Mr. Right or Mr. Right Now?

It’s date night, and you’re rushing to get ready in front of the mirror. When it comes to selecting a perfume from the bathroom cabinet you hesitate – which one will she like the most? What we would suggest is for you to completely set aside her preferences and instead focus on your own goal for the evening, and what you want to communicate. Show her who you are – or who you want to be – so as not to let the purpose of the evening be shrouded in obscurity.

MR. Right?

If you are looking for your future wife you need to make sure you smell nice more than anything else. Allude to safe, familiar scent notes that you should both be comfortable with. A strong trend at the latest perfume fair in Italy is scent notes that resembles fudge or butterscotch, such as the fragrance Agonist Isis. A sweet and comforting scent, laced with vanilla and cozy references to childhood summers, vanilla ice cream and skin tanned from playing in the sun. Here the two of you can join in an unspoken consensus on family formation and family values.

Another fragrance with distinct wedding vibes is Sartorial from Penhaligon's. Here, dry notes of tweed are paired with the powdery scents of chalk and starch. This is a perfume that clearly signals that you can act as their safe port in a storm. This is the scent of a man with no need to prove himself, of someone stable and reliable who looks at the future through steady long-term binoculars.

If your intentions are noble enough, but you still feel that the time is not yet right to exude olfactory promises of marriage, then the sweet and warm Santal from Creed is our strongest recommendation during the winter months, complemented by the healthy and fresh Elysium from Roja Parfums during the summer. These are smells that signals celebration, depth, and passion, but with a looming desire for an (eventual) shared everyday life.

Mr. Right Now?

On the other hand.
Maybe just the thought of sharing more than a single night with the same partner takes all the fun out of it for you. That would require a completely different set of bottles on your bathroom shelf. You may either choose to focus on perfumes laced with pheromones, or you could pick fragrances that are themselves so angular and particular that the effect, despite an absence of notes associated to lust and reproduction, will still be one of attraction and intrigue.

One such fragrance is Black Afgano from niche perfume makers Nasomatto. The main inspiration here is the black gold of Afghanistan – hashish. Added to this is licorice and tart tones of herbic aperitifs. This is a scent with a clear message – please stop by, but parking is strictly prohibited.

Men who value their freedom deeply should regard notes of pears, melon and coconut as their buried treasures, as these are notes that speaks of naked skin and warm bodies. In Oltremare, from the perfume house of Bois, coconut in conjunction with soft sea notes becomes a subtle play of nightly pleasure aboard a yacht in the Mediterranean. In much the same way, Xerjoff 40 Knots also promises waves being made somewhere on an ocean. The salt in the top note alludes to the taste of salt water and warm skin on the tongue. Honey and beeswax makes the perfume animalistic and sensuous with a slight hint of sex, but in such low concentrations that it registers completely unknowingly in the recipient's nose.

At a Black Tie event it´s Essenza is from Acqua di Parma that gives you the best chance of not having to spend the night alone. Cool and elegant while also clean and determined. If you choose to wear this perfume, you are well advised to keep your cards close to your chest and your hotel key in your inner pocket.