Sunday, June 25, 2006

You Smell Like a Couple

Today I'm wearing Anais Anais (a break from sampling), and Bob's wearing Boss by Hugo Boss. When we were getting ready to leave the house this morning, I noticed that our fragrances seemed to blend nicely, even complement one another.

The notes in Boss include apple, bergamot, cinnamon, tagetes, geranium, clove, cedarwood, sandalwood, vetiver, and olivewood. It's a green fragrance, but it's decidedly fruity and sweet without being feminine.

The notes in Anais Anais are orange blossom and hyacinth (top); sweet rose, white lily and jasmine (heart); and amber, sandalwood, and frankincense (base).

A woman could easily wear Boss, but what I'm talking about here is not whether a particular scent is unisex, but whether couples should pay any attention to whether their fragrances complement each other. The powdery floral incense of my perfume cuts into the fruity green of his EDT, and makes something remarkable all its own. Is there anything to the theory that if two people chose each other then their personal chemistry must be aligned so that somehow they are attracted to the same scents?

As we rode around in the car today, I tried to think if Bob and I ever wore fragrances that competed with one another, but I couldn't. And then I started to think that it would be interesting if perfumers made fragrances that were distinct in and of themselves but were meant to be worn at the same time by different people sharing the same space. Not as corny as "his n' hers," but something for spouses, partners, roommates...

Can you think of any fragrances that complement each other while being worn in the same space? (Mind you, I'm not talking about layering.) Do you find yourself conscious of your partner's fragrance when you're deciding what to wear?