Choosing the perfect "Attraction" Perfume

Timing is not typically something associated with the wearing of perfume. But according to scent expert Luca Turin, timing is everything. For instance, if you are trying to make a favorable early impression, it is important to wear a perfume with good sillage. Sillage is a French term refering to the wake of scent left in the room after you leave. He gives the example of Givenchy’s Amarige d’Amour which is all radiance, a strident tuberose-lavender accord that sings the perfumery equivalent of trumpet calls at a tournament.

Good heart notes are required if you want your scent to be most noticeable after a couple of hours. Rather than giving specific examples, Turin suggests personal experimentation. He explains that it is best to start with perfumes that have been around for a few decades: they seldom survive by accident.

And for the big finish, choose a scent with an excellent dry-down. Examples include classics such as Chanel Nol 5, Patou’s Joy, Piguet’s Bandit, and Guerlain’s Shalimar. Modern masterpieces include Bulgari Black and Bond No. 9’s Chinatown.

For more, please see the Times article.