“Wherever you want to be kissed!” Karin Marty (51) quotes Coco Chanel (1883-1971) when asked where best to apply perfume. “The scent probably doesn’t last that long, but it’s a very poetic and sensual way of wearing perfume,” the store manager of Marionnaud’s store in the Glattzentrum in Zurich adds with a smile.
Marty suggests applying a fragrance to the place where the blood pulses to make it last as long as possible. “So it’s the little groove behind the earlobe, the inside of the wrist, but also the neck, the temples, the back of the knees, etc.”
«Scents are extremely individual»
Where you apply the fragrance is one thing; whichever perfume one chooses the other. Someone likes to smell floral, while the other likes spicy-oriental notes. Tastes are different and fortunately there is a wide selection. “Scents are highly individual. Personal taste plays a role, but so does mood,” Marty agrees.
Karin Marty is the store manager of the Marionnaud department store in Zurich’s Glatt centre. She knows perfume trends, she. Image: zVg
According to the perfumer, even if typical winter scents emerge, everyone has to choose their own personal touch. If you wish, you can wear a delicate floral dress with a light, fruity or floral ‘summer scent’ in winter.
Warm, rich winter perfumes
In general, however, the fragrance notes are generally warmer and richer in winter. «Fruit perfumes are sometimes enhanced with gourmet notes such as caramel, vanilla or chocolate. The Marionnaud store manager says that floral scents are given an oriental and sensual touch. Heavier scents are popular in the winter because they last longer than light, temporary perfumes that fade faster in the colder months.
To explain it better, Marty explains: “Perfumes consist of top, middle and base notes. The base note is the heaviest part of the fragrance – the part that stays the longest, while the top notes fade quickly. In the winter notes, a special emphasis is placed on the base notes that were important at the time. “For example, patchouli, amber, musk, vanilla and sandalwood are typical base notes often found in winter fragrances.”
classic and new
Some people stick with their usual favorite scents. Marty explains his favorite classic winter perfumes for those who like to have a wide range of scents and adapt their perfumes to the seasons: Perfumery recommends Esencia by Loewe for men. «An alluring fragrance with aromatic, woody and earthy aspects.» Eau de Parfum is a reinterpretation of the 1988 classic.
Marty lists the innovations that suit the winter months as follows:
Oud plays the lead role in the Gisada brand. “Swiss perfumer Andreas Wilhelm combined precious woods with rose, amber, patchouli and musk for this exciting men’s fragrance.”
Another great new winter fragrance for men: Spicebomb Infrared by Viktor & Rolf. “Spicy amber scent with notes of pepper, cinnamon, saffron and tobacco,” says Marty.
Maison Margiela also offers something new for cold days with the woody spicy fragrance Replica Autumn Vibes.
Giving the right scent for Christmas
Many perfumes fall under the tree at Christmas. As Marty says, fragrances are popular gifts, but they’re not the easiest to choose: “It’s incredibly difficult to hit the mark when gifting perfume because scents are so individual and smell different on everyone’s skin.”
A safe – but not very exciting – variant is to give the person in question their favorite scent, so to speak, in stock. According to Marty, it’s a little more creative to deliver your favorite scent in the form of a perfumed body care product or a scented candle. “Someone whose preferences you don’t know should be given a luxury bath oil or a luxury body cream instead of perfume.”
And if you’re given a scent that you don’t like, it’s best to address it directly and honestly. “This means gently but clearly telling the giver that you don’t like the scent that much. Maybe it can be changed without opening it,” says the perfumer.