Photo by Nicky Holland@Flikr - Creative Commons
Scent is a powerful, sometimes even hypnotic, sense. It can conjure sweet memories of a lovely romance – or offer a pungent reminder of a relationship gone sour. It can transport you to a place you loved and were happy – or to a place that made you miserable. The olfactory senses have a memory of their own.
I will always think of my grandmother, Huddy, when I smell L’Air du Temps; she gave me the fragrance on my sixteenth birthday. Shalimar will forever transport me to San Marino, circa 1959, where my best friend’s mother, a statuesque blonde Swede, always wore the exotic scent. L’Eau D’Hadrien will always remind my husband of our early years of dating when I wore it every day.
“Fragrance finishes what you are all about,” explained Mary Line Patry of Guerlain Thursday during an interview at Neiman Marcus Ala Moana. “It’s part of you, of what you want to be. You perfume the perfume, it doesn’t perfume you. And it leaves a trace of you behind.” She added with a twinkle in her blue eyes: “When you put the fragrance on, you make the notes dance differently.” That’s why fragrance never smells the same on two people.
CHOOSING A FRAGRANCE
In case you know someone who will be shopping for scent as a Valentine’s Day gift, here are a few tips on how to choose a fragrance for someone else. Honolulu-based perfumer Kate Growney creator of Saffron James fragrances (sold at Red Pineapple, Nordstrom, Owens & Co. and other stores around town) advised: “When I choose a fragrance for someone I ask myself a lot of questions about who they are: What kind of food they like, what their favorite color is, who is their favorite fashion designer, what kind of music do they listen to, where they grew up, where they like to travel. The answers will tell you a lot about what scent they would like.” It would be very helpful to learn the answers to these questions and share them with the sales associate in the fragrance department.
Perfumes can be roughly divided into five categories. The first consideration is which of these categories would the person you are shopping for like best:
- fresh, green
- floral, fruity
- oriental spicy
- gourmand (vanilla, chocolate, fig etc.)
It’s always ideal to test a fragrance before buying it. Maybe a trip to the fragrance counter with a blindfold would make it fun? Or bringing home several samples and secretly spritzing them on the “victim”?
When sampling fragrance, allow ten minutes to enable a complete olfactory experience to unfurl. Test a maximum of three at a time or your poor nose will probably go into overload and you won’t experience the complexities of the scent.
Unless the fragrances are intended to be worn together, don’t wear more than one fragrance at a time. Some companies, such as Jo Malone (find it at Neiman Marcus), make scents to mix and match so you can create your own unique scent. At Chai Studio in Kakaako, owner Amerjit Ghag can help you create a custom scent combining several fragrances. However if you’re simply buying a fragrance over the counter, don’t count on it blending successfully with any other scent.
DIFFERENT FORMS OF FRAGRANCE
For him:
Cologne: A concentrated form of fragrance, blending natural essential oils, aroma molecules and fixatives. Since fragrance rises, it should be sprayed from the feet up.
After shave: Created to be applied to the face. There are two forms: One features cooling astringent qualities to heal small nicks; the other incorporates moisturizing ingredients. It’s formulated to perform for a short time.
For Her:
Perfume (20% perfume oil, lasts about five to six hours): Strongest, most long-lasting fragrance form. Apply at all the pulse points: behind the ears, base of throat and inside bend of the elbows, behind the knees, at the ankles.
Eau de parfum (15% perfume oil, lasts about three to five hours): One of the newest forms of fragrances, it assures a long-lasting application. Pat (never rub) or spray on pulse points, from the feet up, just before dressing.
Eau de toilette (3 – 8% perfume oil, lasts about two hours): Less concentrated than eau de parfum; should be applied in the same way.
Cologne (3% perfume oil, lasts about an hour): The lightest form of fragrance. Meant to be splashed or sprayed on liberally; not long-lasting.
HOW TO WEAR FRAGRANCE
Perfume lasts longer on oily and moisturized skin and on skin that has been “primed” with a matching fragrant body wash, shower gel, oil or cream. Layering fragrance will ensure that the effect lasts longer.
Since spray bottles are sealed, they last longer that splash bottles. Fragrance should be kept in a cool, dry place and away from sunlight. Fragrances should last three years past the manufacturer’s date.
If you know someone who is shopping for scent (or you want to hint to someone that scent is what you would like for Valentine’s Day) please send them the link to this blog. And feel free to send me comments or questions. I have great sources on this subject!
- Paula Rath
