Bottled Seduction - Alyssa Hertzig

flashy new perfume the woman behindthe counter is pushing. Appreciating fragrancemeans improving your sense ofsmell, seeing—and sniffing—what’s outthere, and then finding the bottles thatyou can’t live without. Here’s how to fallin love with fragrance all over again.LOVE LESSON #1:Expand Your PalateStart browsing. One Allure editor hasmade it her rule to pop into every fragranceboutique she passes to try atleast one new thing, simply to broadenher fragrance horizons. Unlikely placessuch as airports can offer prime sniffingopportunities, too. Karyn Khoury, seniorvice president of fragrance developmentfor Estée Lauder, regularly tests multiplefragrances at a time for her job, but shestill never fails to hit the duty-free shopfor a quick spritz when she’s traveling. “Imake it a point to go in and spray somethingon that I haven’t worn before,”she says. “You’re in a different mind-setwhen you’re traveling—and you’re justwaiting around anyway.”Check out the classics. If you want tobe well read, you dive into Homer andShakespeare; to be a fragrance connoisseur,you need to immerse yourself inthe great works, too. “Visit the nearestGuerlain counter and explore,” saysCarrie Meredith, who writes the Eyelineron a Cat fragrance blog. Her own “torridlove affair” with fragrance blossomedafter discovering Guerlain’s L’HeureBleue as a teenager. (Jicky and Mitsoukoare other must-sniff classics from thecompany.) “For many serious perfumelovers, Guerlain is the alpha and the omegaof fragrance houses,” Meredith says.Take notes. Perfumers and perfumeenthusiasts tend to keep diaries of everythingthey smell. While you may notwant to go that far, record the namesof fragrances you try and your reactionsto them. “This will help you learnwhat you like, because you’ll see patternsemerge,” says perfumer ChristopherBrosius, who owns the boutique CBI Hate Perfume.Hit some events. Small boutiques, and evensome department stores, often hold specialevents, such as wine-and-fragrancepairings, designed to get you relaxed andthinking about scent in an entirely newway. The blog Sniffapalooza, started bya couple of fragrance junkies, organizes“fragrance journeys” to cities includingParis, Florence, and New York to meettop perfumers and glimpse new fragrancesbefore they hit shelves.Don’t be afraid to ask. If you smell somethingyou love on someone else, tell her.In France, women are often fiercely protectiveof their fragrances, but here weare usually more than happy to share.“Ask what she’s wearing, and then goto the store and smell it,” says perfumerFrédéric Malle. “People will almostalways see that as a compliment—andit’s a great way to learn.”Train your nose. “When you want bigbiceps, you go to the gym. When youwant a more attuned nose, you must exerciseit, too,” says Rodrigo Flores-Roux, asenior perfumer at Givaudan. His favoriteworkout: Fill small jars with spices,close your eyes, and then try to identifyeach one by smell alone. The point is tohone your sense of smell as you go aboutyour day. “Smell everything—I’m notStart your search byidentifying a singleelement—or even mood—that you’re drawn to.joking,” says Victoria Jent of the EauMGfragrance blog. “Whether you’re zestinga lemon or slicing an apple, take the timeto smell the subtleties of everyday items.It isn’t that fragrance critics have a bettersense of smell; it’s that they’re in bettertouch with their senses.”LOVE LESSON #2:Savor the SearchTake your time. If you look for a perfumewhen you’re busy running errands,you’re bound to wind up disappointed.“To have a good experience, shoppingfor fragrance is not something youcan do in ten minutes,” says Khoury.“Approach it with the attitude youwould shoe shopping or a massage: assomething fun and gratifying.”Narrow the field. “Staring down a hugewall of 200 bottles of perfume is daunting,but doing a little bit of researchbefore you shop can help a lot,” saysMeredith. “Read online reviews of thescents that interest you, then make aTIM WALKER/ART + COMMERCE262