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One-Whiff Wonders and Mood Changers

post #1 of 37
1/7/09 at 9:24pm
Thread Starter 
The February 2009 issue of Fitness has a page about choosing perfume to change a mood. They break it down into four basic categories: For the sleep-deprived, choose spicy (e.g. Kenzo Amour le Parfum). For anxiety, choose something with a prominent orange, lime, or grapefruit note (Elizabeth Arden Pretty). For the winter blues, choose something floral (muguet can reduce irritability, according to the "Olfactory Research Fund"). Broken heart, choose a gourmand (Pearls by Carol's Daughter) instead of that pint of ice cream.

It's a little simplistic, and for myself, I might counter anxiety with the comfort of a gourmand, or choose something citrusy instead of spicy to help me wake up. (Really, though, each of my five-star favorites is an instant mood-lifter, something subtle that I can enjoy consciously or subconsciously throughout the day.)

I have seen Mitsouko described as a melancholy-inducing fragrance by several Basenoters. Are there others that can be specific mood changers for you?

(Just found an excellent 2006 thread by rtamara41: Current Faves and Matching Moods; slightly different focus, but a wonderful read!)
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post #2 of 37
1/8/09 at 12:20am
I notice that TIMBUKTU makes me smile. It actually seems to lift my mood.
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post #3 of 37
1/8/09 at 2:23am
Lavender is an immediate happy smell for me-- not a lavender perfume but the real deal (dried lavender blossoms or lavender essential oil.)
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post #4 of 37
1/8/09 at 5:49am
Hmmmm, I DO feel 'comforted' by vanillas and other gourmand scents.
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post #5 of 37
1/8/09 at 6:16am
I deliberately use lavender oil to calm myself down when I am anxious and always wear Clarins Eau Resourcante when I travel for its calming properties. (Yeah, I'm a whiny stress-puppy, what can I say?)
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post #6 of 37
1/8/09 at 6:20am
If ever I were teetering on the ledge of a tall building contemplating the futility of life, Caron Or et Noir would put me over the edge. It's so despairing.

Conversely, Sel de Vetiver makes me feel corporeal--alive with flesh.
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post #7 of 37
1/8/09 at 6:28am
I had an incredibly haunting feeling with Guerlain Djedi. It was like walking into a pharoah's tomb. It smelled: dry, dusty, like an old excavation or a museum, with mysterious spices, hints of leather.
Tha'ts why I sent it on its 10,000 mile journey. I simply had to see how other people reacted to it. I still have one drop left!
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post #8 of 37
1/8/09 at 6:42am
I get an instant lift from Bigarade Concentree, but only when it's cold out. It doesn't work for me in hot weather.
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post #9 of 37
1/8/09 at 6:56am
Since I've enjoyed Djedi thanks to Purplebird and Bigarade thanks to Chestnut, I have to support their comments with an ovation. Djedi does have a Raiders of the Lost Ark aura, while BC boasts an indefatigable sprightliness. And they do these things while smelling beautiful, too.
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post #10 of 37
1/8/09 at 8:00am
Mint is a waker upper for me, yet also soothing. Anything fruity - lemon, orange, apple, berries - is cheering and makes me smile. I find cinnamon uplifting, but also a bit ceremonial (Purplebird's classification in the fragrance emotions thread). There is something purifying and mysterious about it to me. I find muguet both uplifting and comforting, especially the live blossom, but that's a personal association. I suppose they all are personal associations. Gourmand fragrances are more aphrodesiac for me than musk/animalic scents. Woo me with chocolate and caramel, mocha and cream!
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post #11 of 37
1/8/09 at 10:14am
I turn to incense scents for calm and comfort. An evening in Black Cashmere can make a bad day seem like history. I find if I try to wear a fragrance that doesn't match my mood-- like wearing a bright, citrusy floral when I'm cranky, I get more irritated.
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post #12 of 37
1/8/09 at 10:30am
I've posted this before, but Chanel's Chance turns my mood spiteful and peevish. I become like a horrible adolescent, or a character off Mean Girls. I gave it away on that account.

O de Lancome has a lovely effect: uplifting and exhilarating on a hot summer's day, but also calming -- I literally feel my blood cool in my arteries.

L'Heure Bleue makes *me* blue, but in a wistful, quite charming way.

Femme makes me feel hot to trot.

No. 19 makes me feel clever.
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post #13 of 37
1/8/09 at 11:27am
Le Chevrefeuille is a happy, cheery number I wore today as was annoyed at having a sore throat still, after three weeks of the dreaded UK lurgy. Who couldn't smile wearing a scent like tomato stems crossed with lemon meringue pie?

Cristalle makes me feel business-like and as "kick ass" as I am ever going to get.

L'Air du Desert Marocain makes me feel smouldering and mysterious, but only after an hour or two. Initially, it makes me cough.

Bvlgari Jasmin Noir is good for a light, day time smoulder.

Bvlgari Omnia Crystalline is good for tuning out in a zen like fashion. I almost hummmmmmm when I wear it.
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post #14 of 37
1/8/09 at 12:45pm
I love going to bed in Ambre de Cabochard, it makes for sweet dreams. Belle en Rykiel wakes me up but is also soothing.
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post #15 of 37
1/8/09 at 1:08pm
Songes, beautiful as it is, can lead me to melancholic thoughts. I certainly don't think that it makes me melancholy, but I won't wear it on a day that I feel emotionally fratgile. I love my other dear ones so. Musks feel like warm hugs, and who doesn't need those from time to time?
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post #16 of 37
1/8/09 at 2:18pm
Thread Starter 
Sorry for any déjÃ* vu with this thread, as I know similar questions have been asked before. (The extra wrinkle for me was that when magazines such as Fitness push a page of perfume recommendations, I see their shallow "reporting" as thinly-disguised advertising.)

On Haunani's Joyful thread, I mentioned that Floris Pink Grapefruit is one favorite that instantly buoys my mood. When I removed a welcome replacement bottle from its bubblewrap, I could already smell the sparkle, and I couldn't help smiling.
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post #17 of 37
1/8/09 at 4:52pm
Grapefruit just perks me right up!

I brought essential oil soaked towelettes into the labor and delivery room with me, scented with peppermint, lavender, and grapefruit. Lavender for stress and pain, peppermint for nausea, and grapefruit for fatigue. I kept them refrigerated. They were wonderful!
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post #18 of 37
1/8/09 at 5:54pm
Ormonde Woman, Le Temps d'une Fete, and Coeur Joie always cheer me up.

Dzing! makes me feel energetic.

Murasaki, Chanel No. 22, N'Aimez que Moi, and Emma make me feel pretty.

Amouage Gold, Dioressence, and Chanels No. 5 and 19 and 31 Rue Cambon make me feel sophisticated.

Osmanthe Yunnan makes me thirsty.
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post #19 of 37
1/8/09 at 8:55pm
Diorella makes me focused.
Y makes me feel maternal and caring.
Madame Rochas makes me feel girlish and festive.
Jil sander 4 makes me feel intense.

O lancome totally cheers me up
and this one is weird:
Tresor makes me depressed (not just because it stinks) but
it literally takes the wind of my sails. Even on others. so does L'air du Temps.

Antaeus and Femme and Cabochard are l aphrodisiacs.
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post #20 of 37
1/8/09 at 10:14pm
[QUOTE=tang;1401638]The February 2009 issue of Fitness has a page about choosing perfume to change a mood. They break it down into four basic categories: For the sleep-deprived, choose spicy (e.g. Kenzo Amour le Parfum).

Wow ! I am sleep deprived 90 % of the time - so no wonder I am into spicy scents right now ! Opium, ,Youth Dew , etc !

L'Heure Bleue , I find calming and introspective.
Crabtree and Evelyn's Lavender EDT is relaxing .
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post #21 of 37
1/8/09 at 10:38pm
Galbunum is an anti-spasmodic. That said, when I wear Vol de Nuit I am less of a spaz.
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post #22 of 37
1/9/09 at 5:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruggles View Post

Galbunum is an anti-spasmodic. That said, when I wear Vol de Nuit I am less of a spaz.

*LOL* I like that !
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post #23 of 37
1/9/09 at 5:45am
I find that a mood-lifter for me one day may not have the same effect on another day, depending on my mood on the day, does it make sense, or is it just me?
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post #24 of 37
1/9/09 at 6:38am
Winter Star alters my mood: it is like a combo of Prozac, an excellent cup of coffee, a cozy sweater, a boost of self-esteem, and a little aphrodisiac all in one. I swear, in another century Michael Storer would have undergone a witchcraft trial for this potion!
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post #25 of 37
1/9/09 at 7:23am
Jardin Sur Le Nil almost always lifts my mood, as does Guerlain's Meteorites. Prada's Infusion d'Iris makes me feel calm and focused. I have to be careful with leather scents (e.g. Jolie Madame); for me, they can be downers.
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post #26 of 37
1/9/09 at 8:05am
Opium EDT pour Homme lifts my mood the first ten minutes, then depresses me with smelling like an executive dipsomaniac.
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post #27 of 37
1/9/09 at 4:21pm
Knowing makes me feel rich and overdone.
Chamade = springtime in a bottle.
Paloma Picasso makes me feel like an old bitch in a good way.
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post #28 of 37
1/9/09 at 4:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by chengfun View Post

I find that a mood-lifter for me one day may not have the same effect on another day, depending on my mood on the day, does it make sense, or is it just me?

No, not just you - I know what you mean (I think). For me it works by matching that day's mood with its perfect partner. I really notice if I get it wrong.

Take today - I'm in Ambre Sultan which can sometimes make me feel a bit over-alert (because the scent demands attention) if I apply it on the wrong day, but today it's kept me going and helped me focus on a mountain of work. And the smell has felt soft and easy to wear instead of in-your-face. That's the effect of matching the right day/mood with the right scent.

Having said that, there are some scents that work on a more visceral level regardless - Citron Citron helps me feel less anxious or travel sick and I could wear Summer by Kenzo any day, any mood if I was deprived of choices.
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post #29 of 37
1/9/09 at 4:33pm
Oh, and Datura Noir nearly made me laugh out loud when I first sniffed it (luckily I didn't because I would have made myself look like a right idiot in Harrods).
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post #30 of 37
1/9/09 at 4:36pm
Nirmala, or anything with prominent ylang ylang makes me feel goddess like,
Rose, especially Sa Majeste la Rose, is what I reach for when I am sad. Rose comforts me.
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post #31 of 37
1/9/09 at 9:17pm
I find gourmands in general comforting and often delightful, as a child might find delight in a new toy, or one might find delight in a previously unseen piece of art that 'speaks' to you. I tend to over-nurture and mother everyone around me, and perhaps that's why gourmands and I seem to fit...the comfort I get from them mirrors the nurturing I try to provide for others.
Is swooning a mood? Because there are several fragrances that make me want to swoon. I put my wrist to my nose and I am transported to my happy place, oblivious to all of those around me! ^_^ A dreamy or trance like-state ensues (several Serge Lutens and a few Frederic Malles have that effect).
I think there are several Guerlains that make me feel reflective, possible even nostalgic or melancholy, like L'Heure Bleu, Apres L'Ondee and Mitsouko.
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post #32 of 37
1/9/09 at 10:44pm
Well, I already said that Timbuktu makes me smile. Also...

Un Parfum des Sens et Bois and Lotus Blossom & Water Lily help me feel alert/centered.

Une Rose makes me feel sexy!
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post #33 of 37
1/9/09 at 11:33pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by an_oud_girl View Post

I find if I try to wear a fragrance that doesn't match my mood-- like wearing a bright, citrusy floral when I'm cranky, I get more irritated.

Quote:
Originally Posted by chengfun View Post

I find that a mood-lifter for me one day may not have the same effect on another day, depending on my mood on the day, does it make sense, or is it just me?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nukapai View Post

....I really notice if I get it wrong.

I completely agree. If I mismatch a SotD to a MoodoftheDay, I definitely feel irritated/restless/unsettled. As much of a mood-brightener as Pink Grapefruit is, it just won't fit right on a day when I want to wrap myself in a gourmand like Aomassai.

Some very interesting mood connections here -- I'm finding that these offer another facet (in addition to reviews & pyramids) to being able to imagine several scents that I haven't tried yet.
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post #34 of 37
1/10/09 at 2:04am
Mint/tangy tea does for me what citrus/grapefruit does for others: it's brightening, lifting, summery. For someone with a seasonal mood disorder it might make sense that summery = uplifting, of course. Moroccan Mint Tea is perfect. Eau Parfumée Au Thé Rouge does the same, especially the opening.

Comforting are those fragrances that are warm and delightful, but don't require much analysis. They can't be too sweet either, that starts irritating me after a while. Soft gourmands, unsweetened vanilla, opoponax and soft woods are the bees knees for me here. Jour de Fête, Aomassai, Opoponax Intense...

There's also a category that makes me feel young, flighty, pretty, careless; light, moderately sweet (fruity-)florals do that. Blush and Envy Me in particular.

And then there's those that require attention and "active" wearing, ones that grab me by the throat and force me to pay attention. They fit when I need to study or be serious, they lend a no-nonsense attitude. Serious, dry frags that won't be pushed around: Ambre Sultan, Amandes Orientales, Pomegranate Noir. Bvlgari Black might turn out to fit here, too.

Perhaps the only category I haven't filled yet is the ever-present "sexy" category. Something sensual, dark, brooding. Maybe I just don't have that side in me. Crystal Noir comes nearest, but that's the favourite scent of a close friend; I'd be wearing her persona.

I agree with it sitting weird if you pick the wrong frag for the wrong mood, by the way. It'll annoy me all day. Picking the right one can be so... *right*, on the other hand.
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post #35 of 37
1/10/09 at 4:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nukapai View Post

No, not just you - I know what you mean (I think). For me it works by matching that day's mood with its perfect partner. I really notice if I get it wrong.

Take today - I'm in Ambre Sultan which can sometimes make me feel a bit over-alert (because the scent demands attention) if I apply it on the wrong day, but today it's kept me going and helped me focus on a mountain of work. And the smell has felt soft and easy to wear instead of in-your-face. That's the effect of matching the right day/mood with the right scent.

Having said that, there are some scents that work on a more visceral level regardless - Citron Citron helps me feel less anxious or travel sick and I could wear Summer by Kenzo any day, any mood if I was deprived of choices.

I think you may have hit the nail on the head. Some scents are more demanding and require careful matching with one's mood. Perhaps powerful and potent fragrances would fall in this category.
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post #36 of 37
1/10/09 at 6:34am
Scents that...

Inspire focus, confidence and feeling powerful at work: Chanel 19, Infusion D'Iris, 31, rue Cambon, and Kelly Caleche.

Evoke euphoria: Timbuktu, Secret Obsession, Diorrisimo, did I mention Timbuktu?

Calm anxiety: Champs Elysees, La Chasse aux Papilllons

Quicken the heart: Aqua Allegoria Anisia Bella
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post #37 of 37
1/10/09 at 6:50am
Fragrances with natural essences can be used for aromatherapy purposes. It doesn't work if they are 100% synthetic, although blends of the two would. I've been doing this for years, it's a natural part of my life and one reason I am attracted to having a variety of scents to reach for. I often start out with one in the morning and evolve from there, for instance, this morning I'm wearing an orange blossom note because it is cheerful and uplifting. Later on, I might switch to another that has notes that harmonize with OB and I'm trying to shop for scents that work well in rotation. Good subject, thanks for bringing it up.
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