One of the first things that strikes you as you walk up to a person is his/her scent. A good perfume can, literally, be a very attractive turn on. Conversely, a bad perfume or a sweaty odour can really put me off and have me taking a step back or looking to walk away.We all have our distinct tastes when it comes to perfumes. Some like the woody scents, others are enamoured by the fresh fruity aromas, some prefer aquatic and floral touches while others prefer to go for oriental notes. Some perfumes have an effect not unlike the best pheromones secreted by the body that can trigger a very desirable response, attracting us towards the individual wearing it.
As I started searching for perfumes for myself, the Aquarian in me took over and I started going into the 'whats and how's of perfumes. And I started to realise that there are so many things to consider and not just the first fragrance that hits you when you spray it on your hand. You have to consider :
1. the notes ( top, middle and base ) which determine how the perfume's scent changes over time,
2. the sillage ( how close a perfume stays to your skin : does it diffuse, leaving behind its smell even after you've left the elevator ? )
3. the longevity and
4. strength.
Personally, I'm more of a citrusy perfume guy myself. I guess I just like that summer kind of aroma as opposed to a musky woody odour.My present perfumes ( and ones which I'd strongly recommend for those who love fresh scents ) are :
1. Paco Rabanne One Million ( distinct, long lasting )
2. CK One Summer ( very 'summery', strong sillage, average longevity )
3. L'eau par Kenzo ( good longevity, average sillage )
4. Armani Code ( distinct )
My wishlist for the future :
1. CK Eternity
2. Bvlgari Aqua Marine
So the question for you all today - What's in your perfume closet presently ?
That was one learning experience...but selecting the right one always leaves me perplexed.
ReplyDeleteMy god-such high tastes...you made me look into my little perfume shelf to know what I usually wear-and I also remembered how you came up with the name for the strawberry scent I was wearing once(damn if I remember what you had named or the actual name of it)
ReplyDeleteanyways, since my beloved is also an Aquarian, I really appreciate this list although Georgio Armani's Acqua de Gio is his personal favourite, I guess you could try that!*I hope I am getting the spellings right*
My personal favourite is Estee Lauder's Pleasure and Davidoff's Cool Water...though don't ask me why!:-)
Enlightening...
ReplyDeleteI should start checking the names of those scents I borrow from others!!
Thats a lot of research and now for once I will give some more thought into buying one :)
ReplyDeleteI got paco rabanne for my hubby in 79:) and everybody was envious of him, as that time also it was liked very much,now a days I like Azzaro and Hugo boss more.
ReplyDeleteFor myself.I like many,J'dore,pherose,Lolita lempinsky and chanel's Miss cherie,even romance from Ralph lauren is also very good.
Alka, the more you test, the more confused you get. Always happens to me.
ReplyDeleteSuruchi, I think the one you were referring to was Paco Rabanne Black XS. Armani's Aqua de Gio is a really famous selling one, no doubt about it. Aquarian has good taste :)
As is Cool WATER.
Rohan, thats a start :)
ReplyDeletePurvi, sure hope you do. :D
Renu,I used to love Azzaro's Chrome Legend. Hugo Boss tends to be pretty consistent - all their variations have been good. I must admit, except for the brand names of Chanel and Ralph Lauren, KI dont know a single one of the feminine perfumes you mentioned.
Nice post... Even I like CK Summer and CK One Electric in citrus but then I am more of Aquatic or Musk guy....
ReplyDeleteShould do a post on perfumes, now that you have inspired it and I am anyways hitting a writer's block these days.
Wow!! you do know your scent. I personally swear by Bvlgari Aqua for men - real oomph stuff! And my all time favorite for me is Poison, closely followed by Anais Anais. Very refreshing post!!
ReplyDeletewhat an interesting topic. i am really into perfumes but hardly ever loyal to one brand. if at all i do choose to be loyal and had to pick one as my signature scent, that would be Hugo Boss Woman. I love it.
ReplyDeleteperfumes i have used in the past and liked/loved - Elizabeth Arden 5th Avenue, Davidoff Echo, and Hugo Deep Red.
The one that gets me most compliments/questions on what I am wearing but I find very average is Stella by Stella McCartney
Prats, CK ONE smells nice..dont know about a CK ONE ELECTRic... in Aquatic, you have to go for BVLGARI AQUA/AQUAMARINE, Azzaro Chrome.
ReplyDeleteAnd ya, do send me a link when you put up your post :)
Nirvana, Poison is legendary.. such a distinct strong lingering aroma. Dont know the last one you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteNags, you can never really go wrong with Hugo Boss.. most of their perfumes have been successes and best sellers. Hugo Deep Red too is lovely.
Elizabeth Arden too has some very fresh scents. cANT SAY i'VE SMELT A sTELLA :)
Citrusy for me too. Though most sales people keep shoving the Chanels and Elizabeth Ardens under my nose! I currently wear Davidoff, Hugo Boss, or Happy by Clinique.
ReplyDeleteRosh that was a real neat write up..quite informative I must say. Inspiring enough not to just buy one of the shelf just because it smelt good. Well, Poison used to be an alltime fav..until I found Dior J'adore, which I found to be very subtle in terms of strength, quite longlasting, with a lovely sillage (err..I just learnt the usage after reading info given by u!) and a very refreshing scent. In spite of attempts to change, havent really been able to. Guess your points would be a gr8 help! :-)
ReplyDeleteMeira, Davidoff and Hugo Boss seem to be poplar choices... may I suggest for you TAJ ESCADA SUNSET... its a 2011 edition..really smelt great.
ReplyDeleteShalini, glad to add a new term to your vocab ( sillage )... dont forget to impress the salesmen by asking about the top and base notes too :)
wow.. perfumes and all!!!!
ReplyDeleteFor me, a good smelling person has always been way better than how handsome he is. It says a lot about your grooming and hygiene, two things that are very important to me.
I wish good perfumes were not soooo expensive. I would have drowned in Chanel otherwise.
Nisha.. totally agree on the importance of a good fragrance.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Chanel bit, well... :)
Omg .. you are so uber cool .
ReplyDeleteHmm , now that's what we call 'a man of tastes' .. or should I say 'a man of aroams' ?
Looking at your blog gives me the confidence that I'b be able to survive ent , ophthal and comm. medicine and rise above the mundane 'bheed bhaad' of the world :D
great work pal...try dropping into my blog too..://zradar.wordpress.com
ReplyDeleteSpiritual sinner, thanks dude..and trust me... when the time comes, u'll easily rise above the bheed bhaad.
ReplyDeleteZradar, thanks..willdo.
I'm not so fanatic abt them but the husband is very particular & like u he knows quite a bit abt such things so I usually trust his choice. Right now I have Coco Mademoiselle from Chanel and Eurphoria, CK[heee i had to go chk the names;-D].
ReplyDeleteBut they r not favourites or anything, by the time I'm finished with them, I'm ready to try another scent so it keeps changing;-P.
Reflections, good choices..and ya, rarely stick to one myself..
ReplyDeleteMy mother in law is a very big perfume fanatic.. And she has got all the best brands from France.. She has versace, Escada.. Nina Ricci, Lacoste , Anais anais,cool water! And others like Hugo boss.. Etc.. And the best part she lends them to me too.. Thanks to her i keep on upgrading my perfume taste! :-)
ReplyDeletewow..those really are all the hi-fi groups ..lucky you. see if u can identify ur favs amongst them and pen them down here...
ReplyDelete