Those who wax generous about perfume liken it to “armchair travel,” given the way a whiff of salt-sprayed neroli, say, can offer a momentary escape to some Mediterranean villa. But the armchair is just one place to settle in and get comfortable. Every mattress salesman on earth will tell you about the 26 or so years that one is liable to spend in bed: a place for naps and Netflix, for sex and feverish recuperation and plain old Zs. After a couple years defined by stretches of monotony—in just about every sense—has the moment come to prioritize a new kind of olfactory escapism, in a new room of the house?
This collection of 18 perfumes could certainly serve as a straightforward Valentine’s Day gift guide. Whoever the intended recipient—man, woman, lover, yourself—there is a gem to be found. But perhaps we can also call it a beginner’s guide to “mattress travel”: scents capable of reorienting our relationship to sensuality, or maybe just wanderlust. The humidity-soaked white flowers in D.S. & Durga’s Jazmín Yucatan imply a warm breeze on skin; Boy Smells’ Marble Fruit, with fruit tannins set against sandalwood and musk, might conjure the sensual sophistication of Luca Guadagnino’s I Am Love. This being a holiday that’s synonymous with date night, each perfume also comes with a suggestion for what to watch. Let the pizza guy handle dinner. Here, celebrate the occasion with perfume and a movie.
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