The Right Scents For Your New Year’s Resolutions

My New Year’s resolutions have historically not been particularly ambitious. They are usually something along the lines of “wash hair more” or “eat fewer Tostitos”. But this year, I’m planning on making some major changes. I’ll be relying on some of my favorite fragrances to help me keep up my morale, and I believe that these scents could also serve as inspiration to others. If you have any ideas for perfumes that go well with a particular resolution, please share them with us in the comments! Now, if your New Year’s resolution is to be more…

Sexy

Let’s just get this out of the way: I have all the sex appeal of Golda Meir, may her memory be a blessing. I am 20 years old, but am frequently told that I look about 13. My everyday uniform consists of oversized Hopkins sweatpants, oversized sorority t-shirts, and scuffed Uggs. The effect is just as mind-blowingly alluring as it sounds. Sometimes, if my boyfriend is lucky, I upgrade the sweatpants to some ancient jeggings. These seductive scents are a step in the right direction for those of us who need to start stepping our game up.

By Kilian Back to Black: For once, marketing claims of a perfume’s aphrodisiac properties hold up. Back to Black is an irresistably tantalizing honied pipe tobacco scent.

Kate Walsh Boyfriend: An intoxicating combination of myrrh and vanilla. If you didn’t have a boyfriend before you sprayed this on, you do now.

Parfumerie Generale Felanilla: A soft, dark vanilla with a close resemblance to the legendary base notes of Guerlain Shalimar.

Fun

Too many of my recent Saturday nights have consisted of watching Law and Order: Everyone Gets Raped (also known as Law and Order: SVU) with my cat. As glamorous as this might sound, I find myself craving a break from the routine. If your resolution involves making this year a little more exciting than the last, give these cheerful scents a try.

Lolita Lempicka L de Lolita Lempicka: The happiest perfume I know. L de Lolita Lempicka is a sweet, musky orange fragrance in a delightfully silly bottle.

Serge Lutens Jeux de Peau: What could possibly be more fun than a perfume that smells like burnt toast and apricot jam? Okay, maybe I need to get out more.

Escada Rockin’ Rio: This recently reissued Escada smells like pineapple and sunshine. Perfect for those dismal winter days when summer seems more like a myth than an imminent reality.

Productive

ADHD: I haz it. My ability to procrastinate is matched only by my inability to retain information. This year I want to feel more in control over how I get my work done. No more frantically scrambling to finish an assignment two hours before it’s due! These stimulating fragrances will help keep the less organized of us on track.

Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille Mokha: A surprisingly intense coffee scent with a vanilla drydown. One spritz of Vanille Mokha makes me feel instantly alert, thanks to those subliminal associations with coffee.

Lolita Lempicka Si Lolita: Si Lolita is a vibrant, energetic peppery perfume. I challenge you to spray this on and then sit still.

Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune: Pamplelune feels like a glass of fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice with breakfast. Triggers an “up and at ’em” response in even the most vehemently anti-morning people.

Clean

Due to the aforementioned ADHD, I am not a particularly neat person at the best of times. But my pitiful attempts at cleanliness completely went out the window in 2011 with the addition of a new kitten. As all cat owners know, kittehs love trash. They do not want to play with that adorable $10 cat toy you bought them. All they want is to use your ponytail holders and discarded contact lens cases as a hockey puck. These clean scents inspire me to try to make my room a little less disgusting.

Marc Jacobs Rain: The prettiest aquatic on the mainstream market.

Fresh Sugar or Brown Sugar: Lemonade goodness. Do not make the common mistake of choosing “Lemon Sugar”, which is ironically far less lemony.

Cartier Baiser Vole: A primly pretty lily scent. Brings to mind pristine white dresses unmarred by cat hair.

Healthy

Please note that I did not say “diet” or “lose weight”. Nothing aggravates me more than the expectation that us ladiez are all supposed to be trying to lose “those last 5 pounds” this time of year. I was actually trying to gain weight in 2011, so my food choices tended towards such spectacularly healthy fare as s’mores pop tarts and Kraft mac and cheese. This year I intend to incorporate more healthy, nutritious food into my diet, the kind that fuels our bodies and our souls. These tasty, foody fragrances are all the encouragement I could need to start eating right.

Thierry Mugler Angel Le Gout du Parfum: This new version of Angel has an astounding top note of baker’s chocolate. Makes you want to forsake overly sugary chocolate in favor of the kind with antioxidants.

Comme des Garcons Series 5 Sherbert Rhubarb: Really and truly smells like fresh rhubarb. Never have I been so tempted to ignore the “not for human consumption” warning label.

Honore des Pres I Love Les Carottes: What could be healthier than carrots? This Olivia Giacobetti creation combines cooked carrots with their natural pairing, an iris note.