Most people attribute comments about fragrance to how loud it smells, or how long it lasts and how far it projects. They assume that the more noticeable a fragrance is, the more it will receive compliments. Yet, this is not entirely true. Just because a fragrance is extremely powerful, does not mean it will receive many positive comments. In fact, there are many extremely potent fragrances on the market, yet they get very few comments. Conversely, there are many fragrances that smell relatively close to the skin, but they can leave a strong and lasting impression on people for hours after they have been applied.
The scents that receive the most compliments tend to smell natural – or even better – once they have settled on the skin of the wearer. And what I mean by this is that these fragrances unfold over time as the wearer’s skin and bodily heat work with the perfume to release it in a natural, unforced manner. They don’t make a loud announcement immediately upon application. They don’t hit you over the head with a massive dose of scent in order to create an impact. No, instead, they give off an air of quiet mystery. They generate curiosity, not pressure. And it is this presence that underpins all the genuine compliments a fragrance receives. That someone is giving a scent a compliment is an emotional response before it is a technical one.
These four fragrances understand that balance exceptionally well.
1872 Masculine Eau de Parfum
1872 Masculine is one of those rare perfumes that often gets compliments because it smells so obviously expensive. It smells so refined and effortless to me that I’ve never been able to smell it bottled and forced it to smell like that on my skin.
The smooth, refined scent of 1872 Masculine undergoes changes as the hours pass. The fragrance doesn’t proclaim itself to the world from the very start, but rather it gradually reveals itself to those who are close to you. Over the course of the day, you may smell 1872 Masculine when you go outside for a walk, when you sit next to someone, or hours later when a warm current of air rustles up the scent of citrus and woods from your clothes.
People tend to react in a very natural way to fragrances like 1872 Masculine, because its scent is so full of quiet confidence and it never feels like it is trying to draw attention to itself. As a result, it tends to leave a stronger impression than perfumes that are highly projective and smell ‘expensive’ because of it. And that is because, in the end, this fragrance is relaxed, balanced and at ease in its own skin, and these are the very qualities that people find to be highly attractive.
Ingenious Ginger Eau de Parfum
I have found Ingenious Ginger to be quite a ‘bright’ fragrances that people instantly take to without necessarily knowing why. The Ginger freshness is very radiant and energetic and I have attempted to ensure that there is enough warmth in the fragrance to prevent it smelling too ‘cold’ and ‘sporty’. Once the fragrance starts to soften as body heat begins to work with the top notes, the scent becomes very smooth and natural smelling on the skin.
The warmth creates a totally different note to Ingenious Ginger; no longer a ‘fresh’ scent that’s cold & ‘sporty’ in nature. Once it has begun to soften on the skin due to body heat, Ingenious Ginger becomes smoother & more natural to wear.
It also stays incredibly wearable. The vast majority of people who are giving compliments to fragrances are doing so because they want to smell that fragrance and so are only giving it compliments when they can smell it. Therefore the primary focus of a fragrance for giving compliments needs to be ensuring that people can smell it for long periods of time and Ingenious Ginger is perfect in this regard as it is a very simple fragrance to be around for long periods of time and as such receives huge and immediate natural reaction from people.
Lucius Eau de Parfum
Lucius is not a scent designed to be a super fragrant, immediately obvious fragrance. Rather, it has texture, it is smooth and it has a lot of pull or allure to it. After a few hours on the skin, the fragrance really begins to soften and fade, especially as the fragrance covered areas of the body are subject to natural movement, as well as temperature and clothing changes. But at its smoothest, in its most alluring form, after the edges of the fragrance have begun to soften, it is incredibly attractive.
The way the scent is perceived by others is also greatly affected. Because the fragrance unfolds gradually over time as opposed to hitting the nose immediately, it tends to be perceived in more subtle situations and at quiet moments. So rather than someone suddenly smelling a strong fragrance when someone else walks into a room in front of them, they are more likely to catch a whiff as they are chatting to the person, walk past them, lean in close to them etc. The fragrance has become a part of the person who is wearing it and therefore is perceived in a different and far more subtle way to a highly fragrant scent that is being worn by someone and is clearly obvious to those around the wearer.
It’s also much more luxurious than many modern fragrances, which are so over-engineered to project immediately that they lack subtlety and ultimately fail to feel real. This fragrance is so smooth, so calm and so quietly magnetic once it has developed, that it’s one of the few that really feel to me to be really worth spending a lot of money on. And, again, it’s so much more than just a good smell: it’s also so much more memorable than most fragrances long after they have faded.
Bohemian Lime Eau de Parfum
Bohemian Lime shows that compliment-worthy fragrances don’t have to be complex, big and over powering in order to be memorable. Freshness, simply executed well, can be incredibly attractive.
It’s a very natural, relaxed citrus scent, as opposed to being synthetic, cloying, or far too sharp. The fragrance is light and airy, and in hot weather in particular, it has a very soft, fresh quality that feels as though it has become one with one’s skin, rather than sitting on top of it. That this fragrance is so effortless to wear and to smell on others is a big part of its charm.
The fragrance is clean and does not smell like a faceless generic fragrance. It is very bright and fresh but not too loud. It is relaxed but by no means loses sophistication.
In fact it is precisely this that Bohemian Lime does so very well. Unlike many other fragrances – so very loud and powerful – Bohemian Lime makes a far greater impression on people in reality than do these other fragrances. And all this because the scent of Bohemian Lime creates a feeling of ease, attractiveness and naturalness with anyone.
Why Certain Perfumes Receive More Compliments
Comments about perfumes are not only about how a fragrance smells, performance also plays a role, how a fragrance projects, but also comfort, texture and timing. Fragrances that evolve with the skin and the air around us create a lot more emotion than a fragrance that just fills a room with an aroma immediately.
The reason some softer perfumes receive more compliments than louder ones and stronger perfumes receive almost no compliments at all is because of the way in which people respond to smell in the first place. In the first place, people generally respond to smell with an emotional response. Later on, they can discuss the smell in detail. If a fragrance smells natural, warm and sincere on someone then it will usually leave a far greater impression than a fragrance that is very strong but purely perceptible.
And these four fragrances have got it right.