He rolled over and reached out for her. Her familiar scent of vanilla, cinnamon and amber permeated the pillow. He filled his nostrils with the scent of her. She was gone but her presence was impossible not to feel.
As cliché as the scene above sounds, there’s no denying that scent has a powerful impact on our attraction and our memories. Can perfume equal desire?
Maybe. Smell is fundamentally linked to emotion. Certain scents can trigger or enhance desire.
Cinnamon, Black Licorice, and Vanilla are all said to enhance sexual arousal.
My personal favorite is rose. It’s the vodka of the perfume world since it mixes well with just about everything. Perhaps it helps that the rose is also a symbol of power. 1
Thierry Mugler’s Angel Rose is at the top of my list. It has all the classic notes of caramel, patchouli, and chocolate topped with citrus and rose. Bvlgari Rose is another favorite that is both rosy and spicy with base notes of patchouli and sandalwood.
So, while attending a Givenchy press event at Neiman Marcus in Tampa, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Givenchy has a beautiful rose scent in their Spring line-up. Rose Ardente is described a floral spicy fragrance with chili pepper and patchouli. It is self-assured and smells like confidence with a touch of lace and knee high leather boots.
It reminded me of how much fun it is to include favorite scents in a boudoir session. You would think it would be counterintuitive to bring a favorite session into a photography studio but when you consider that scent is so closely tied to memory and emotion, it makes perfect scents, pun intended.
My job as a photographer is to ensure that my clients feel relaxed. Scent can be a powerful trigger to help me achieve this. In fact, I had one client who was so inspired by her favorite pop star that she has the entire line of Britney Spears’ fragrances. We decided it would be fun to incorporate some of these into her session. I even created a faux fragrance ad.
Stay tuned for my next post to see how Givenchy’s Phenomen'eyes mascara stacks up to Limelight by Alcone’s Perfect Mascara.