How to Smell Like Someone at HowStuffWorks

What's your go-to fragrance? Photo courtesy Katherine Neer.

In honor of spring, what with all the fabulous scents swirling around outside — and inside thanks to new fragrances hitting store shelves — last week I wrote a blog post on how to select a new scent. As a fun follow-up to that post, I decided to ask what fragrances my coworkers at HowStuffWorks are currently favoring. So, if you’ve ever wondered what the HowStuffWorks offices and their inhabitants smell like, you’re in luck.

I’ll begin with Holly, because her description of why she likes the scent she’s currently infatuated with is just so awesome:

“My current favorite is Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab’s Shango — an eclectic mixture of red apples, banana, chili pepper, coconut, pineapple, pomegranate and sugar cane. When I wear it, I get that same giddy, happily rabid feeling that I have when I’m in Walt Disney World.”

And FYI, in case you don’t know, Holly lurves Walt Disney World. Really, really, lurves it.

The folks at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab got some other rave reviews — both Tracy and Lauren appreciate the “Victorian, fougère with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea” fragrance of BPAL’s Dorian. Lauren says it’s “nice for (maybe metro-ish) dudes and for ladies – it can go a little powdery with all the musk, but it’s a great balance of sweet/dry and has a subtly spicy warmth.”

Deblina wears D&G Light Blue simply because she thinks it smells pretty and distinct, but not overpowering. And Sara G is also concerned about her fragrance not being too heavy or perfume-y, which is why she loves Joe Malone Nectarine Blossom and Honey. Sara says it’s lovely and so very fruity and springy.

Chanel is a fan of Flower by Kenzo (me, too). Its profile is composed of top notes of Bulgarian roses, Parma violets, cassia and wild hawthorn with middle notes of Bourbon vanilla, opopanax and white musk over base notes of hedione and cyclosal.  Chanel also recommends Fresh’s Citron de Vigne, which she describes as spring in a bottle!

Alison has been wearing Burberry Brit, which she loves because her husband bought it for her. She thinks it smells “sophisticated and lovely” and says after spritzing some on, “It feels like I’m done dressing and ready to face the world.” Its official profile contains Italian lime, icy pear, green almond, white peony, sugared almonds, amber, mahogany, vanilla and Tonka bean.

Candace, a fig fan like me, is currently beguiled by Hermes Un Jardin de Mediterranee, which reportedly is like “a walk through a dappled Mediterranean garden” and appropriate for men and women alike. And speaking of  fragrances for men, Jonathan was kind enough to participate in my impromptu survey. He wears Star Trek Red Shirt cologne, which, according to Jonathan, smells nice and is distinct without being overpowering — likely thanks to its top notes of green mandarin, bergamot and lavender, and base notes of leather and grey musk.

And as for the How-to Stuff team — Jessika’s of-the-moment favorite is The Body Shop’s Rougeberry, which has top notes of raspberry, tangerine and apple, middle notes of heliotrope, rose, violet and peach, and base notes of musk, amber, cedar, vanilla and sugared almond. I’m a fan of many fragrances, although I do have a few standby scents that are mostly citrus-based. I use Origins Gloomaway grapefruit body soufflé pretty much every day. In addition to that, when I do wear a spritz of something, right now it might be Fresh’s Bergamot Citrus (top notes of blood orange, bergamot, middle notes of Italian mandarin, grapefruit and black pepper, and  base notes of French cypress, oakmoss, Moroccan cedar and bergamot citrus) or Chanel Chance Eau Fraîche.

What’s your signature or of-the-moment fragrance? Share your scent stories here or on our Facebook page. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.