATTRACTS YOU THE MOST?
 |
| Grass OR, Citrus Fruits OR, Ocean Breezes |
*Grass:
DO YOU LIKE A HINT OF SWEETNESS?
If you DO prefer a hint of sweetness:
 |
| Boss Jour Pour Femme |
Honeysuckle and freesia never over-powder the juice, which has a zippy hit of fresh lime.
If you DO NOT prefer a hint of sweetness:
 |
| Penhaligon’s Vaara |
Carrot seeds, coriander, rose, and saffron give an earthy edge to this light, woodsy mix.
*Citrus Fruits:
DO YOU PREFER A CLEAN, A CRISP, OR A FLOWERY FINISH?
CLEAN:
 |
| Eau de Lacoste Pour Femme |
The subtle sweetness of mandarin and white pineapple blends beautifully with traces of orange flower and sandalwood.
CRISP:
 |
| Coach Poppy Citrine Blossom |
Zesty bergamot, black currant, and mandarin take over, creating an eye-opening, invigorating perfume that you'll love misting on in the morning.
FLOWERY:
 |
| Tory Burch |
The soft, petal like scent of peony and tuberose lingers on the skin after the initial burst of grapefruit and neroli fades into the background.
*Ocean Breezes:
ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WEARING A MAN’S FRAGRANCE?
If you are comfortable wearing a man’s fragrance:
 |
| Prada Luna Rossa 34th America’s Cup |
Close your eyes and imagine splashing over the salty seas on a hot summer day. That's what we're talking about.
If you DON’T prefer to wear a man’s fragrance:
 |
| Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Gold Essence |
Bergamont and ivy leaves combine with notes designed to evoke wet gardenia petals in a blend that's clean and sparkling.
No comments:
Post a Comment