Seduce his Senses: Smell

It’s undeniable that certain smells drive a man crazy. (Remember when Cher, the Beverly Hills superteen from Amy Heckerling’s Clueless, was planning an ill-fated seduction and popped a roll of cookie dough in the oven because that smell supposedly would send the message of love to her beau?) It’s no surprise that smells can be such aphrodisiacs. (C’mon, you totally smell the pillow he slept on last night when you miss him a little.) It’s our oldest sense and linked so very strongly to memory. Here’s how to make a lasting impression.What:

Perfumes smell different on everyone, reacting with your personal body chemistry and the environment around you. So, choose carefully.

Smells that tap into the amorous corners of his mind are vanilla, musk, ylang ylang, jasmine and white flowers…notes often found in oriental scents.

Chypre scents (characteristically flowery, woody and mossy), though, are the winners among men. Such perfumes include notes of sandalwood and amber.

If you like a simple scent, try essential oils in your favorite note.

Try: Agent Provacateur, Opium, Tocca’s line of perfume, Lalique de Lalique, Kenzo Flower.

Apply your scent

Where:

Apply your perfume to the backs of your knees and your pulse points. (Wrists, between your breasts, your throat, the crooks of your elbows and behind your ears.)

Don’t spray a dab on clothing. Not only can it stain, but if your clothes aren’t super clean, you could end up with a flagrance, not your sweet fragrance.

How:

If your skin is clean and moisturized, the fragrance will stay truer longer.

Supercharge your scent by first applying petroleum jelly to your pulse points, very lightly. This will keep the scent from soaking into your skin.

Also, only if your hair is clean should you spray perfume in your hair.

Perfumes are delicate. Rubbing your wrists together breaks down the scent. Don’t rub.