Everyone is familiar with the saying, “the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” but are you aware that the nose can play a large part in securing the love of your partner as well? With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, you don’t want to count out this part of the anatomy just yet.
Jennifer Hardaway, owner of KleanSpa perfumery in Burbank, explained that pheromones are a naturally occurring chemical that can be added to perfumes and worn by themselves to make the wearer more attractive.The idea of whether or not pheromones work in perfumes has been mixed.
“Some people (can be) attracted to someone’s natural scent,” Hardaway said, “even though they’re not wearing anything.”
Pheromones aside, people react differently to distinctive scents. When shopping for colognes and perfumes, bring a small bag of coffee beans to clear up your nose palate if fragrances begin to smell the same.
Yessenia Berumen, employee at Perfume Corner in Valencia, said they have coffee beans at the shop to prevent scent sickness.
“It will help bring your sense (of smell) back, because your nose will begin to feel fatigued,” Berumen said.
In order to become a fragrance connoisseur, you should know what goes into “composing” a perfume. Broken down like music, a good fragrance is made up of a light, airy top note that’s most evident just after application, a middle note, which contains the main scent, and a lingering base note that sits on the skin after the first two have faded.
Perfumes for her:
- Ralph Lauren Romance ($65-1.7 oz): Experience falling in love with this perfume, which combines the essence of velvety woods and beautiful florals. Sexy and understated, this scent is a classy and elegant choice for a romantic night out.
- Viva la Juicy ($70-2.5 oz ):
- Boss Orange ($55-2.5 oz):
Teasing and tempting, this scent combines delicious wild berries with creamy vanilla and bright jasmine in a fresh twist. Sweet scents, such as vanilla, have been shown to be a natural aphrodisiac.
“There have been studies that say men are attracted to things that smell like vanilla, pumpkin or lavender,” Berumen said.
This warm and sweet scent is perfect if you want to get noticed. The fruit scent is mixed with orange blossoms, giving it a warm and passionate tone. The tantalizing citrus smell produces an arousal reaction in 20 percent of men, according to a study performed by The Smell and Taste Treatment and research foundation.
Cologne for him:
Scentual Mistress Hardaway said when a man walks in KleanSpa, she would recommend to him woody notes, amber and bergamot, a kind of Italian lemon, to turn on a lady.
1. Calvin Klein Eternity ($71 3.4 oz):
With an intoxicating richness that’s both contemporary and classy, Eternity has an engaging blend of floral top notes and muskier base notes.
“Women are attracted to the scents of sandalwood that have deeper notes,” Hardaway said. Musk bottom notes are (also) popular.”
2. Gucci Guilty ($65 3.4 oz): An intense fragrance with notes of mandarin, lemon citrus and lavender, this scent is soothing to the heart. With fresh greens subtly layered into the composition, there’s an extra tangy kick that lingers throughout the day.
“Spice notes add crump and make the scent smell sexy,” Hardaway said.
3. Dolce & Gabbana The One ($65 3.4 oz): This elegant and seductive fragrance has an spice to it, with refined base notes of ginger, cedarwood and citrus spice making it “scent-ually” engaging for your lover.
