Scents with a name

MANILA, Philippines - A scent in the air can almost change the way you look at an individual. It ignites your senses; it can lure you to a certain state of mind. And what more does it produce when there is a face behind the name of the scent that smells so fine? Using the finest of fragrance oils imported from Grasse, France (the capital of perfumery), Bench has gathered a most respected group of celebrities who have put together a personalized concoction of these fragrances.

Richard and Lucy Gomez, a couple whose warm and loving aura emanates around them, are the proud parents of daughter Juliana. Their entire scent collection speaks of love: Richard created a scent for Lucy while Lucy created a scent for Richard. While Love and Conquer is a testimony to their attachment to each other, their emotional relationship and to their love for one another, Lucy’s signature scent Love is a lightly romantic scent that evokes Richard’s favorite images of Lucy: walking hand in hand with Juliana on the beach, applying lipstick and smiling prettily. Love, just like Richard’s perception of Lucy, is a warm, sweet and loving scent. Lucy, too, has created a signature scent for her husband. Conquer evokes Richard’s strong personality and its masculine notes. Richard’s Conquer EDT (eau de toilette) is P398 for a 100ml bottle and Love EDT by Lucy is P288 for a 50ml bottle.

Just as Lucy’s look and fashion choices change depending on her moods, her two other scents, Remember and Forever, are totally different fragrances that still capture her core personality. Remember is a very light scent that will tease and captivate, while Forever is a stronger scent which, like its name, promises to endure. Richard also has two other fragrances — Recharge and Refresh — reflecting his love of nature and the things he treasures most.

Kris Aquino, forever in the spotlight with her bubbly personality, creates her fragrance line that targets the young female market. Her scents are three body spray variants with romantic and provocative names such as Baby Me, Hug Me, and Love Me, and a top-of-the-line eau de toilette bottle simply named Kris. Just like her undertakings in life, Kris was passionately involved in every stage of the collection’s production. She even had a hand in the collection’s packaging and its launch. The fragrances reflect her personality and can be associated with her once you smell each one. Kris Aquino’s EDT has sparkling grapefruit and mandarin freshness, a twist with watery florals with warm vanilla, and a musky and woody background. Her body sprays all have hints of freshness in them. Baby Me uses blends of fresh floral green accord with refreshing notes of citrus, fruity and musky amber undertones. Hug Me is a captivating blend of sparkling fruits, sensual flowers with soft and sweet musky dry down. Love Me combines fresh floral bouquets with hints of fresh citrus, warm woody and musky backgrounds. Each of the three body sprays costs P128 for an 80ml bottle. Aside from the younger female market, Kris also created a collection during her second pregnancy. Kris Aquino Colonia de Bebe is a collection that includes two colonia variants: Baby Boy Love and Baby Girl Love. Baby Boy Love has a sunny freshness of citrus and bergamot notes combined with sensual flowers of rose and hyacinth and ends with amber and cedar wood as a background. “Baby Girl Love” is a clean-scented cologne with mild floral notes on top and fresh tones of citrus and orange blossom that rest on a base of sandalwood and musk. Both of these colognes come in 60ml bottles for P228.

Piolo Pascual — being a passionate individual — knows how to put that pure passion into a scent of wanting and going for your dreams. This scent depicts Piolo’s personality, which is embodied in a cologne bottle. Piolo shares his scent with people who have the same passion and appreciation for getting more out of life. Pure Passion EDT is subtle, elegant and absolutely fresh. Top notes start off with a blend of warm spices such as pepper and anise that later on evolve into fresh and aromatic notes of lime and lavender. A fine mixture of cedar wood, amber and musk brings the final touch, making this fragrance a real stunner. The fragrance costs P398 for a 100ml bottle.

Other scents not to be missed are the two fragrances of Richard Gutierrez, one of the hottest male celebrities in town. His scents are similar to his character and do his name justice. They’re scents to be worn during the daytime or at night. His fragrance Gutz is a daytime scent that is light and incredibly fresh. Glory is richer and more adventurous than Gutz and is ideal for nighttime wear. Both colognes are P398 for a 100ml bottle.

As Regine Velasquez sings notes of confidence and charisma that shine in an unparalleled manner, she understands that style is substance, not just the physical atmosphere that takes you places on the outside. It is a song you carry in your heart forever, a personality that outshines you when you spray it on. Songbird is a touch of sophistication with floral and powdery notes, symbolic of the delicate touch of imagination, one that is light enough for everyday use. Reigne (the nickname she fondly uses) has notes of sophistication as well, but a more pronounced charm of floral and fruit combined. Both mellow and feminine yet strong, these scents are perfect for serious or fun day or night. Reigne and Songbird come in 50ml bottles for P348.

The latest addition to the Bench Celebrity Scents Collection is the fragrance personally selected by the undying sultry yet handsome looking Dingdong Dantes. Staying close to his gently masculine physique, this exquisite fragrance is translated into a bottle. This fragrance uses an elegant and seductive scent with notes of bergamot, lavender, violet leaves, water flowers and sandalwood. All of Dingdong’s charisma poured into one bottle.

For Human, the dance floor dynamo Billy Crawford has concocted a scent that perfectly describes himself, called Fly. Why Fly? The term actually has a double meaning. It’s a simple word that — in the hip-hop/urban jargon — means hip. Fly can also signify energy, passion and confidence — it’s about being high in spirit and going beyond the norm. Billy wanted his fragrance to be more than just a perfume; he wanted Fly to be an extension of himself. Human and Billy worked together to create a men’s fragrance that will really make a strong impression: the top note is a fresh fusion of lychee, lotus leaves and tangerine. The heart provides rich marine accord with a touch of orange blossoms, while the base note melts into a unique, warm and exotic blend of ambery crystals, precious woods and tonka bean. Fly EDT is available for P398 in a 100ml bottle and is available at Human branches nationwide.

The Bench Celebrity Scents Collection is available at all Bench, Herbench, Superbench, Bench-to-Go and selected Bench Body nationwide.