Men's Scents of Attraction




You can be a scent connoisseur till the cows come home, proclaiming your dedication to the art, to the thrill of truffling out a rare vintage bottle, to the challenge of successfully wearing that Comme des Garçons smoked-wellington boot-and-pikake/ozone limited edition. But no matter how snobbish...errm, discerning you are, you'll still bloom with shy delight when a hotsy-totsy someone compliments you on great you smell.

I find the most successful open-for-business fragrances are ones that enhance or blend with your own natural scent. Like you can't help it, you just happen to smell irresistible.

On a recent stop by the studios of San Diego Fox 5 morning news, I talked to anchor Shally Zomorodi about three different men's “attraction scents”:

Gendarme by Gendarme -- stealth attraction scent

Bare skin on the beach. This gentle blend of transparent jasmine and clean, soapy musk makes your skin smell “naturally” excellent.

Available from Amazon.com, Perfume.com, FragranceX.com, and FragranceNet.com, starting at $42 for 60 ml


Amber pour Homme Intense by Prada -- sensuous & inviting

Patchouli, chocolate, myrrh, musk, labdanum and leather. The smell of things you either want to lie on or lick.

Available from Sephora.com, starting at $55 for 44 ml



Huge cult favorite. A simple cedarwood/sandalwood aromachemical that makes everyone around you stop what they're doing and go “Who smells so good?”

Available from LuckyScent.com, starting at $135 for 100 ml


Not to get all Basenotes on y'all, but I'm interested to hear which “attraction scents” have been serving up results for you....

42 comments:

  1. I would come up and sniff the neck of any man who wore Guerlain's L'Instant Pour Homme...AnnieA

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  2. Annie, L'Instant PH is a new love of mine!

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  3. Katie, your little videos and reviews are making me have some kind of sick relationship with The Perfumed Court. Stop that.

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  4. I'm sure we're all making TPC very happy, Nora!

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  5. But TPC will never return my calls.

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  6. I desperately wanted you to use the Basenotes and YT male favorite phrase "pantie dropper" on the news.

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  7. Argghhh! "Pantie dropper" has just got to be one of the creepiest phrases I've ever heard. It seems to be used predominantly by fellows with limited access to actual pantie wearers.

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  8. Yes...so many of those phrases do.

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  9. Katie Ponycorn:

    1. Guerlain's L'Instant is one of my all-time favorites too. I was once given a full bottle as a thank you from one of my clients at Macys. It's also the only fragrance outside of Amouage XXV that my girlfriend remembers the name of after I wore it.

    2. I like the regular Amber by Prada better than their Intense flanker. It's what I consider a barbershop-style scent.

    3. I can't say that I have any Attraction Scents.

    I would rather go without wearing anything than believe a certain perfume was making me more attractive. I wear scents because I like them, and they make me happy all day. I feel sorry for any guy who has it in his head that a perfume or any other material object makes him more attractive than he would be without it.

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  10. Marc Jacobs Bang - I know that all the blogs hate it, but it smells so good to me (woody and human-- is there a better combination for a man??)

    Odalisque by PdN - I like brave men. It's great on a woman but even better on a guy

    Musc Ravaguer. mmmm.

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  11. Katie: great video! It's been so fun watching you gradually win over the news people. You are our fragrance evangelist.

    Anyhow...I always get positive comments on Escentric Molecules 02, another one that gets panned by the nichers but adored by the masses. Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire also consistently elicits good comments. And Amouage Jubilation XXV. And Ormonde Jayne Zizan. And the only time a complete stranger ever stopped me to tell me I smelled "delicious" was when I wore L'Artisan's Mechant Loup (big bad wolf, indeed!).
    I know people froth at the mouth over Musc Ravageur, but I. Just. Cannot. Wear. It. On me: cat pee.

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  12. Here's another thirding the demise of Musc Ravageur, at first blush I liked it very much but on subsequent wearings it came off closer to Bad Pizza than anything.

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  13. This is when I wish I could add graphics, because there would be a picture of Shally in a red circle with a line drawn diagonally through her face.

    And I love Raoul saying at the end, "..are we done?"

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  14. Uggh, not the Shally Squinty Face! I can't figure her out: loves Gendarme and Molecule 01, hates Eau Premier and Prada Amber, of all things. Also, is a segment host supposed to be so distracting? I can't parse if it's just her weird natural energy, or she's taking nips between segments. I miss Raoul. (Sigh.)

    On topic, I get the most compliments from women when I wear the original Angel. Not sure if that's a testament to Angel's loudness or quality, but I'll take it.

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  15. Darryl, I agree. Quite honestly, I would enjoy Shally's presence more if she wouldn't overreact so much. I expect to hear her give her opinion, of course, but simply saying, "Eh, not my cup of tea," or "Oo, this is nice" suffice.

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  16. Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire
    Narcisso Rodgriquez Musk
    Voyage d'Hermes
    Armani GioGio CODE
    Cereus No. 5, #4 & # 11
    GENDARME

    THOSE r some of my fave.

    Would u recommend anything by Jo Malone?

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  17. Patu - Jo Malone? Anything and everything, but ESPECIALLY Sweet Lime and Cedar, Pomegranate Noir and Vetyver Cafe for you. That line can do no wrong.

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  18. Thanks Stef.. I def agree with u on the vetyver cafe!! Tried it once in Europe n fell for it....

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  19. Bwa-ha!! Just wanted to let you know you had me snarfing at the news feed this morning...glancing through my e-mails and seeing the phrase "smoked-wellington boot-and-pikake/ozone limited edition" vis a vis Commes des Garcons...hee.

    Then I stop here and see some woman barnacling herself to happy spots on your skin. Except when she was trying not to, erm, negatively physically react...

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  20. I have had the best compliments and reactions from BY man by D & G,Dior Homme Intense and Pure Malt By Thierry Mugler.Katie,have u tried Dior homme Intense btw,it's got this really cool make-up smell to it?Cheers!

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  21. Anonymous, have not tried Dior Homme Intense yet.


    ScentScelf, "barnacling" is the perfect description.


    Patu, those are some fine faves you have. I'm partial to Narciso Rodriquez Musk Oil for Men, myself, and sadly it seems to be phasing out. I'll second Stefush's Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir rec.

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  22. Stefush, I bet you get plenty of attraction traction with your J XXV and L'Instant PH. And I do think people are more attractive in a perfume they love, for just the reason you said: you wear what makes you happy. What could be more appealing than a happy person. But yeah, it's not like wearing Donna Karan Fuel for Men is going to reconfigure your face and your 6 pack.


    Darryl and Nora, I think Shally revels in being theatrical at all times. She does seem to spin off into her own little world.

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  23. Scott, Dan can't get his nose around Musc Ravageur, either. But I'm on my second bottle of the oil. I can't remember what Escentric 02 smells like, but I'm kind of a fan of Escentric 03. Have you tried that one yet?


    ScentsofSmell - haha! I cracked up at Raoul there, too! With his perplexed, squinty face.

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  24. Katie - first of all thanks. And second of all, it's not that my face or my 6 pack gets attention, it's the fact my belly button dispenses fresh, crisp $100.00 bills when I'm interested in someone.

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  25. Stefush, the belly button cash dispenser must wreak havoc with your digestion!

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  26. Katie - not really. It's easier than the ping pong balls were.

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  27. off subject - Katie, have you tried Heeley's Hippie Rose? I think it might be up your alley. Steve told me you liked PG's Brulure Rose and I know you love POAL...

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  28. Kym, I'm frothing to try Hippie Rose, for all the reasons you suspect. I'll report back when I do.

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  29. Whatever my dentist wears, but I haven't yet plucked up the courage to ask him what it is in case it's actually just the smell of his skin. That would be awkward.

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  30. Stefush: I don't know that a fragrance will make a person more attractive per se, but for someone who pays attention to the smelly world, it just might make you more intriguing. When you can make another person be curious about you ("Does that guy not realize that Nina is a fragrance for 12-year-old girls?") that IS attractive.

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  31. For me, Montale's Black Aoud is the one that gets complemented the most.Women seem to love it, but it has to be applied sparingly. The first time I used it, I applied a modest spray to the chest and wrists. At the office, one of my partners was looking around for the old lady who must have just walked by.

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  32. "Modest" is the watchword for applying Montales in general, I find.

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  33. Encre Noir by Lalique is good, but smelling it on a man's neck kind of feels like banging my head against a firm, black rubber wall...
    A good choice if you are partial to Bvlgari Black, methinks, tho'.

    Katie & readers: good picks as always, weak in the knees with everything you've conjured up!

    Off topic: Katie, it would be rad if you could do a post on perfume shopping in London. Yar!

    kiss, plié,
    jana

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  34. Heh, Jana - the firm black rubber wall of Encre Noire!

    Conveniently, I've done a couple of posts on London perfume shopping:

    http://www.katiepuckriksmells.com/2010/02/katie-puckrik-smells-london-part-one.html

    and

    http://www.katiepuckriksmells.com/2010/09/katie-puckrik-smells-london-part-2.html

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  35. Oh Yes! I had actually read those posts, but thanks for reminding me *the deep memory of a crouton*, I took notes this time.

    Any recs for Warsaw, anyone?

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  36. The last time I was in Warsaw, I wasn't perfume shopping, so I'm no help...

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  37. Le Labo Oud 27 (sparsly applied)
    Narcisso Rodriguez Musc Oil for him
    Sycomore

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  38. Such a shame the Musc Oil for Him isn't really around anymore. Love your other 2 selections, though I had to really *learn* to love Oud 27.

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  39. for me oud 27 is much easier to approach than patchouli 24 that reminds me instantly of smoked german sausages called Landjaeger

    cheers Cybele

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  40. Cybele - Hah! The perfume that smells sausagey to me is CB I Hate Perfume Burning Leaves. I can't get pass the grilled wieners.

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  41. really wish I could get pass the butcher's counter and enjoy the bonfire. Not to think of a study chamber in Russia; also have trouble perceiving the leather. I am not familiar with any of the CB I hate P. line.

    Cybele.

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