Even though Valentine’s Day was yesterday, you can still evoke the romance behind love with perfume. Smells have the power to spark memories long forgotten by time and circumstance. It just takes one fragrance note to take you there, the same way two notes of a song are enough to tell you what it is. Ever hear the theme song to “Jaws” the movie? You now that infamous, “Ta dun”? Think about it.
I never face the day without perfume. -Elizabeth Taylor
Perfume is the easiest accessory that matches with a lot, depending on its intensity and lingering note. It also makes you feel a little sexier, no matter what you’re wearing. You could look like you literally rolled out of bed, with chips from the night before still in your hair. But with a spray or dab of your favorite perfume, you suddenly start kissing yourself in the mirror.
Perfume Sparks Romance
Which brings me to the point of how perfume, always manages to add a hint of romance to your every day. It doesn’t just happen on Valentine’s Day. It might feel that way since we’re preconditioned to think that on that day our love vibrations are heightened by the many paper hearts we see. But the answer is a big, “Hell no!” Call it a bad case of groupthink. But maybe I’m wrong.
A woman’s perfume tells more about her than her handwriting. -Christian Dior
Personally speaking, once I get a whiff of my perfume on my wrists, I feel a bit more special. But just as easily, I’m quickly transported, if just for a few seconds, to a moment when I was wearing that same perfume. It might be a good memory just as much as a bittersweet one. And if the latter intrudes my thoughts, it doesn’t matter as the scent still makes me feel great.
Why Only Unisex Scents?
If you’re reading this and you’re a cis-gender woman, why not select women’s perfume with me being one as well? Believe it or not, I wear mostly men’s fragrances more than women’s. I’m not really into anything that’s too floral or sweet. I actually gravitate mostly to tobacco, woody and leather notes. However, I also love very clean almost citrusy smells. Sadly, most of the feminine fragrances out there, tend to be too ‘girly’ for me and common. I’d rather stand out with unisex or masculine scents.
Perfume is a message. -Paloma Picasso
So before you turn these away, after reading each description, try to envision the smell in your mind. Close your eyes and picture what those individual smells smell like and how they all complement each other.
The Smell Structure
If you didn’t already know, the scent structure is made up of three parts. It has a top note, heart note, and base note. And what are those exactly? Basically, the top note is the FIRST scent you get, the heart note is SECOND and the BASE note is the one that lingers.
Now that you know the breakdown, let’s dive into my favorites.
My Top Unisex Picks
I don’t know why but most of my selections have wood in them. I love the smell. What can I say? And as a sucker for packaging, the design of the bottle was also considered.
Santo Incensio, by The Different Company, became a favorite because of its Palo Santo ingredient. If you don’t know what that is, Palo Santo usually comes in the form of fragrant wooden sticks used to burn like sage. According to Wikipedia, Palo Santo comes from a “wild tree native to Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula to Peru and Venezuela that inhabits the South American Gran Chaco region. It is also found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and on the Galápagos Islands.”
Santo Incensio has citrusy Bergamot as a top note, Palo Santo as a heart note, and Incense as a base note
Gentle Fluidity, by Maison Francis Kurkdijian, has wood of course, along with Amber and Vanilla. But it also has musks punctuated by coriander seeds.
Violet Ida, by Miller Harris, was “inspired by the World of Brighton Rock, a place of contrasts, color, and nostalgia,” according to Miller Harris. It lovingly flirts with Bergamot as its top note, Orris Beurre as its heart note, and Amber as its base note.
Seductive but not a seductress, a woman wears her scent to reveal her personality. -Paco Rabanne
Wait! There’s More
Marfa by Memo Paris is everything. Besides the cool bottle, it counts Orange Blossom as a top note, Tuberose as a heart note, and Vanilla as a base note. Imagine that bottle as part of your collection with the dope illustration? Got my vote!
Willow & Amber, by Jo Malone London, part of its “Wild Flowers & Weeds” limited edition collection, is sure to become one of your favorites too. It has Pink Pepper as a top note, Willow as a heart note, and Amber as a base note.
Oud Divin, by Robert Piguet, was a winner in my book without even trying. Already a fan of the iconic fragrance house’s 1948 darling called Fracas, this one is right up there. Part of its Modern Collection, Oud Divin has Saffron as a top note, smoky Guiac wood as a heart note, and Vetiver as a base note.
I hope this helps you discover new perfumes for yourself or a loved one. Remember, falling in love every day is always possible with the right perfume.
Let me know in the comments if you enjoyed my post. If not, how can it be improved?