Fruits, Florals, and Spices, Oh My!

By: Maxine Grossman

Of all my favorite beauty products, perfume is one of my favorites. I am an addict, a collector; I mean really, who doesn't love to smell good?! However, it's more than just smelling good and showing everyone that you are clean and keep good hygiene, perfumes say something about you. Like fashion, perfumes are an expression of yourself; are you warm and kind-hearted or fun and fruity? Or perhaps a nature, woodsy girl? Your perfume tells a lot about you to a possible boss or new friend or, especially, to a potential boyfriend. So how do you pick your signature scent?

My advice would be to first figure out what smells you like, do you like florals or are they too granny-ish for you? What about fruity scents; too girly or bright and energetic? I also personally like to choose a perfume smell based on the impression it will give others of me. For example, for an interview I'll go with a more classic fragrance, something rather flowery; sweet and fresh smelling, something professional. Rather, for a date I'm more likely to grab a more warm scent, such as vanilla or amber mixed perfumes. This will warm the air and draw in your partner.

My new personal favorites are "Daisy" by Marc Jacobs and "SeeByChloé" by Chloé.

"Daisy" by Marc Jacobs has been a great add to my collection! It's obviously a floral scent, but in a sweet, subtle way. It is not at all baby powder smelling like a "grandmother's" perfume would smell. It's very fresh and light smelling, a perfect smell for during the day. Just as the tint of the perfume is yellow and the bottle is accented in gold and white, if this scent were to be described in colors, they'd be exactly those colors. White for the freshness the scent brings, and yellow/gold for the sweet, florally smell that just reminds you of sunshine-filled day during the summer. Marc Jacobs did an excellent job with this perfume and I definitely recommend it as your next addition to your perfume collection, or at least stop by Sephora to smell it! All of Marc Jacobs perfumes are lovely however, definitely try them all for yourself and make your own decision! 

My "SeeByChloé" by Chloé on the other hand is the perfect date-night go-to perfume. It's a fruity, girly, yet warm scent. It's almost something you could wear in the daytime as a fresh perfume, but also very seductive and spicy. The perfume is the perfect mixture of all my favorite perfume scents; florals, fruits, and warm scents. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what scents are in it, though together they are heavenly. It turns out to be a combination of water hyacinth, apple blossom, and jasmine; exactly as I suspected, this perfume is the perfect blend of all my favorite scents. Of course I recommend this perfume as well, especially if you're on a budget as this perfume can be the perfect girly, light, an fresh daytime perfume as well as the best warm, spicy, and sexy night time perfume; it's basically an all-in-one!

These are some free samples that I was given with my purchase of the perfumes, and might I add, who doesn't love free samples?! As I said, all of Marc Jacobs' perfumes are fantastic, including the two above, "Dot" and "Daisy Dream", definitely worth a test smell or purchase! "Dot" is a very fruity smell, kind of reminds me of a Juicy Couture-type perfume, I recommend this to those girly-girls that love fruity, feminine smells. "Daisy Dream" is obviously a more floral scent, for those that love florals; this perfume actually does have a faint powdery smell, but in a youthful way somehow. Ralph Lauren is an amazing designer, and his fragrances fall nothing short of this. His women's perfume, "Midnight Romance", is a very feminine scent that is also a lovely choice to try. It reminds me of "Angel" by Thierry Mugler, however I don't think that's quite it. But if you love the smell of vanilla or "Angel" this is definitely a good perfume for you. Ralph Lauren's men's fragrance "Polo Red" is a very manly and "outdoorsy" scent, however it is not one of my favorite cologne's (which would in fact be "Jake" by Hollister), but that's because it's not a very sweet smell, unlike "Jake". I would still recommend "Polo Red" however because it is a very masculine and sexy smell.

I hope you guys try and enjoy all of these smells yourselves and if you have a fragrance, men or women's, you'd like for me to try, just leave me a comment!