Office Scentiquette: Be Scensitive, Scentsible & Still Smell Scentsational

The worldwide global recession has touched the lives of each of us personally. Most of us worry about our job security or have recently faced the nightmare of losing a job, and trying to find another, in one of the worst financial crisis in decades. Which is why wearing a favorite fragrance can offer escape from harsh realities.

But does our love of fragrance and landing a new job affect each other?

Yes, very much so. The change in IFA regulations is certainly a hot button among Perfume Companies and Perfumistos, and scent in the workplace is a ‘hot button’ that large fragrance corporations do not want to push. Many fragrance companies (who have always been enthusiastic to publicize their fragrances and provide me with quotes) “declined to comment” for this article.

Be Scentsitive! If you have a job, it's best to save your take-no-prisoners Orientals, heady Florals, and heavy ‘Resins’ for off-hours. Just keeping your job takes hard work, political finesse and being the best at what you do...never mind the overbearing boss (unless of course you are the boss), or the mountains of paperwork. Your overly potent perfume affects the cubicle next to yours. Are you annoying your coworker (or worse, your boss) by wearing your favorite strong scent which others believe are distracting or unpleasant? The reputation as the one who colleagues whisper about at the water cooler may effect your employment.

Be Scentsible! Follow our advice and avoid sabotaging your career by becoming an olfactory offender, with the help of our industry experts:

Update Your Closet for 2010: What to Keep to Stay Right on Trend

We were just featured in the ArgusLeader.com, discussing the key fashion trends for 2010.  To keep your closet au courant, here are the key pieces you probably already have that you'll want to hold on to: print dresses, any classics, menswear-inspired, fancy white buttondowns or blouses, and big-bigger-biggest statement jewelry.

Here are some fun excerpts from the article:

Fergie Spices up Her New Year's Eve Ensemble with Perrin Paris Gloves

Performing on Dick Clark’s Rockin New Year’s Eve 2010, Fergie added oomph to her sparkly mini with hand-crafted black leather gloves by Perrin Paris 1983. The french-owned house has a more than 100 year history as a maker and purveyor of fancy ladies gloves since it was founded in 1893 by Victor Rigaudy. The enterprising 22 year old from Saint Junien - where leather gloves were traditionally manufactured in La Haute Vienne - married Berthe, herself from a family of Master Glovers. Together, they built a company that is still family-run today by Michel Perrin (4th generation) & his glamorous American/French wife, Sally.

Get Fit & Fabulous This Year. Yes, You Can! Here's How...

For the past decade, hundreds of studies have shown that "Get Fit" has consistently been a Top 10 New Year's resolution - generally in the Top 3, and #1 last year. Clearly, it's a resolution most of us break. To ditch the resolution-breaking treadmill in favor of the real thing, we turned to get-buff guru Daniel Lucas, owner of NIMBLE FITNESS, whose clients include Chris Noth (Big is looking less BIG), and Starbucks co-founder Dave Olsen.

"The solution to never having to make another Fitness New Year's resolution is twofold: Make your resolution long-term, and make a commitment to understanding why you want to create change in yourself. Most New Year's resolutions are short-term band-aids to long-term problems--that's why they don't work! Sure, I could teach you how to do a 5 min ab routine or tell you to try some new diet, but what good would that do if you're not dealing with the root behaviors that take your body out of balanced health?"

Soaps & Suds - Bathtime Beauty Booty

There are two types of people: Bath lovers and Shower lovers. Whether you prefer to spend 30 minutes luxuriating in a hot soak or 10 minutes to just get clean, there are products for both that pamper body and spirit. (Note for you bath peeps: all of our soap or suds faves also work for YOU!)

FOR THE BATH:

Go From Drab to Fab Thanks to Laura Mercier Makeup Artist Jerry Johnson

During the holiday season, it can feel like there are more festivities, events, and parties than hours in the day. After 9+ hours of work or schlepping the kids to appointments and play dates - and a mad dash from the grocery store or the office thrown in - there is little time for "freshening" up, leaving a girl looking dreary instead of festive. 

Time for a beauty intervention from Jerry Johnson, the International Makeup Artist from Laura Mercier, who regularly gets clients like Paris Hilton, Renee Zellwegger, and Carmen Electra party perfect...and wants to help the rest of us get glam on the go. "Stock up on cosmetics that are multifunctional," he advises. "They are some of the best transformers." 

Whether you're at your desk, in the bathroom, or in the car, here are the Laura Mercier products to pick that not only do double-duty, but go the distance:

Mad Cool Adam & Eve Split-Sex/Personality Clutch

Dubbed the "Adam & Eve" purse, you're guaranteed to tempt the serpents right out of the trees with this fine piece o' fashion.

The torso is a combination of metallic and lacquer, with a cord rope strap. In extremely limited availability at PatriciaField.com.

- Lesley Scott

According to New Brain Science, the Key to Getting Skinny is All in Your Head

Eating right, visiting the gym religiously, triumphing over the mid-afternoon sugar (or Venti fat+sugar+caffeine) attack, quitting smoking, saving money...wouldn't it be nice to make 2010 the year when your resolutions actually stick? "The fact that people make New Year's Resolutions in the first place—whether they're about fitness or kicking addictions or getting out of debt—shows that many, many of us are dissatisfied with our lives," notes Patt Lind-Kyle, author of Heal Your Mind, Rewire Your Brain: Applying the Exciting New Science of Brain Synchrony for Creativity, Peace and Presence (Energy Psychology Press, 2009) and whose voice appears on the book's companion CDs.

But before you sign up for a new gym membership, buy any new gadgets, or join a support group, you need to put the odds of success in your favor by focusing on the right problem. "The key to changing your life is to consciously rewire your brain." In other words, to achieve physical (or financial) fitness, you first need to develop mental fitness. "That applies to getting fit or quitting smoking or strengthening your marriage, or whatever," continues Lind-Kyle. "You can change your life in any way you want to change it. But first you have to understand what's at the root of your problems: your mind and the way it directs your brain to function—basically, where you place your attention."

A Perfumista's "Boxing" Day

In the UK, Boxing Day originally emerged as a working class tradition; because they typically were made to work on Christmas Day, workers were giving the following day off and exchanged presents then. 

For perfumistas, however, Boxing Day is any day that includes a luscious fragrance in an elegant package.

Here are some of our favorites:

Happy Holidays from Your FASHIONTRIBES Friends in Fashion!

This fun illustration of a Santa Hat-clad Vivienne Westwood, Hamlet'esque skull in hand, for some reason brought to mind Eddie Izzard's genius "Cake or Death?" skit, one of our fave skits ever from the best comedian on the planet (the clip also includes his hilarious bit on capturing countries through the cunning use of flags.) To fully enjoy your holidays, we've oh-so-helpfully compiled this list of activities & time-wasters for when you've eaten your fill of holiday food, gotten your fill of family, and are desperately in need of a (non-fattening or hangover-inducing) diversion.

Why don't you:

1. Watch endless hours of EDDIE IZZARD on YouTube (in particular, we love Learning French, the Death Star Cantina, the Stoned Olympics & Machines That Lie)

2. Get some ideas on what to wear for your New Year's Eve party (vlog).

3. Watch all our fun Daily Dose of Style vlog episodes of The 12 Days of Giftmas, starting with 12 Drummers Drumming (and rocking Wii Guitar Hero Drums) and work your way backwards.

4. Fashiontribes.com's Editor at Large, Michelyn Camen, suggests giving her fave holiday tunes a listen: Noel Blanc, Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt), The River (sung by Robert Downey, Jr.), Christmas Tree by Lady Gaga, Alvin & the Chipmunks Christmas Song, Feliz Navidad, and Dan Fogelberg's Same Auld Lang Syne.

5. Bone up on the most interesting fashion trend for Spring 2010 which we dubbed Futuristic Fashion (vlogs).

...and have fun, stay safe, and be fabulous!

xo

- Lesley Scott