Tag Archives: scents

Figure Out Which Fragrance To Buy With Sephora’s Scent Samplers

Catherine StrawnDecember 9, 2009 //

Finding a new fragrance is a daunting task. I can never figure out whether I’m willing to commit to a scent after wearing it around the store or smelling and re-smelling a scent strip. To help indecisive perfume-buyers pick a new eau de something, Sephora has come up with a pretty genius concept. For $50 to $75, you’ll get a kit of deluxe perfume samples that includes fragrances like Stella McCartney Stella Eau de Parfum, DKNY Be Delicious Eau de Toilette, Kenzo FlowerByKenzo, and Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue. You can take your time (why not try wearing a different scent every day?) before redeeming the included voucher for a full-size bottle of your chosen fragrance. The kits are available for either men or women, and they’d make a great gift if you want to get someone a new fragrance but don’t have the nose for choosing one. [Sephora] Keep reading »

How To Get Perfume To Stay

Catherine StrawnJune 30, 2008 //

Even though I have tried to wear perfume (Coco Chanel once said, “A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.”), scents seem to fall off my skin, and I have basically given up on smelling nice. Perfume blog The Fragrance Fanatic just posted some tips for making your perfume or eau de toilette stay put, but the whole process seems a little too product- and time-intensive to incorporate into my morning routine.

  • Step 1: Wash yourself using soap or body wash scented with your favorite fragrance.
  • Step 2: Post-shower, moisturize using a body lotion of the same fragrance.
  • Step 3: Add perfume to your pulse points (wrists, crook of your arm, nape of your neck, hairline, ankle, and decolletage).

    • Recently, someone told me my hair smelled nice, so maybe instead of going through the trouble of using scented body washes and lotions, I’ll just spray the stuff on my head. [The Fragrance Fanatic] Keep reading »

    Smells Like Trouble

    Catherine StrawnApril 1, 2008 //

    New research from Northwestern University shows that a single negative experience linked to an odor teaches us to discriminate against that and similar-smelling odors. While they discovered this in the lab by shocking research subjects with electricity when exposed to certain scents, I have experienced this firsthand, and I’m sure you have, too. When I was in high school, I dated a guy whose mother used a particular brand of detergent. Did no one else’s mothers use this detergent? I’m not sure, but his scent was truly special. I thought he smelled fine when we were going out, and then we had a messy breakup. Shortly after our relationship ended, my mother deviated from her regular brand of detergent. Maybe there was a sale at the grocery store, or maybe the store was out of her preferred detergent. Either way, we washed our clothes in this new detergent, and when I smelled my shirts, they didn’t not smell clean. They smell…of him. I thought I was going to be sick, and we had to wash all the clothes again. To this day, my mother knows not to buy that particular brand of detergent. [Northwestern University] Keep reading »