L'Eau De Prep

Following in Ralph Lauren's footsteps, Tommy Hilfiger just launched his new line of fragrances, "Eau de Prep" this month.   The collection features two fragrances,  Eau de Prep Tommy Girl and Eau de Prep Tommy. The fragrances reflect sporty yet elegant style, quite similar to the Tommy Hilfiger way of life.

Eau de Prep Tommy features red grapefruit, wild clary sage and passionate granadilla top notes, Egyptian Geranium, wet greens, a splash of tonic, white pepper, lavender absolute and juniper berries middle notes and finally rich amber, and georgywood, oak moss and white suede base notes.

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The flacons are very elegant, made of see-through glass and embellished with golden inscriptions and capital while also featuring a new crest from Tommy Hilfiger.

The collection was developed by Hilfiger licensee, Estee Lauder Cos.' Aramis and Designer Fragrances unit. Fragrances Eau de Prep Tommy Girl and Eau de Prep Tommy is available as 50 and 100 ml from the Tommy Hilfiger website where they retail for $65.

The Big Pony Effusion

Ralph Lauren, founding father of the Americana style has released a new line of Ralph Lauren fragrances which focus on the individuality of the Big Pony motif, one of the latest Ralph Lauren hits in Menswear.

The fragrance quartet comes in differently coloured bottles, each numbered with a different Polo-inspired decal. The full Big Pony Collection comprises 40ml, 75ml and 125ml edt (Eau de toilette) sprays and the  online price is $50 for the 75ml bottle. A four x 15ml coffret will also be available.

#1 RL Blue - the Sporty one -  is a fresh marine scent with notes of grapefruit and lime.

#2 RL Red  - the Seductive one - is a gourmand blend of dark chocolate and musk.

#3 RL Green - the Adventurous one - is a fresh green scent, featuring hints of mint and ginger.

#4 RL Orange - the Stylish one - is an oriental-woody fragrance with notes of mandarin and kyarawood.

My favourite part of the whole Big Pony campaign is their video advertisement.  Bruce Weber, an amazing photographer, has been able to capture the carefree sybarite lifestyle that is embedded into the American noosphere as being the Ralph Lauren/Rugby RL way-of-life. These videos has always appealed to me, and this latest one is no exception.

What's even better, is that as part of their campaign, Ralph Lauren has made it that customers are able to combine a lot of short video clips and make their very own Big Pony video.

Hair and Grooming #5 - The Golden Ratio of Fragrance

Perfume and cologne can enhance one's overall appearance. The alluring scent that is complimentary to a person  increases attractiveness, however, when perfume is applied wrong, the overpowering effects can actually have an opposite effect. Through a little perfumeducation and some trial and error you can discover what your personal Golden Ratio of fragrance is.

The first step in learning how to make perfume work (guys, if you still think perfume is for girls and cologne is for men, please read my previous post on fragrances), is by selecting a scent that's right for you. While a certain fragrance can smell just great on a testing strip in the perfume shop, it can behave quite differently on your skin, once it combines with your natural scent and skin oils. Because of this, the only way to be certain a perfume is compatible with you, is to apply one or at most two perfumes, each on a different wrist, and then take a walk outside the shop for at least 30 minutes. By this time the perfume has had time to start evaporating and allow you to perceive the actual smell it emanates from your skin. If you are still pleased with it then you should definitely purchase it.

The second and most important step is the all time cliché, "location, location, location". I have seen plenty of guys getting ready to go out, only to watch them in horror as they sprayed perfume all over their clothes and sometimes even under their armpits.

Spending time taking care of my clothes has made me aware of the effects all our grooming products have on them and the alcohol in perfumes is one of the most harmful of all. Perfumes are mostly always a mixture of different organic molecules that are designed to evaporate at different times, however from skin, not clothing fibers. Without direct contact with warm skin, the alcohol evaporates before all the essential oils have had time to, possibly leaving you with a stained garment.

Now that you know better than to apply fragrances to your clothes it's time you learned about pulse points or the points on your skin where blood flows closest to the surface and are the warmest. Applying perfume to pulse points insures optimum delivery of the scent.

The 6 Male Pulse Points

The 6 Pulse Points are: 1. the temples; 2. behind the ears; 3. clavicles for men and the cleavage for women ; 4. elbow pit; 5. the insides of your wrists; 6. the insides of your knees.

While it is definitely not advised to apply perfume to all 6 pulse points at once, depending on what you are wearing, as well as the weather conditions, here are some patterns I would use:

a) Warm/Hot weather, shorts and a tee: 3,4 and 6

b) Warm/Hot weather, night out, freshly shaved: 1,2 and short sleeve: 4/long sleeve: 5

c) Cold weather, casual: 2 and 5

d) Cold weather, formal: 1, 2, 3, 5 (Remember, perfumes effuse slower in colder weather so don't be afraid to add a bit more than in the summer )

Knowing the essential pulse points will insure you won't stain your clothes anymore and that you'll make good use of your perfume.

Tips


1. It is also important to remember that we are all prone to olfactory fatigue, which means that after being exposed for a prolonged period of time to a certain smell, our nose becomes temporarily desensitized to it. IF you are at any time uncertain of whether or not you are applying enough perfume ask some close friends for advice.

2. In the summer time, hot weather and sweat contribute to an accelerated loss of perfume and if you're planning to be out longer your nice fragrance will start to become unnoticeable. What you may have seen some women do is carry around a small pen-shaped perfume applicator which they use to reapply perfume when out. Here are two such applicators you can use to carry some perfume around if you want to freshen up, as well as a mini funnel if you need to transfer perfume more easily (if your perfume bottle does not open, your only option is to spray and spray into a closed chilled container and wait for the perfume to condensate on the walls after which you can pour it into the smaller bottles)

Keep It Cool

Temperatures are finally rising almost all over the northern hemisphere, bringing with them longer days, vacations and happy summers. If I were to ask anybody what their two least favourite things about summer were, the answer would most likely be heat and sweat.

Heat is definitely not an element we can adjust, other than running inside to the AC climate and sweat is  dependent on many biological factors like genetics, diet, weight and hormones. While the latter can be addressed in many ways, that will be covered in a future post.

What SoFla guys would look like without AC

Going back to heat, while it's not very easy to change the actual temperature of your surroundings, preventing its detrimental effects and how you physically feel it are definitely more approachable  issue. Sunlight, besides  its possibly harmful UV component, also brings heat to whatever it touches.Wherever you may be during the summer, you'll most surely feel the heat. Your body responds to heat by sweating, however this leaves the skin dehydrated and smelly, neither of which are desirable in our society.

Therefore, continuing on the same line as my previous post, Of Scents and Manly Sensibility, that dealt with using essential oils to manufacture your own natural products, I would like to introduce you to Men's Body Mists and how to prepare them for yourself.

Women have been using Body Mist for a while now and it's very likely you've seen one or more women extract a spray bottle out of her purse and spray it on her arms, legs and cleavage. What Body Mist essentially does is rehydrate the skin and mask some of the sweat's smell through addition of essential oils. What's left behind leaves your skin feeling refreshed and cooled. I can see how most guys would not feel comfortable doing that in the summer, so I won't push it on to you too much. But remember, dehydrated skin ages much faster than moisturized skin!

The general market does have a few options to offer when it comes to Men's Body Mists (same-ole-same-ole as Women's, maybe with use of other essential oils).

Silver Falls' Men's Body Mist - 4oz. - $8.5                                   Mailelani Men's Body Mist - 5oz.- $5

If you don't want to order it, or you would like to dry making it yourself from pure ingredients, here are two recipes I found online, on Snow Drift Farm's website.

Clear Body Mist I

This easy recipe uses polysorbate 20 to emulsify the mix. The perfumer's alcohol will clarify it. Leaves skin feeling cooled and lightly scented.

6 oz. perfumer's alcohol + 1 oz. perfumer's alcohol (set aside)
1 oz. polysorbate 20
1/4 tbsp ylang ylang
1/4 tbsp tangerine
Mix together the alcohol and polysorbate 20. You should have a clear mix. Add the EO's. You should have a turbid mix. Allow to sit for 12 hours. If the mix doesn't clarify, add another 1 oz. alcohol and allow to sit for
several more hours to clear.

HINT: Add a little glycerin to your facial, body and room sprays. It helps keep the water in place on your skin, and in a room spray, it helps the scent linger a little longer.

Clear Body Mist II

Add a little more perfumer's alcohol and polysorbate to emulsify absolutes and resinous oils such as patchouli.

8 oz perfumer's alcohol
2 oz. polysorbate 20
1/4 tsp. vanilla FO
1/4 tbsp jasmin absolute
1/4 tbsp patchouli EO

Mix all ingredients together. This should result in a clear mix. If not, allow to sit for several hours. If it still doesn't clear, add 1/2 oz. more alcohol.

Remember that as any recipe, a little divergence from the path can be quite rewarding. Experiment with different combinations of essential oils to produce something more to your liking. The Healthguide.org recommends Cedar-wood, Rosemary and Lavender for use in Men's products, however I absolutely love citrusy oils and also almond and peppermint scents.

Of Scents and Manly Sensibility

Deodorants, Colognes are Perfumes all great and every man should have at least one of each, however one man's journey into the world of scents should definitely not stop there.

I know how most of us guys dislike ironing tremendously, but nothing beats a crisp freshly washed and ironed shirt or set of bed linens. If you think only your mom or the dry cleaner hold the secrets to these you couldn't be more wrong.

Linen Water

Since ancient times, people have used plants like lavender, rosemary, tansy for imparting their homes and clothes with a fresh scent. They freshened their linens by placing fragrant sachets, herbs, and flowers in drawers and closets and fragrance was brought into the homes by hanging garlands of lavender and mint.

With just a simple recipe you can freshen up your clothes and linens, and if you are not very sensitive to essential oils, you can even be used to freshen and uplift your home.

If you ask yourself what do I do with this linen water, the answer is simple. After taking your clothes or linen out from the dryer just spray some onto them and iron as per usual. The heat will not only set the fragrance in but also make ironing a more pleasurable activity.

How to make Linen Water?

While the proportions are not set in stone, linen water is made out of three main ingredients: water, alcohol and one or more essential oils (definitely experiment combinations of two or more if you're more adventurous)

Here's a list of the common Essential Oils that can be used in Linen Water (courtesy of Wikipedia)

Berries Allspice Juniper Seeds Almond Anise Celery Cumin Nutmeg oil Bark Cassia Cinnamon Sassafras Wood Camphor Cedar Rosewood Sandalwood Agarwood Rhizome Galangal Ginger

Leaves Basil Bay leaf Cinnamon Common sage Eucalyptus Lemon grass Melaleuca Oregano Patchouli Peppermint Pine Rosemary Spearmint Tea tree Thyme Wintergreen Resin Frankincense Myrrh

Flowers Cannabis Chamomile Clary sage Clove Scented geranium Hops Hyssop Jasmine Lavender Manuka Marjoram Orange Rose Ylang-ylang Peel Bergamot Grapefruit Lemon Lime Orange Tangerine Root Valerian

As you can see, the choices are quite varied and opposed to most recipes that you can find online, which use Lavender, I like fragrances that are a little more spicy and strong. My favourite oils that I use in linen water are: allspice, almond, nutmeg oil, cedar(masks the smell of wool from adult moths), peppermint (especially for linens) and Rose (shirts)

BEST retailer for essential oils is Snow Drift Farms; they even offer free samples for all of their essential oils

Linen Water 1
2 1/2 cups mineral water
5 ml essential oils, of your own choice (approx 100 drops)
1/8 cup vodka

- add the essential oil to the alcohol then mix with the water
- use in a spray bottle for best results

Linen Water 2 (Floral - not my favourite but it makes a great gift)
2/3 cup mineral water
1/4 cup (50 ml) alcohol
1 1/2 ml (30 drops) lavender true essential oils
1 ml (20 drops) palmarosa essential oil
1/2 ml (10 drops ) rosewood essential oil

- same as Linen Water 1

Linen Water 3
1 teaspoon (100 drops) Bulgarian lavender essential oil
6 oz. cyclomethicone (a mixture of Cyclopentasiloxane & Cyclohexasiloxane; dries very quickly; does not stain)

Pour essential oils and cyclomethicone into a bottle, cap and shake. Spray on dry linens before ironing or use as a fabric freshener (no need to iron and makes for a much better alternative to Febreze).

Line Water 4
4 tbsp. of fresh rosemary
2 cups of water

- chop the rosemary and place it in a saucepan with the water.
- bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes
- allow to cool and strain. discard the rosemary leaves.
- add water up to 2 cups and decant into a large spray bottle.
- works the same way with fresh rose and jasmine flowers or other herbs

Tips:

- use distilled water as tap water contains chlorine which destroys the essential oils
- inexpensive vodka works the same as more expensive one; go for the highest proof
- linen water works best for cotton garments and linens. If you would like to use it on any synthetics, make sure to test it for stains on an inconspicuous part first.

"Beauty, unaccompanied by virtue, is as a flower without perfume...”

...and perfume is exactly what I wanted to talk about today. I've been meaning to write about this topic for a while because a few of my guy friends weren't very sure about what it is they use as their daily scent. I assume most guys out there, possibly some girls too, think that perfumes are for girls and only cologne/aftershave is for guys.

They couldn't be more wrong! Perfume is definitely not just what girls wear! In fact, engendering perfumes is merely a marketing strategy to convince more guys that they should buy those specific perfume brands. While it is true perfumers keep in mind that men prefer fresh and woody

notes to their perfumes and women prefer oriental and floral notes, big perfume houses sell unisex fragrances as they agree, as do I, that the human nose is very similar between sexes and that choosing a fragrance should not be limited by the words men or women next to the name.

As a category, perfumes are a broad spectrum of perfume-oils and alcohol/water mixtures. Based on the concentration of the perfume oils, hence their intensity and longevity, perfumes are further classified into several types:

1. Perfume extract (Extrait)

The Perfume extract is the strongest of mixtures and its concentration is somewhere between 15%-40% (typically 20%) aromatic compounds. An example of Extrait designed with men in mind is Nasomatto's Silver Musk, a very clean musky scent that has slight floral and metallic undertones. Along with the higher concentration though, comes a heftier price tag - $190.

2. Eau de Parfum (EdP) or Parfum de Toilette (PdT)

A strong mixture containing between 10%-20% (typically 15%) aromatic compounds.Sometimes listed as "eau de perfume" or "millésime". A nice example of a gourmand EdP is Thierry Mugler's Angel Men or A*Men. With its sweet "edible" note of Chocolate, Coffee and Caramel, this fragrance is suited for a sweet-toothed guy and is only to be used in the winter!

3. Eau de Toilette (EdT)

A medium strength mixture containing between 5%-15% (typically 10%) aromatic compounds. Owing to their milder potency, EdTs are the most common male fragrances out there. One of my personal favourites is Armani Code, an oriental velvety fragrance that a lot of stylish guys like to use for more formal occasions.

4. Eau de Cologne (EdC)

Cologne is the most troublesome of all categories, mostly because the word itself has somehow gotten into mainstream usage and is now used by most people as a broad category for male fragrances. The truth however is far from that. 'Eau de Cologne' started out in 1706 in the city of Köln/Cologne in Germany as a specific fragrance and trademark. In time the term became generic for Chypre (see below) citrus perfumes (without base-notes). Its concentration ranges between 3%-8% (typically 5%) aromatic compounds.

5. Splash/Aftershave

While most guys have switched to the non-alcoholic, non irritating aftershave balm, there's still some guys who like their Old Spice Aftershave. Aftershaves are the mildest concoctions out there, with respect to intensity and longevity, with most containing between 1%-3% aromatic compounds. Two of the most well known aftershave manufacturers are Geo F Trumper and Floris, both of them British-based companies with a history in the market of Shaving/Grooming products.

Fragrance Notes and Olfactive Families

Besides knowing what exactly it is you're buying and using, I think all guys should be a little proficient in describing a scent. Although I'm far from being an expert in perfumery I'll do my best in summarizing what is important.

Firstly, each perfume has what is called 'Fragrance Notes' and very similar to what an oenologist (wine specialist) does with wine, a good perfumer is capable of describing a scent on three sets of notes that harmoniously (or sometimes not) create the scent. Due to the complex composition of perfumes and the volatile nature of alcohol and the aromatic oils, a perfume unfolds over time.

What the nose perceives right after application are called Top Notes or head notes and they consist of small light molecules that evaporate faster. Top Notes are very important in selling a fragrance as we base most of our decisions on first impressions.

As top notes dissipate, the heart of the scent, the Middle Notes kick in, and their role is mostly to mask the initial unpleasant impression of the base notes.

The scent that appears close to the departure of the Middle Notes forms the Base Notes, which, together with the Middle Notes forms the Theme of the perfume. The compounds usually used for the Base bring depth and solidity to the perfume, and are often richer and deeper scents which are usually perceived 30 minutes or more post-application.

On top of categorizing a perfume by its three notes, an olfactive taxonomy system has been developed to aid in initially categorizing a perfume based on its overall impression. For example, if a fragrance has mainly a scent of fresh notes, plus weaker scents of woody and citrus notes, we could say that this fragrance is Fresh, but with citrus and woody undertones. The dominant part is usually the heart of the fragrance.

While again I emphasize there is no actual divide between male and female fragrances, manufacturers have predominantly created male fragrances belonging to four families:

1. Fougère (pronounced foo-jer)

This is the most common male fragrance family. Fougère often contains Coumarin, Lavender and Oakmoss and is therefore characterized by its sharp herbaceous and woody scent. The name comes from the French word fougère, which means fern. While Fougère perfumes do not smell of fern the name comes from a now discontinued fragrance by Houbigant called Fougère Royale (Royal fern)which was the first fougère fragrance.

Popular Fougère fragrances include: Polo Sport(EdT) by Ralph Lauren, Platinum Egoiste by Chanel, Cool Water(EdT) by Davidoff, Jazz by YSL and Paco Rabanne Pour Homme(EdT).

2. Citrus (pronounced sit-rus)

An old fragrance family (originating in the German city of Köln/Cologne) that until recently consisted mainly of "freshening" Eau de Colognes, due to the low tenacity of citrus scents. Development of newer fragrance compounds has allowed for the creation of primarily citrus fragrances

Popular Citrus fragrances include: Eau de Sauvage(EdC) by Dior, 1881(EdT) by Cerruti, D&G Masculine by Dolce&Gabanna and Happy by Clinique

3. Chypre (pronounced sheep-re)

A Chypre, french for Cyprus, fragrance contains woody, mossy and floral notes. Often it will contain Oakmoss, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Labdanum, Bergamot and Vetiver. It was named after a feminine fragrance by François Coty called 'Chypre' from 1917.

Popular Citrus fragrances include: Givenchy Gentlemen, Fendi Uomo(EdT), Vetiver(EdT) by Guerlain, Aramis(EdT), Van Cleef, Arpels, Quorum by Puig, Antaeus by Chanel and 212 Men by Carolina Herrera.

4. Oriental

Oriental fragrances are common in both male and female fragrances. They are often warm and spicy, feature the sweet animalic scents of ambergris and labdanum and are often combined with ingredients such as Vanilla, Tonka bean and sometimes Sandalwood. Oriental perfumes bring to mind Victorian Era imagery of the Middle East and Far East.

Popular Oriental fragrances include: Obsession for Men by Calvin Klein, Joop! Homme by Joop!, Le Male by Jea Paul Gaultier, Equipage(EdT) by Hermes and Egoiste by Chanel.

5. Marine (also Aquatic, Oceanic or Ozonic)

The Marine fragrance is relatively new and is used to describe scents that evoke a feeling of sea air. This category appeared in 1991 with Christian Dior's Dune. An ingredient named calone, a synthetic scent discovered in 1966, is used to give perfumes the marine scent. Marine undertones are sometimes added to augument Floral, Oriental and Woody fragrances.

Popular Marine fragrances include: Kenzo Pour Homme, L'Eau D'Issey pour Homme by Issey Miyake and New West for Him by Aramis.

6. Floral

While in the past, floral scents have been considered very masculine, nowadays, especially in the West, they are slightly less popular as men's fragrances.

Popular Marine fragrances include: Agua Lavanda by Puig, Insensé by Givenchy

7. Gourmand (pronounced Gor-mand)

Last but not least is one of the most interesting categories in perfumes: Gourmand fragrances, which literally means epicure fragrances. It so happens that most of what we perceive as taste in food is mostly smell. Perfumers, knowing that, have started designing more and more fragrances that have 'edible' notes and have applied them to perfumes, grooming products and even dishwashing liquid. I know I was tempted to taste my almond shower-gel one too many times.

Some popular Gourmand fragrances include: Emporio Armani Diamonds for Men and London by Paul Smith.

To top it all off perfumers and fragrance enthusiasts have created a fragrance wheel for easier reference in categorizing perfumes:

Tying everything together I hope you've enjoyed this short immersion into the world of fragrances and don't forget the basic rules for applying any type of perfume:

- Never put perfume on your clothes! Firstly it can damage your clothes by discoloration and secondly it does not help in any way with the diffusion of the scent.

-The best places for perfume application is on your wrists and behind your ears. Guys, if you prefer spray a little between your clavicles in the summer and girls you can do the same with your cleavage.

- Less is More! Remember, our noses adapt quickly to a strong smell which means that in a few minutes you won't be able to sense your perfume although it is definitely still there. Best thing to do is ask a friend whether or not it can still be smelt.

References:

Basenotes.net

Wikipedia