'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.
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…
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.
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.
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.
Times have really changed when VW seems sexier than Bandit!
I think the parfum is still massively sexy. The lighter concentrations, maybe not quite so much?
Thanks for the great article!
“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!!
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
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.
Indeed it never ends.. and what should men wear in order to convince ladies to keep taking them seriously..;)
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?
LOL, VanillaGirl! I can SO relate!!
Ironically, I feel sexiest and most womanly wearing something like Gucci Pour Homme! Go figure. . .
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.
Uh, if Alan Rickman even vaguely pretended to be vaguely interested in a scent, I'd buy it. So, yes!
Existentialist, true enough, and let's face it, the best way to prove your competency at the workplace is not with your perfume.
You know, it isn't like Roja Dove works in an office, LOL — I wouldn't necessarily take his “office perfume” advice that seriously
That's pretty sexy stuff too
“use the scents you truly like” is about all the advice I need!
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?
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
Oh, Helen, I love Moschino Couture. Glad you found it! It's like a zingy flanker for Baiser de Dragon, I thought!
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.
Ah — I need something to zing up my nose and remind me of Spring!
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!)
Update: I'm now bidding on a bottle of Baiser du Dragon on e-bay. Ooops.
Oh I've seen Le Baiser du Dragon the other day, no kidding.
Is that one realy good?
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.
Can't argue with that. A more interesting conversation might be, what perfume would get you fired?
Hi, Existentialist. Anything more than 2.5 drops of Angel per shift might get you a written warning!
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.
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 
Helen, I'm glad you've found something you love. “But this is just. . .lovely” says it all!