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Scents to Smell for in 2010: A Guide to What’s Next

posted by ChickSpeak
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 at 11:58am CST

Scientists and psychologists say scent is the sense that triggers the most memories in one’s mind. There is a French bakery on the main street in my hometown, and the scent of their freshly baked croissants in the morning is one I can still distinctly draw up in my mind at a seconds notice.That, and, of course, the smell of my mother’s perfume. Clinique Beautiful is a new favorite of hers, but the one that reminds me of her the most has a name I cannot recall. The picture on the label covering the midnight blue bottle featured a trapeze artist, and she had purchased it from Avon when I was a little girl. I remember watching her spray it on her wrists, and the spice of cinnamon, citrus, and sweet fruit flavors tickled my nose as the light mist circulated through the air.

The word perfume is derived from the latin per fumum, originally meaning ‘through smoke.’ The root of perfume’s history can be traced back to the strong and rich incenses like agarwood and attar, both bold and eventually distilled into essential oils. According to historic tablets from 2000 B.C. Mesopotamia, a woman named Tapputi was the first real perfume maker. Records indicate she distilled flowers, oils and other aromatic products several times to create different essential oils for men and women to dab on their skin.

With the spread of Islam, the world of perfume came to Europe in the 14th century. The first ‘official’ perfume was made for the queen of Hungary in 1370, and referred to as ‘Hungary Water’. Later on, the infamous Medici family of the Italian Renaissance had a private perfumer whose laboratory was hidden at the end of a maze of secret passageways. Even back then, Catherine de’Medici valued what women still do today- a scent unique to her, one that would immediately be stored away in one’s mind in association with her face alone.

“I like smelling sexy,” Lucy Murphy, a 22-year-old in Boone, N.C., said. “I wear Amore Amor by Cacharel, it’s not fruity like youthful perfumes, it smells more sophisticated.”

Many women wear perfume for many different reasons. Whether it’s to smell sexy, pretty, fun, or flirtatious, the new perfume collections of 2010 are more diverse than ever, featuring woodsy scents for women to scent diffusers for the home, for those ChickSpeak girls who may not want the scent directly on them, but surrounding them and the ones they love.

SJP NYC

One of the hottest new scents this year, and one on just about every Sex and the City lover’s wish list is SJP NYC, a perfume created by Sarah Jessica Parker and inspired by her fictional identity on the show, Carrie Bradshaw.

Set to hit retail stores in 2010, the perfume’s name was originally just the code used to identify the testing tubes in laboratory development. But the simplistic sweetness of the code was one they decided to keep. In a past interview, Parker described her inspiration for creating the scent.

“A large part of the inspiration was what I now understand to be people’s impressions of seeing Carrie Bradshaw walk down the street and what feelings that evokes for her and for them — a real sense of freedom and possibilities, a love for the city around her and, of course, fashion,” Parker, who is known for her signature musk scent in all perfumes she wears or creates, said.

The surprise held within the leopard and paisley patchwork printed metal tube of Mr.Big entrancing nectar is a light hint of strawberry. If fun, flirty, and busy are characteristics you often her about yourself, this perfume may be to you what Chanel No.5 was to Marilyn. The collection will be available in 3 different sizes and also in a 200 ml body lotion, with the 60 ml bottle selling for $49.

Read more about the scent here.

Beyonce’s Heat

Beyonce Knowles is trying her hand for the first time at the art of crafting perfume, with her new scent called Heat. This sensual new aroma markets with the catch phrase, ‘Catch the Fever.’ If sexy and arousing are qualities you look for in a perfume, you can bet Knowle’s new scent is right up your alley. The scent is a mix of orchids, magnolia, and blush peach, with soft and creamy undertones like almond and macaroon. But the scent also smells very clean, according to Knowles herself in a past interview.

“My sexiest moments are when I’m just getting out of the tub or the shower and I’m clean, so I wanted to incorporate that,” Knowles said.

To view a teaser website with more information about the product, click here.

Frederic Malle’s Fleur Macinique

For those women who may not necessarily want to spray perfume on their bodies, but love the scent of extracted fresh flowers in a clean room, there is a new high-tech home accessory that will be their new must-have item.

A perfumist named Frederic Malle created a mod, 11-cm red and black box that diffuses different extracted flower scents such as lily, rose, and gardenia throughout a room, called Fleur Macinique. Set to release in Spring 2010, the device is pricey but lasts much longer than bottled perfume or room fragrance.

View the Elle magazine write-up and image of the product.

Perfume is a personal, unique matter, one that a young woman or man may spend several years testing different brands before finding the perfect one for them. 2010 promises new aromas and combinations of scents, so the perfect perfume for you is within reach.

If already blended scents aren’t your forte, check out a local health foods store for different bottled essential oils, and create your own perfect recipe. Eyes are said to be the pathways to the soul, but the nose is the doorway to making memories - so remember to pick a scent that stirs up remembered emotions and events in your mind that remind you of good times.

Cady Childs is a journalism student at Appalachian State University who also spends much of her time in the theatre and photography departments on campus. Inspiration for her writing comes from the likes of Andre Leon Talley, e.e. Cummings, and Hunter S. Thompson. She hopes to become an established journalist as well as novelist and playwright later in life. Her perfume of choice is Oscar de la Renta’s ‘So de la Renta’, but she loves experimenting with new scents and old classics.

Find the photo here.