ON THE NOSE

Essaying an entire experience without so much as a word spoken, a whiff of these standout scents are all the stories you will need in the continuum of an arresting allure

1 TOM FORD

At this point, it is almost difficult to separate the name of Tom Ford from the enduring discussion of scents. As persistently provocative as he is with his fashion point-of-view, he is equally as deliciously daring when it comes to his fragrance formulations. Perhaps taken by the same almost erotic fascination to the peach in Andre Aciman’s gripping tale of a tender first love, Call Me By Your Name, Tom Ford releases an explicitly sweet and dangerously voluptuous Bitter Peach, an intoxicating swirl that enthralls with a burst of bright Pêche de Vigne (a thoroughly French favorite) and Sicilian Blood Orange Oil, before giving way to a lash of luscious Cardamom Oil. Full-bodied by nature, it builds to its climactic core of Heliotrope, Davana Oil, and a splash of Rum Absolute and Cognac Oil, finally coalescing to the chemistry of your skin with a rich and rambunctious Sandalwood Absolute, Tonka Bean Absolute, Patchouli Oil, and Vanilla. No peaches were harmed here, of course, just an eliciting of an explicit memory that latches and lingers into a sweet and sometimes, stinging reverie.

2 NARCISO RODRIGUEZ

While traditionally crafted as a woman’s scent, the extremes of seduction and attraction knows no gender, as it stands to be at the core of the Narciso Rodriguez brand. “There’s a deliberate new spirit that’s bold and intoxicating,” says Narciso Rodriguez of Narciso Rouge, the sublimely seductive scent that ups the play of passion and provocation. Intense and warm at a spritz, Narciso Rouge swirls from the pure intentions of Bulgarian rose and iris, taking a sharp turn with a fiery introduction of musk, orange blossom, and tuberose. Finally, it asserts a confident stride with a sturdy base of white and black cedar, vetiver, and sandalwood. Arresting in its allure, the attraction doesn’t fade out, but instead, it seeks a comforting permanence on the skin.

3 JEAN PAUL GAULTIER

As distinct and decided on its titillation, the ultimate provocateur and risk-taker, Jean Paul Gaultier continues his streak of arousing sensuality with the latest iteration of his long-standing chiseled Le Male fragrance series. Like a refreshing splash of seawater that dries down almost immediately by the rushing coastal breeze that whirrs by, Le Male Le Parfum is a refreshingly incandescent scent that sparkles and dazzles as it settles to a delightful dry down. Mildly spicy and slightly nutty, the fragrance begins its maritime sojourn with cardamom, eventually revealing a deliriously sweet combination of lavender and iris. Recovering from this realization of a calm sea, Le Male Le Parfum gets a bold body with woody and oriental notes, as well as of a hint of vanilla that drives the magnetism to an almost hypnotic trance.

4 PACO RABANNE

While deliberate in its obvious flash and flair of flamboyance, there exists a pocket of danger that runs through the blend of the fragrance, 1 Million Parfum by Paco Rabanne. Borne out of an accident on vacation by scent architect Quentin Bisch, one that saw a coalescing of broken traces of sunscreen and cistus (a Greek floral) on his leather bag, the stroke of genius came through the aggressive juxtaposition of salty monoi-tuberose. The resulting scent is a confident distillation of experience and ego that resonates with a surprisingly amiable coming together of salt, cashmeran, ambergris, and pine. Much like the impertinence and insolence of heat that bends metal at its will, a lashing of heat rounds everything out, making this glint of gold surprisingly delicate as the night goes on by.