What smells sexy? No doubt, we all differ when answering that question. Vanilla, apple pie and “sweets” in general (so often referenced as scents that drive men wild) make me feel like a kid again, hanging out in my grandmother’s kitchen waiting for dessert to come out of the oven. Lavender, Bay Rum and fougère fragrances remind me of sad Sundays and interminable church services. I love most florals, especially indolic ones — tuberose, jasmine, osmanthus, rose, heliotrope, linden, lily, lily of the valley, orange blossom, pinks, narcissus — but they never ignite bodily lust in me (though they make me, especially in winter, lust for florist shops, garden centers and specialty plant catalogs). Incense? Nah…too spiritual and “dry.”
Much sexier are: greens (galbanum) and hay (a wrestling match on the lawn or a strip-tease in the barn loft can be fun); cured tobacco (pre-burn, when its musky, post-tryst character throbs — give Santa Maria Novella Acqua di Cuba a try); vetiver, bitter orange and grapefruit (clean “sweat” aromas bringing to mind damp necks, armpits and…pardonnez-moi while I splash some cold water on my face).
Speaking of water, briny, driftwood and mineral scents of the seaside are sexy…ever licked someone who’s been swimming in salt water and then dried off in the hot sun? Nice! (Ozone notes, Calone? NO! You remind me of immature goofballs or douchebags.)
For serious aromatic sexiness, cumin (non-clean “sweat” for sure) trumps all other spices for me (ambrette and black pepper get honorable mentions). Sandalwood, cedar, cypress, juniper, gaiac and rosewood have always perked me up…head, heart and base. In the “I Don’t Know Why, But They Are Sexy” category are patchouli, marigold, immortelle, birch tar and myrrh. In reference, finally, to this week’s perfume, Memo Manoa,1 I give a big sexiness shout-out to voluptuary opoponax.
I first wore concentrated opoponax (sometimes written as opopanax) in a now-discontinued Comptoir Sud Pacifique perfume named, unimaginatively but aptly Opoponax (1992); its overall character reminds me of hot, moist skin, sloppy kisses, the scent of hair and…I’ll stop there for propriety’s sake.
Manoa starts off smelling like an elegant amber perfume (you’ve got your vanilla, you’ve got your labdanum, but with a dash of citrus juice). Quickly, silky, almost powdery, semi-smoky/semi-sweet opoponax resin comes to the fore, but with a musky, near-funky character (helped along by some cypress and bitter, overripe citrus peel). This being Memo PARIS, the proceedings only get to PG-13. I think of Manoa as a proper-but-not-prim opoponax perfume. Comptoir Sud Pacifique Opoponax is more overtly sexy-sultry with its slick/oily muskiness disheveling opoponax and igniting its naughty side. Still, I enjoy Manoa and recommend it, but it’s more “comforting” than carnal. If anyone knows of a big ole opoponax sex-monster fragrance that can replace my dwindling Comptoir Sud Pacifique Opoponax…do tell.
Memo Manoa was developed by perfumer Aliénor Massenet. It is available in 75 ml Eau de Parfum, $210; for buying information, see the listing for Memo under Perfume Houses.
1. Listed notes of lemon, bergamot, ginger, cypress, iris, tonka bean, vanilla, opoponax, labdanum.
Note: top center image is Hairy chest [altered] by Giovanni Dall'Orto via Wikimedia Commons.
I’m too sexy for my….oh never mind, early ’90s momentary flashback.
Memo has a couple of scents I’d like to try, including this one.
Gg: it’s a good line.
Hmmm, what smells sexy… I don’t know if I could narrow it down to specific notes. I think EL Bronze Goddess is super sexy, even though I normally go for more “sophisticated” Guerlain perfumes. Maybe unconsciously I’m disassociating sexy and sophisticated? I think any perfume that encourages someone to smell your skin is sexy!
Mrs D, suntan lotions can smell sexy…the coconut-ylang thing.
I don’t know that it is a sex monster, but Eau Lente by Diptyque has a lot of opoponax. I actually find it a very comforting note. But Eau Lente is definitely a fun spicy scent.
I find Jubilation 25 very sexy–the cumin, I’m guessing.
Suddenly, love Eau Lente!
I agree with you on the myrrh – sexy but don’t know why. Dark musks, leather, and indole also register as sexy to me.
Shalimar is marketed as sensual, but I register it as bewitching rather than overtly sexual.
SS, and Shalimar has its fair share of opoponax….
Amen to the sexiness of salty notes! Saffron sets me a-twinkle, too. Thanks for this review! And my Memo lust list grows ever longer… If they ever do a mini coffret set, I’m all over it!
They are a a available in a trio of travel spray refills. Perhaps you can find 2 others to split 3 sets? Splitmeet is coming up next month!
Hajusuuri…thanks!
Isabella…a coffret would be nice…and I like saffron/leather notes as well….
Thanks, Kevin. I have no real desire to sniff this but now sincerely want to lick salty seawater residue off somebody 😉 My husband hates the beach so this is a bit of a conundrum.
Personally, I find cumin, smoky leathers, and boozy labdanum ambers to be sexy as well as some of the celery-leaning green scents. I’m not sure I even know what opoponax smells like so will have to do some research.
MM: sounds uncouth but you may have to lick yourself! Ha!
Hahaha! Kevin, you are too much 😉
Ha! I’m sure I have done less-couth things in my life, possibly even without the influence of alcohol 😀 Still, I’m not sure it would be quite the same as having a willing assistant.
MM: true!
Profumum Roma acqua di sale is a sexy seaside smell, although I think it makes *me* feel sexy rather than it makes someone wearing it seem sexy *to* me, if you know what I mean. Nice review, too – I have bookmarked a Memo scent to check out later; this review makes me think I should look more closely at the whole range. :^)
Koenigsberg…I know exactly what you mean…Habit Rouge makes me feel desirable…but no one ever likes it on me!
I think Iris 39 has a salty vibe but I don’t want to lick anyone wearing it (except maybe John Molloy, the founder of Memo, who is quite the eye candy). That said, Manoa sounds interesting – I’ll need to give it a try the next time I’m at Bergdorf.
I can send you a sample!
Kevin, thanks for such a fun review! For that warm, salty skin vibe, I always think of Eau des Merveilles.
But if opoponax is what you’re after, give MPG Or des Indes a try. Loads of it, plus Amber and lavender (accd’g to Fragrantica). I remember that it skewed very sweet on me, but then a lot of things do. I’d be interested to hear if you do try it!
AnnE…I will try it!
Eau des Merveilles is also my salty fragrance, but I don’t find it or Manoa sultry. I much prefer Fumerie Turque or Muscs Koublai Khan on my husband.
Cazaubon…I love those, too…wear ’em often.
You should definitely try Classic Opoponax von Eussersdorff!
Bonardi…will do!
Chaldée?
Niels…I do own a big vintage bottle of Chaldee…that one always brings enthusiastic compliments.
What a fun post to read 😉
Honey can be a very sexy note I think. It has this slightly “animalistic” hint to it that warms up very nicely. (Not a perfume but it’s strong enough to be one: Laura Mercier’s Golden Honey Musk body cream. A limited edition but if you even come across it, give it a try. Yum….)
Dark roses, myrrh, amber and vanilla are also on my list.
Happy…hope you’ve tried Miel de Bois
Ligea La Sirena by Carthusia has lost of opoponax, and to me it is the most seductive scent EVER! The great irony: my partner finds it repelling…
It is fortunate that after several years I finally started liking some white florals – which do it for him. However, I doubt any will ever have signature-type status for me.
Merlin…a good sign your partner finds it repelling…will get a sample!
Have you tried opoponax essential oil for your fix? I bought numerous essential oils from Mandy Aftel at Aftelier about a year ago to play around with blending and the opoponax blended with a carrier oil to make it less unctuous was a perfume unto itself. I would recommend that you purchase from White Lotus Aromatics which carries the same opoponax for half the price at double the amount in comparison to Aftelier…and at under thirteen dollars for half an ounce you can literally stick that opoponax essential oil into anything (unscented body lotion, face cream, sesame seed oil for a body oil serum, unscented shampoo/hair conditioner)….I have done this and have been head to toe in opoponax!
http://www.whitelotusaromatics.com/product/opoponax
Here is the link in case anyone is interested!
Bardot, thanks!!
Hey, it appears we find the same smells sexy! 🙂 Kenzo Jungle Homme makes me feel sexy: it has a slight “unwashed” vibe but that’s not the best part. My girlfriend, who dislikes it, told me it smells like a tiger’s cage in the zoo.
Antaeus is sexy, too, or at least used to be.
D: Interesting! I’ll have to try Jungle Homme…it’s so hard to find Kenzo fragrances in my neck of the U.S.
Do try it if you can find it. Jungle in particular is hard to find, but I hope you’ll get lucky.