The scents of seduction
Using perfumes to smell good and seduce goes back to ancient times. The earliest recorded perfume discovery was thousands of years ago (3000 BC to 1000 BC), when the early Egyptians used oil-based perfumes in their celebrations, rituals, prayers, and as symbols of nobility, as well as for hygiene and seduction.
Today, scents are having a big moment, as “fragheads” multiply in number and demand for both designer and niche perfumes are at an all-time high. While finding your signature scent is a worthy endeavor, collecting a whole wardrobe of scents to suit every mood and occasion may be an even more fun journey.
And the purpose of perfume hasn’t changed. Not only do we want to smell good, if we’re being honest, we want to turn heads, get compliments, attract that special someone and draw them in closer.
Here is an array of scents to seduce this Valentine’s Day:
Let love blossom
Fascinating Sakura Lady Perfume radiates a warm, tangy, floral scent with green leaves, tuberose and sandalwood.
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Available at Miniso and shop.minisoph.com.
Nothing says ‘love’ like a rose
Few flowers are as associated with love as the rose, and few scents capture a 3D rose like Diptyque’s Eau Rose. To celebrate the anniversary of Eau Rose EDP, which was launched in 2022, Eau Rose brings together the most unexpected accords naturally present in the rose: chamomile, artichoke and litchi, blended with rose blooms in a profusion of whimsical beauty.
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Available at Diptyque in Central Square and Power Plant Mall; Rustan’s Makati, Shangri-La and Cebu; Adora Greenbelt 5, Rustans.com, Adora.ph and Trunc.ph.
Feel the romance
Romantic Pink Sakura Lady Perfume smells like a stroll in a floral garden, with sweet and bubbly hints of fruity essences, perfect for creating Valentine’s Day memories.
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Available at Miniso and shop.minisoph.com.
For the connoiseur of the good life
Bon Parfumeur’s eau de parfum 902 opens on fresh and zesty notes of orange, basil, and ginger. Then in its heart, the intoxicating, spicy heat of cinnamon and clove takes us to a more narcotic base. With dried tobacco-scented leaves and the aroma of Armagnac, the richness and intensity of this fragrance are fully revealed, giving way to a daring trail.
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Available at Rustan’s The Beauty Source.
For date night
Try the Magnificent Life Eau de Parfum for Women. This features a dynamic balance with refreshing, fruity notes of bergamot, pear, rose, patchouli, vanilla and musk.
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Available at Miniso and shop.minisoph.com.
For the hopeless romantic
Acca Kappa’s Sakura Tokyo, with its delicate scent of cherry blossoms, is for the hopeless romantics out there, or travelers to Japan who want to remember their Hanami, or flower viewing. Opening with citrusy neroli followed by a floral heart of cherry blossom and lily, Sakura leaves a memorable scent trail of heliotrope, sandalwood and musk.
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Available at Rustan’s The Beauty Source.
For the cool dude
For men, Miniso’s Ice-Cool Vigor Eau De Parfum features the refreshing and woodsy aroma of bergamot, lavender, pineapple and green leaves with a hint of geranium, cedarwood, coconut, dry ambers, and tree moss.
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Available at Miniso and shop.minisoph.com.
Trilogy of desire
Histoires de Parfums’ Tuberoses Trilogy is built around the mythical tuberose flower, a symbol of desire and dangerous pleasures. Tuberose’s fragrance is considered one of the most powerful floral scents, and presents a challenge for any perfumer to bottle, yet has inspired many legendary fragrances. A powerful aphrodisiac, the green top notes gradually fold into a wild and bewitching deep bouquet of fragrance.
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Available at Rustan’s The Beauty Source.
For the romantic guy
Savor the smell of Black Romance Eau de Parfum with its cool, pungent, and earthy scent from notes of pepper, rose, patchouli, musk and ambrox.
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Available at Miniso and shop.minisoph.com.
For the ‘clean’ girl and guy
Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s new freshie 724 is for those who find the “clean” aesthetic sexy. Top notes of Calabrian bergamot and soapy aldehydes smell like freshly laundered bed sheets. A white-flower accord of jasmine absolute from Egypt, sweet pea and mock orange gives it a velvety hint of sweetness, while still sparkling like crystal. The base of white sandalwood and white musk gives the scent depth and sensuality, perfect for snuggling.
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Available at Rustan’s The Beauty Source and Adora.
For a weekend getaway
Weekend Perfume, with its spring-like aromas of Lily of the Valley, linen, pear, rose, iris, patchouli, and white musk, is perfect to bring along on a road trip, retreat, or romantic weekend vacation.
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Available at Miniso and shop.minisoph.com.
An intoxicating mix that adapts to the wearer
Inspired by the old-world bay rum first used by sailors traveling through the Caribbean and later popularized in barbershops, Malin+Goetz’s Dark Rum is a refreshing reinvention of a traditionally dark and spicy aroma. Sweetened with ripe plum and crisp bergamot, notes of leather, rum and creamy milk are blended into an intoxicating mix that adapts perfectly to its wearer. With just a spritz, Dark Rum captures long days spent in the tropical sun and late nights with “the one.”
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Available at Rustan's Makati, Rustan's Shangri-La, Rustans.com, Adora Greenbelt and Adora.ph.
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