Fragrance at work?

Should You Wear Perfume to Work? Forbes contributor Leah Bourne tries to answer this question. Click here for the link.

A light aqua scent for a day at work

I am partial to floral scents and am not someone who likes scents that give off a hint of melon. A friend of ours gifted us Davidoff Cool Water Eau de Toilette (his and hers). The first time I sprayed it (hers of course) on, I was a little surprised by the smell. It was definitely not floral, neither was it overly melony. There was no sign of a lemon or even a citric tang to the scent.

I left it for a couple of months and decided to give it a try one more time. This time, I was visiting someone on a semi-formal situation. I found the fragrance an ideal companion for the occassion. It is very fresh and light. It has an ethereal quality about it which I would attribute to the aqua base. This is perfect for daily office/work wear. It does not last as long as some of the other fragrances I've reviewed earlier, but the freshness is certainily a quality that got me hooked.

I've found it a perfect gift for someone whose taste you are not too familar with especially if that someone keeps many formal appointments. It is not something I would advise for a night out with the girls, or a special date but is certainly something to wear when you want to choose something neutral to a lunch meeting or a presentation. Davidoff Cool Water (Women) is available at most department stores and online as well.

A Garden on the Nile

My friend and fellow fragrance lover suggested I try 'Jardin sur le Nil' by Hermes. A mutual friend of ours had this on and it was 'heavenly'. I was hooked, I had to try it. Is this a keeper? I went online and checked out it on the Hermes website. In all honesty, the site is not the easiest to maneuver and I could locate it faster on amazon.com. It looked delicious, and now I had to find out what it smells like. I could not find it in the local Macys, or Herbergers but I did manage to get a sample. It is a beautiful fragrance. It starts with a hint of citrus, and then becomes floral. It emits the scents of a natural garden, a floral and lemony mix. I have never been on the banks of the Nile, but I feel like I am in a garden by that river when I am wearing this. It's almost like being in a summer dress with the sun shining on me, and the breeze gently brushing my cheeks. If I were to smell the air at that moment, I imagine it would be as sweet as 'Jardin sur le Nil'.

This is a light fragrance, more suited for day wear than evening. It is a little too sweet to be worn to work, but is perfect for a day out. It is neither bold nor naughty, but very sprightly. It lasts well, and the scent maintains it's consistency.

The 'Jardin sur le Nil' is a part of the Jardin series by Hermes, and includes the smells of a garden on the roof (Jardin sur le Toit), the garden after the monsoon (Jardin après la mousson), the Meditteranean gardens (Jardin en Méditerranée). I can't wait to test these.At around 90 $ for 1.6 fl.oz, it is pricey but not outrageously expensive. The only complaint I have is it is not as easy to find in a store as a Chanel, Estee Lauder or DKNY.

My First Perfume

I was gifted my first bottle of perfume at 14. I had my deodorant before that and a body spray but no perfume and they certainly did not convey the ladylike sophistication that a teenage girl longs for. I wanted a scent that matched my desire to forge an identity that says 'I am no longer a little girl'. I've loved that perfume ever since and each time I get a whiff of Chanel No. 5, I am once again a 14 year old ready to conquer the world.

Fragrance Spritzers

Walk into the woman's section of any big name department store in the US, and chances are you will be greeted by fragrance demonstrators.  NY Times had an article on how their role in frangrance retail is changing from 'spray you' to listen to you and spray blotter paper, and maybe give you a sample to try in private (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/fashion/17Fragrance.html?pagewanted=all).

Frankincense

The word Frankincense evokes thoughts of the Magi especially around Christmas time. I lived in Oman for five years and this sweet smelling resin is very popular here. It grows Oman and is part of the culture of the country. A key ingredient in Arabic perfumes, it is also smoked in homes around evening time to repell insects, used as medicine and deodrant. This Christmas I came across two articles on the shortage of this wonderful sap
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/25/144193371/trees-in-trouble-grim-future-for-frankincense
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204552304577116741588910380.html

Youth Dew by Estee Lauder

I love sweet scents that take the senses to a far away world. I recently bought a 2.25 Fl.oz bottle of Estee Lauder's Youth Dew from Ulta. It is everything the reviews promise. It smells deliciously sweet like a bouquet of flowers. It is almost like being transported in a time machine to the Art Nouvea Period with Alphonse Mucha's posters of Sarah Bernhardt. Some reviews say it is an all day fragrance but for me it is evening wear, but not party wear. It is what I would wear on a date because of the subtle sensuousness it suggests. It has an aura of a woman whose femininity speaks a volume with silence.

The bottle is beautiful without being overly ornate, and at 32$ the price tag is reasonable as well.