Saturday, December 27

Top 10 Fragrances for 2014

I have received an email form Fragrantica and here is their list of top 10 fragrances for men and women for 2014.



Thursday, December 25

Baguio Christmas Itinerary


Typical flowers in Baguio

Excited to wear those cozy sweaters and strut your fashionable layers, then head to Baguio for a chilly Christmas breeze in the Philippines' summer capital.

Here are some things you can do while feeling the cold Christmas breeze.

Merry Christmas

From our family to yours, I wish you great holidays and cheers to a wonderful year!

Nick Nick Boo Boo

The Ryans

Tuesday, December 9

Safety & Security During Typhoon - What Your Nose Can Do

Now that Ruby (Hagupit) has weakened to tropical depression status and expected to leave Philippine Area of Responsibility on December 11 (GMT +8), we examine what could have been done differently that may save more lives and properties. Let our noses help secure our properties and assure safety of our loved ones.

Ruby Forecasted Path Image c/o PAGASA-DOST

7 Things To Do In Vigan, One of the New 7 Wonder Cities



Calle Crisologo



Vigan was recently hailed last December 8, 2014 as one of the New 7 Wonder Cities by New7Wonders.   With this new title or distinction plus the fact that this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Vigan should be in your itinerary for 2015.




Monday, December 8

Olfactive Destinations For One Full Day In HK

Overlooking Central HK


You have one day to spare in HK. What can you do? Let your sense of smell guide you to this awesome place.





Wednesday, December 3

Fragrance Ideas for Exchange Gifts



Running out of ideas for your exchange gifts at work or with your friends? How about unisex fragrances?

Here are my recommendations.








Monday, December 1

Fragrance Recommendation for Women for Christmas 2014




For women, here are my recommendation as gifts. What's nice is the plethora of choices. I am sure, easily you can find out what's perfect for the ladies in your life.








Thursday, November 27

Fragrance Recommendation for Men for Christmas 2014


Declaration L' Eau by Cartier




It's Christmas time once again. I bet you need more gift ideas. And why not give FRAGRANCES! Albeit expensive, fragrances last for about 1 - 2 years depending on how often the user will apply. Hence, it is still value-for-money, not to mention how the receiver will remember you everytime they use your gift! Remember that fragrance is very emotive and memory based, you would definitely want to be remembered as that person who gives really good stuff!




Congratulations to the Winner of 2600mAH Powerbank



Congratulations Ms. Anne Sapdoy, winner of the 2600mAH Powerbank giveaway courtesy of The World I Nose.  I will get in touch with you on how to claim your prize vie FB.

Thanks for joining and watch out for more giveaways as we reach other milestones in this blog!


CONGRATULATIONS!

Tuesday, November 25

Serenity Monday



Today, to celebrate a serene and calm Monday, Wellness by Clean Purity is my recommended fragrance.

Sunday, November 23

El Nido For First Timers: What Scents To Expect In This Lovely Palawan Destination


El Nido



Are you planning on having a beach getaway in the Philippines? There are many choices, 7,107 islands to be exact. But let me recommend one of the best places you can visit to achieve that ultimate beach getaway - EL NIDO & PUERTO PRINSESA in PALAWAN.  Here are some of the scents and sights you can expect, do's and don't's and how to optimise your first time visit.



Saturday, November 22

7 Memorable Scents At Ocean Park. Number 3 Will Make You Forget Your Sense Of Smell





There's just so much joy in visiting theme parks. The adrenaline rush, that sound of machine, steel on steel, the crazy acceleration and gravity defying moves. Agree?! I'm sure you do! Here are the unforgettable scents and sights At Ocean Park.





Thursday, November 20

200+ FB Likes and Counting



Travelling nowadays means carrying a powerbank to capture and share those wonderful travel moments!

With that and as a way to say thank you for a very warm welcome, I am raffling away a 2600mAH Powerbank!

For the mechanics, just follow instructions below. Powered by Rafflecopter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ronin



This restaurant is easily in my list of most memorable places visited.  From the Yardbird group, Ronin, an Izakaya style modern Japanese restaurant, located at On Wo Lane in Central offers the best fresh food based on availability for that day.

The place is hard to find. The entrance looks like this:

Unassuming entrance devoid of any sign of commercial activities

Wednesday, November 19

Hongkong Birthday Trip Day 1 (Continuation)



As soon as we landed, we were greeted by Rayo's mom, Tita Fe. What's nice is she has been there for 25 years or so. Hence, going around was a breeze.



Tuesday, November 18

Caring for The Skin Round The Clock


On Site Rates: PHP 2,900 for Non Members, PHP2,500 for Members


Please join the Philippine Society for Cosmetic Science, Inc.'s 4th Technical Series, "Caring For the Skin Round The Clock" on November 19, 2014 at the New Horizon Hotel from 8:00AM to 5:00PM.

Sessions
1. Baby and Ageing Skin And Its Care, Dr. Heidi Chan
2. Trends on Fragrances, Mr. Ry Feliciano, Account Manager,International Flavors & Fragrances
3. Trends on Color Cosmetics and Skin Care, Ms. Mara Ceguera, Marketing Manager, Eurochem
4. Soap Making Applications: Traditional Soaps, Ms. Emil Ricaforte, DOST

See you there!

Monday, November 17

Hongkong Birthday Trip Day 1



If I have the time and money, birthday celebration means travelling.  This year, Rayo and I went to HK!

November 8, 2014: Taking the early flight out to HK, the scents and sights of NAIA T3:


Of Breakfast: Tapa Flakes from Tapa King = SCENT BLEH
How sad that there aren't that many choices after immigration.

Photo grabbed from http://tapaking.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/tapaflakes.jpg
  • toasted meat note - I think the tapa was overcooked
  • rancid oil - yeah, pretty much strong
  • sour & spicy acetic acid - your typical sawsawan
  • sweet and sour pickled tomatoes with onions - the only thing that saved this meal


I was very much hungry hence the rating. It could have been Scent Agnostic. I should have opted for a pandesal from Bo's Coffee instead.


Of NAIA Terminal 3: SCENT BLEH
  • of cold concrete and metal
  • dusty, earthy note mixed with faint coumarin-tobacco note
  • morning dew

Photo grabbed from Wikipedia

This airport is cold, lonely, sad. It's not giving you that happy vibe, that feeling when you go on a vacation. It is poorly lit and ventilated. The commercial spaces are still vacated. I wonder why nobody's renting. It should be good business now since SQ, Delta, Ana and I think even Emirates are already there. Plus the fact that the PH tourism industry is growing.


Of My Scent: Lanvin Avantgarde = SCENT NEUTRAL
I got this fragrance from the Gilt app. I had no idea how this smells like until I received the package. I don't think it is a good travelling fragrance. For party, night events and something formal, this fragrance would be perfect.


  • oriental woody fragrance
  • warm and sensual
  • heavy sweet mixture of woody and ambery notes
  • with citrus spicy notes of bergamot, pepper and nutmeg

When travelling, I recommend something light, fresh, citrusy fragrances or light floral fruity fragrance for women and fougere green fruity fresh or woody aromatic fragrances for men.

Of 5J 108 Flight: SCENT NEUTRAL
We took the earliest flight out to HK from Manila via Cebu Pacific flight 108. For me, Cebu pacific is super fun when the FAs start offering items for sale - "for sale noodles, chips, coffee, tea, premium items". The tone, diction, delivery - very consistent to all the flights I had with them.
  • Heady mixture of perfume aroma - Woody, tobacco, whiff of floral fruity note and strong amber and sweet citrus (I think I was smelling myself more than the fragrance of other passengers, LOL)
  • Industrial scent of jet fuel, carpet and seat cleaner
  • Garlic savory noodles with beef and chicken notes
  • Brewed coffee
  • Synthetic leather



Up Next........
Scents and sight of Hongkong International Airport

Scent of Smell and Scent of Taste



When we were kids, oftentimes, moms would pinch our noses when we are forced to drink our medicines - be it antibiotic, vitamin supplements or even for diarrhea. There is logic behind this.

Do you remember this?
Photo from: http://earlyyearschildcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/bad-tasting-kids-medicine.jpg

Try this out. Pinch your nose then chew on a mint gum. After several seconds, release your fingers and observe what happens.

Chew this.
Photo from http://mentalfloss.com/sites/default/files/iStock_000003107516-mint_6.jpg

Suddenly, you feel that burst of flavor rushing through your mouth. And that is why the nose pinching, so that we taste nothing to easily swallow the meds. Yes, the both senses are important for us to enjoy our food.

Remember in elementary science courses, our tongue can only distinguish 4 kinds of taste - sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. (There are some ideas behind umami as the fifth kind of taste but I cannot validate.)

TheTongue
Photo from: http://puertoviejowines.com/wp-content/uploads/tongue.jpg


The sense of smell is important for us to "taste" other things - vanilla, milk, coffee, mint, chocolate, etc.  That's why when we are sick or have colds, we seem to think that all things we eat are just bitter or sour or sweet and nothing else in between. This demonstrates that our sense of taste is dependent to our sense of smell.

Hence, sometimes, when we describe the food we eat, we normally use the sense of smell to describe them - tastes like pepper, like herbs and spices or, worse, like fart.

Remember this? Harry Potter's Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans
Photo from: http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100908161406/harrypotter/images/a/ac/Jelly_belly_bertie_botts.jpg




Olfactive Meter / Rating



Throughout this blog, I will be using the following Olfactive Meter:

5 - Sensorial Overload
  • wonderful, awesome, must-try, must-eat, must-do
4 - Scentsational
  • Interesting, for your consideration, great but not quite

3 - Scent Neutral
  • neither here nor there, can't say, not interesting but not annoying
2 - Scent Bleh
  • Boring, not interesting, don't even bother
1- Scent Agnostic
  • Pass, move-on, totally not worth your time


Friday, November 14

Understand the Smell of Bravery

Would you want to know the smell of bravery? Or the smell of safety and awareness? Or the smell of guilt-free and worry-free?

Know your HIV status by having yourself tested for FREE! Get your free HIV Test for Men on November 29, 2014 at Victoria Court North Edsa from 12nn to 9PM.

Just sign-up through this Google Form link here (http://go.loveyourself.ph/protectandlove)

(Photo lifted from the Google Form link)



Thursday, November 13

The New Logo

Here is the new logo for The World I Nose!


Versace Bright Crystal Absolu

Picture grabbed from www.fragrancesoftheworld.info


I went fragrance smelling during my recent trip to Hongkong. I came across Versace's Bright Crystal Absolu in one of the Sasa stores in Kowloon.

This fragrance is a follow-up to Versace Bright Crystal and, as expected, it smells very similar to Absolu. Except that it smells slightly more metallic and cold (crystal nga e) than the original. The light floral-fruity fragrance is very feminine and sheer. Very light that my impression is that it won't last long, especially in a very humid Manila weather.

The lightness sparkles with floral-fruity mixture of yuzu citrus, pomegranate and strawberry fruits mixed with magnolia white flowers. Soft musk and mahogany with sweetness from amber highlight the base of the fragrance.

Do I recommend it? Yes, if you are into light-won't-interfere-with-my-life kind of fragrance especially if you've liked D&G Light Blue and Cool Water for women. Perfect for day-to-night use.

However, if you like Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works, then I recommend you stick to these brands. Versace Bright Crystal Absolu will just be too light for you.

Available at Rustan's for P5,700 per 100ml.

Video grabbed from YoutTube


Wednesday, November 12

The Olfactive Sense Explained

Basically, we have olfactive nerves inside our nose that triggers the brain. Series of biochemical processes signals the brain to associate it with something we have smiled before. Hence, our sense of smell is directly connected to our memories.

The Olfactory System
Photo Grabbed from http://www.neurosurgerypa.com/anatomy/anat_br_nerv_olfactory.jpg


Example. Remember that scent when your mom bakes your favourite cookie - sweet, vanilla, dough, flour like. And when you smell that in a candle, automatically you are reminded of that event in your past.

Photo grabbed from Getty Images


The power of our olfactive sense will not work if you cannot associate it with something that you have smelled before.  On the other hand, your memory will only be half-full if you have not exposed yourself to the scent.

This blog will try to persuade you to go there and experience yourself to fill that memory bank.

To recap:

  • the scent molecules triggers your olfactory nerves to send signals to your brain
  • your brain processes these signals and connect to your memory bank
  • Our scent of smell is connected to our memories

The World I Nose, An Introduction

Finally, it is running.  Combining the two things I like - fragrances and travelling, let me share with you my life as a traveler and as a professional in the fragrance industry. Through the sense of smell, I will leave behind scent trails that you will hopefully enjoy.

By the way, this might be the first and last to post a blog that is not bulleted or itemised.  I personally do not like reading long blog entries. I want something straight to the point, less sentences and very readable.  I have attended a 2-day seminar in SG about action writing and how things should be very easy to read. Hence, from this day forward, you'll see bullets.

Also, as I manage to improve the blog, an olfactive meter will be setup very, very soon - graphics, details and ratings will be explained in a separate blog. Watch out for that!

As starter, may here are some of the things you'll expect here:

Objectives of The World I Nose

  1. Follow my scent trails - scent description of my destinations, food I ate, and activities I did.
  2. Connect the audience to the things I like and will discover through the olfactive sense.
  3. Provide useful information about the world of fragrances
  4. Travel and change the world one scent at a time (LOL)
I have been in the fragrance industry for 8 years. I do know more than most people. I am not a scent designer, fragrance evaluator or perfumer. Hence, please bear in mind that I may not use the right words or even molecule names to describe the scent I smell. But I know how to connect the scent to common consumer knowledge on fragrances.

This is The World I Nose.


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