Friday, December 4, 2009

Sweet Smell of Success for the Single Woman

"For single women, Chanel No. 5 is the sweet smell of success. According to a survey of 3,000 women reported in London's Daily Mail, Coco’s creation came out tops when it came to getting a date and then getting beyond it to boyfriend status. [...]

Be Delicious by DKNY, closely followed by Ghost by Ghost, were credited as the next most seductive scents in the poll carried out for Superdrug, a British beauty chain.[...] Then there is the unfortunate 23% who've been told their perfume stinks."

According to the women questioned on this survey
the top 20 fragrances that "scored" are:

1. Chanel No 5 by Chanel
2. Be Delicious by DKNY
3. Ghost by Ghost
4. Eternity for Women by Calvin Klein
5. Hugo Woman by Hugo
6. Classique by Jean Paul Gaultier
7. Cool Water Women by Davidoff
8. Angel by Thierry Mugler
9. Anais Anais by Cacharel
10. Obsession by Calvin Klein
11. Touch of Pink by Lacoste
12. DKNY Delicious Night
13. Miss Dior Cherie by Christian Dior
14. 212 Sexy for Women by Carolina Herrera
15. Diamonds by Emporio Armani
16. 1881 by Cerutti
17. Classic She by Emporio Armani
18. Daisy by Marc Jacobs
19. Pure Poison for Women by Christian Dior
20. Prada by Prada

To read in full please click on New York Daily News for the article by Susanne Connoly.

I'm not entirely convinced myself, but hey, interesting reading! What do you think?

26 comments:

  1. Fiordiligi16:01

    Oh dear. Oh dear, dear me. What a horrible list (apart from the Chanel). I don't think it says much for the taste of British women (or men) but then again, Superdrug is not exactly a glamorous place to buy scent.

    I apologise for my fellow Brits!

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  2. D,

    It's rather weird, I'll give you that! I mean, bestsellers of the 80s alongside inspid things from the 90s and 00s, a few scentabombs in there (the Prada, Angel)...and then the Chanel! No logic or rhyme.

    And how very odd how they phrased it about the No.5: makes the first date man get "steady"/boyfriend-material. If ever there was a sales pitch...

    Yes, I know Superdrug, it's more for aspirin than perfume! :-D

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  3. Ah, what an abject failure I am.
    BOO-HOO.

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  4. That's funny! I reviewed Prada today.

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  5. I second the assertion that this list is just weird. And frankly, the only one that strikes me as a true, sure-fire man pleaser is Obsession. Some of them are ludicrous--Miss Dior Cherie? Are they joking? And as for Chanel no. 5, though I love it dearly, I can't imagine any man under the age of 60 would find it seductive. It's too familiar, and smells like everyone's elegant great-grandma.

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  6. I would just like to say for anyone reading this not from the UK we don't all like this poor showing! I mean there's some nice enough ones but if this is true it's a very sorry state of affairs indeed

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  7. Rappleyea20:00

    This is the best laugh I've had all week! Thank you!!

    Chaya - I was thinking the same thing. No wonder I'm single - I don't wear even one of those scents.

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  8. Anonymous23:38

    Seriously worrying. So now I know why I'm single - British guys clearly do not have taste if this is what they like.... Mind you can you imagine what the men's list would be like........ I know from the daily assault on the senses that is the London tube in the rush hour that I rarely smell any nice perfume on a guy just the awful aquatic chemical soup

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  9. Elizabeth02:35

    Hmph. Well, I love No. 5 parfum and EP, but most of the rest I would never wear. Anais and Obsession for old times' sake, but really, for the most part, that's a sad, sad list.

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  10. Anonymous03:47

    It does seem to be a bit of a strange list, although I wore Pure Poison almost exclusively back when I met my SO ( back when I was only 19) so maybe there is some truth to it haha

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  11. dissed16:20

    Who ARE these people?

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  12. I saw an article on this and was a bit sceptical. I think that this list was made by asking women who only visit their local Sephoras. I have to admit, I don't know at least how half of them smell like and wear none of them at the moment (I did have a bottle of Daidy but gave it to my goddaughter).

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  13. Seeing this list, I'm further cemented in my decision to remain single (and be eaten by my cats after I die and before someone notices). I bet No. 5 is there only because it has Reputation, I doubt it is generally worn.

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  14. Ida,

    I sincerely hope the taste of those people is not gene-trasferable: otherwise we're seriously doomed with the offspring produced by those people going "steady". *wipes sweat off brow*

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  15. K,

    you did? Did you mention its magical powers to land one a boyfriend? :P

    I will go take a look! :-)

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  16. M,

    as usual we see eye to eye. I think No.5 is mentioned as a "sacred cow" and in order to give some gravitas to the poll. Superdrug doesn't even carry it, I believe (contary to all the others).

    Between ourselves and I am very ashamed to say so but I had an extended family member say they liked their girlfriend (now wife) wearing Miss Dior Cherie... I don't know if it's any indication of marrying potential (I sincerely hopt not! Imagine how awful that would be if people actually believe it), but I think a marriage drenched with MDC is probably not worth living through in the long run anyway: Imagine waking up to the smell of strawberry-suryped sticky pop corn every day. Makes for nausea. Oh wait, they will say it's because it has "childbearing potential" (I don't know WHAT more they will think of!)

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  17. K,

    don't you worry honey, I KNOW not all Brits should be painted with such a wide brush. They must have asked some chavvy customers, that's all ;-)

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  18. D,

    thought it might produce some laughs!! LOL

    If you're single without MDC consider yourself lucky: Imagine the KIND of man who would go for that... (yuck yuck yuck)

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  19. Anon,

    generally speaking, I think men's market is really a "me too" mentality. For some unfathomable reason guys are much more prone to wanting to emulate other guys, I notice, which can result in either supreme specimens of elegance (when the era and place condone it) or abject vulgarity and commonness.

    I shudder to think how the male list would look indeed. Any suggestions?

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  20. Elizabeth,

    you tell me...I see a couple that I would wear myself. Other than that, so many generic things. Is it the "girl next door" kind of thing???

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  21. Stefanie,

    Pure POison is actually one of those in the list I personally like. It does have presence and also smells very modern without going for "weird" stuff nevertheless, so I can see it being like by a man under the age of 60 (see above Bittergrace's comment).
    Ergo, well-landed, enjoy your man! ;-)

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  22. Dissed,

    plain guys asked with a microphone and a tape-recorder outside Superdrug?? They were bound to repeat the names of the adverts featured in the shop-windows, I should think.

    OK, just kidding... :-)

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  23. Ines,

    I think you're confusing it with a different article, perhaps? This one involved specifically Superdrug customers (a British "chemist's" chain) and I posted it on the day it was published.

    However I definitely agree with you that Sephora customers are not vastly different these days. Gone are the days when Sephora was a pioneer in positioning scents and featuring "exclusives". I only see few and run-of-the-mill things now... :-(

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  24. L,

    LOL, I know...I must have landed the last man with any taste in fragrances under the age of 60 (and 50 and 40). Seriously, I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how lucky I am in that regard, as I can strutter around in No.19, AG Passion, Bandit, Tolu, Bal a Versailles (not exactly "trendy" or "easy" choices) and receive compliments galore.

    I completely agree with you that No.5 is sprinkled in there due to its "mythos"/status. Like Bittergrace mentioned above, young men generally either drown on its familiarity with older family members who wore it or they find it very obsolete in style. Chanel wasn't a fool to issue Eau Premiere for nothing!

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  25. love that you know what chavvy is!!

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  26. K,

    :-))

    (Shall I yield my Burberry purse over my Burberry jockey cap for show??) :-P

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