• About
  • Login to comment
    • Facebook
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Menu ▼
  • Perfume Reviews
  • New Perfumes
  • Perfumers
  • Perfume Houses
  • Shop for perfume
  • Resources

If you want to project an air of competency…

Posted by Robin on 30 January 2008 34 Comments

'Always go for the Chypre family of fragrances, they command respect and also send out a 'Don't mess with me message'. The reason? Chypre notes (think oak moss, cedar and vetiver) are traditionally classed as masculine odours as they are rich, strong and earthy, so by trading a traditionally female (think floral) scent for a Chypre you are sending the message that you want to be taken as seriously as your male colleagues.

— Roja Dove on what to spritz on if you want to get promoted. Find more perfume advice at The Daily Mail.

Filed Under: perfume in the news

Advertisement


34 Comments

Leave a comment, or read more about commenting at Now Smell This. Here's our privacy policy, and a handy emoticon chart.

  1. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 8:42 am

    Interesting. In my teens and twenties I loved perfumes which I now know were chypres – clearly, a no-nonsense, keep-your-hands-to-yourself message. Nowadays, with much less of a problem deflecting unwanted attention ;-D , I prefer warm, soft scents; my saggy face glaring over the reading glasses, combined with chypre chill would probably have people moving way, way out of my sillage zone…

    Log in to Reply
  2. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 9:30 am

    This article is interesting, thanks for posting it. Shalimar is apparently viewed by Roja Dove as outrageously sexy, which I guess he means for the time of it's 1925 release. Now, it's a favorite of mine, but I think of it as more of a comfort scent.

    Log in to Reply
  3. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 10:16 am

    I'm in my mid twenties, and I sure do throw on Piguet's Bandit during the day. And I always feel un-sexy, but love wearing it anyway. I haven't mustered up the confidence to wear it out at night yet, and stick with the more feminine but unoriginal Vera Wang, which really does turn heads.

    Log in to Reply
  4. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 11:00 am

    LOL — but also, those chypres were in style when we were younger. I wonder if my teenaged-self seemed any more competent wearing Coriandre, as it smelled back then? It certainly made me feel more grown-up.

    Log in to Reply
  5. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 11:02 am

    Times have really changed when VW seems sexier than Bandit!

    Log in to Reply
  6. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 11:03 am

    I think the parfum is still massively sexy. The lighter concentrations, maybe not quite so much?

    Log in to Reply
  7. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 11:03 am

    Thanks for the great article! :)

    Log in to Reply
  8. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 11:47 am

    “We're all guilty of it, absent-mindedly spritzing on the same old fragrance day in, day out and completely underestimating the mood manipulating potential of our perfume.”

    Ha!! Little does he know the wonderful, fragrance-obsessed contributors to Now Smell This! ;-D

    Interesting article, R.! Thanks!!

    Log in to Reply
  9. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 12:15 pm

    Using scents the way this article advices is a very thought-through way of using perfume.

    Allright I am heavy-handed but blame winter plus too many grey days for it.

    My feeling is 'remain playful' and use the scents that you truly like.

    Imagine using l'Eau d'issey for whatever planned reason and the boss prefers Opium or Midnight Poison and all you ever wanted was L'Instant.

    Brr…too complicated and finding the best perfume is already difficult enough

    Log in to Reply
  10. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 2:48 pm

    This reminds me of the “dress for success” advice, etc. that was all the rage in the '80's. Women were told to dress like men in order to be taken seriously in the workplace, as being feminine somehow equates to being frivolous and …. Argh… it never ends.

    Log in to Reply
  11. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 3:22 pm

    Indeed it never ends.. and what should men wear in order to convince ladies to keep taking them seriously..;)

    Log in to Reply
  12. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 3:23 pm

    Yes, the article rubbed me the wrong way on that score, too!! God, I'm glad I'm not still wearing the Power Suit and bow-tied blouse of the eighties. I feel totally empowered being competent on the job AND taken seriously by both men and women — wearing just whatever I'm in the mood for that day, even if it's the most frivolous and girly-type fragrance I own! Yes, Existentialist, when WILL it end?

    Log in to Reply
  13. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 3:26 pm

    LOL, VanillaGirl! I can SO relate!!

    Log in to Reply
  14. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 3:27 pm

    Ironically, I feel sexiest and most womanly wearing something like Gucci Pour Homme! Go figure. . .

    Log in to Reply
  15. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 5:47 pm

    R, don't you think someone would make a fortune if they marketed the juice with a scenario involving someone like Alan Rickman being mesmerised by the aroma of a woman d'un certain age? All those nineteen year-olds know perfectly well they're hot stuff; it's the women buying the anti-wrinkle cream that are most likely to snap up Scent of a Woman Whio Knows What She's Doing. Even if she needs to go get her reading glasses to read the instructions.

    Log in to Reply
  16. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 7:15 pm

    Uh, if Alan Rickman even vaguely pretended to be vaguely interested in a scent, I'd buy it. So, yes!

    Log in to Reply
  17. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 7:19 pm

    Existentialist, true enough, and let's face it, the best way to prove your competency at the workplace is not with your perfume.

    Log in to Reply
  18. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 7:21 pm

    You know, it isn't like Roja Dove works in an office, LOL — I wouldn't necessarily take his “office perfume” advice that seriously :-)

    Log in to Reply
  19. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 7:21 pm

    That's pretty sexy stuff too :-)

    Log in to Reply
  20. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 7:22 pm

    “use the scents you truly like” is about all the advice I need!

    Log in to Reply
  21. Anonymous says:
    30 January 2008 at 8:57 pm

    Am I the only person who thought the article was really a load of tripe? I'm not going to pick it apart line by line, but just…tripe. British tabloids will publish any old thing, won't they?

    Log in to Reply
  22. Anonymous says:
    31 January 2008 at 4:37 am

    Ah – The Daily (Hate) Mail strikes again. A tabloid renown for it's 'women! know your place!' attitude and beloved by the mythical 'middle England'. I grew up with my mum reading it and now view it as something like a comic – entertaining in its own way as long as you believe only 0.001% of what it prints. Still, I suppose if it encourages anyone to break out and start exploring the world of perfume it will have done *some* good for once! (My latest perfume purchase: ordered a small bottle of Moschino 'Couture' after sniffing it yesterday and it zinged up my nose and made me think of Spring :-)

    Log in to Reply
  23. Anonymous says:
    31 January 2008 at 9:44 am

    Oh, Helen, I love Moschino Couture. Glad you found it! It's like a zingy flanker for Baiser de Dragon, I thought!

    Log in to Reply
  24. Anonymous says:
    31 January 2008 at 10:11 am

    You know, these articles telling you what perfume to wear for what purpose/occasion always strike me as tripe, but this one is no better or worse than any of the others…and this seems to be the mainstream media approach to perfume coverage. At least in this case they're talking to Roja Dove, who knows about perfume — so often it is just some entirely uninformed journalist.

    Log in to Reply
  25. Anonymous says:
    31 January 2008 at 10:12 am

    Ah — I need something to zing up my nose and remind me of Spring!

    Log in to Reply
  26. Anonymous says:
    31 January 2008 at 10:51 am

    Gah! Damn your eyes – I'm now Googling for Baiser de Dragon! *sigh* this labyrinthine world of scent I now inhabit – will it never stop?! It's worse than the 'customers who also bought this item' links on Amazon… (No sign of Spring here in the UK: gale force winds and snow instead – have been wrapped up in DK Black Cashmere for *days* now!)

    Log in to Reply
  27. Anonymous says:
    31 January 2008 at 11:09 am

    Update: I'm now bidding on a bottle of Baiser du Dragon on e-bay. Ooops.

    Log in to Reply
  28. Anonymous says:
    31 January 2008 at 12:04 pm

    Oh I've seen Le Baiser du Dragon the other day, no kidding.

    Is that one realy good?

    Log in to Reply
  29. Anonymous says:
    31 January 2008 at 2:52 pm

    Oh, just gorgeous, that's all. The EdP is beautiful, but the pure parfum is just insanely smooth, rich and seamless. It's the Cartier style at its most elegant and womanly. $275 for 30ml at retail here in Vancouver at Holt Renfrew. Ouch.

    Log in to Reply
  30. Anonymous says:
    31 January 2008 at 4:13 pm

    Can't argue with that. A more interesting conversation might be, what perfume would get you fired?

    Log in to Reply
  31. Anonymous says:
    31 January 2008 at 5:24 pm

    Hi, Existentialist. Anything more than 2.5 drops of Angel per shift might get you a written warning!

    Log in to Reply
  32. Anonymous says:
    31 January 2008 at 5:30 pm

    Oh, VanillaGirl, I'd be there on the sidewalk with my lawnchair and sleeping bag waiting overnight to be the first to own a bottle.

    Funny you should mention Alan Rickman; I just watched Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility again and fell even more deeply in love with that loyal, kind and loving soul.

    Log in to Reply
  33. Anonymous says:
    2 February 2008 at 7:00 am

    Well, just missed out on scoring a 50ml bottle for £10 on ebay :-( but did pick up a couple of 1.5ml samples for £4 including postage and packing. They arrived this morning. I think I'm in love! I've kind of ignored Cartier perfumes – I'm not into 'bling' so they were tarred by association – but this is just… lovely :-)

    Log in to Reply
  34. Anonymous says:
    2 February 2008 at 11:03 am

    Helen, I'm glad you've found something you love. “But this is just. . .lovely” says it all!

    Log in to Reply

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Advertisement

Search

From NST at Twitter

  • "Jay-Z Is Owed $6.8 Million in Unpaid Royalties From a Perfume Company, N.Y. Court Rules" (robb report) https://t.co/ceDFHKcu6h,
  • "These solid perfumes are made for a summer getaway" (harpers bazaar) https://t.co/X9eIxxwfkU,
  • "The Most Poetic Scent? Between the Pages of a Book" (vogue) https://t.co/d4dg6OPgca,
  • "'Meg' the corpse flower is blooming at the Houston Museum of Natural Science" https://t.co/bc9DWArOa9,
  • "The 12 Best Wedding Perfumes for Every Type of Bride" (elle) https://t.co/tr0ZV6ihTj,

Browse by...

Topic

Perfume talk New fragrances
Shopping Books :: News
Body products Home fragrance
Polls Another subject

Date

March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022

Prior months

Author

Robin Jessica
Angela Kevin
Erin Guest Author

Tag

Celebrity perfumes
Cheap thrills
Collector bottles
Perfumista tip series
Video
The complete tag index

Recent reviews

Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus
Moschino Toy Boy
Arquiste Misfit
Diptyque Eau Capitale
Zoologist Bee
Parfum d’Empire Immortelle Corse
Comme des Garcons Series 10 Clash
Frédéric Malle Rose & Cuir
L’Artisan Parfumeur Le Chant de Camargue
Yves Saint Laurent Grain de Poudre
Régime des Fleurs Chloë Sevigny Little Flower
Chanel 1957
Gallivant Los Angeles
Amouage Portrayal Woman

Blogroll

Bois de Jasmin
Grain de Musc
Perfume Posse
The Non-Blonde
More blogs...

Perfumista lists

100 fragrances every perfumista should try
And 25 more fragrances every perfumista should smell
50 masculine fragrances every perfumista should try
26 vintage fragrances every perfumista should try
25 rose fragrances every perfumista should try
11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love

Favorite posts

The Great Perfume Reduction Plan
Why I Love Old School Chypres
New to perfume and want to learn more?
How to make fragrance last through the day
Fragrance concentrations: sorting it all out
On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn’t smell like it used to
How to get fragrance samples
Perfume for Life: How Long Will Your Fragrance Collection Last?

Upcoming

List of upcoming Friday projects

20 May ~ Haiku Challenge
20 May ~ splitmeet

Back to Top

Home
About Now Smell This :: Privacy Policy

Shop for Perfume Online
Perfume Shopping in New York
Perfume Shopping in London
Perfume Reviews
New Perfumes
General Perfume Articles
The Monday Mail

Glossary of Perfume Terms
Perfume FAQ
Perfume Links
Perfume Books
Fragrance Awards

Noses ~ Perfumers A-E :: F-K :: L-S :: T-Z

Perfume Houses A-B :: C :: D-E :: F-G
H-J :: K-L :: M :: N-O :: P :: Q-R :: S
T :: U-Z

Copyright © 2005-2023 Now Smell This. All rights reserved.