Scent Showdown Her vs Him

During the second half of the year, new fragrance releases are cropping up left, right and centre. Despite these newcomers, sometimes you just can't beat a good classic—especially when it comes to possible gift ideas! Although, the Luxplus fragrance catalogue is incredibly extensive, I've managed to whittle it down to three of my personal favourite female fragrances alongside their matching male counterparts. Today I will pit these fragrances them against each other on terms of their compatibility and longevity. While some couples may not want to go all matchy-matchy with their fragrances, it is something that I actually I enjoy, as it can really enhance each other's scents. I always try to mix up my fragrances depending on the seasons (I shared three of my favourite Spring to Summer fragrances previously here on the Luxplus Magazine), thus these fragrance picks are ideal for Autumn and Winter as well as being available to purchase here on Luxplus with discounts of up to 80%.

Gucci Guilty is renowned for breaking away with traditional male and female fragrance ingredients. Notes wise, they are completely different, but there's something strikingly similar about them at the same time. With the notes 'for her' consisting of geranium, pink pepper, lilac, peach, amber and patchouli, whilst the notes 'for him' feature lavender, lemon, orange blossom, cedarwood and patchouli. Both versions are pleasantly fruity yet are warmed up thanks to their musky but sweet patchouli bases. If you like your fragrances to boast a sizable silage then Gucci Guilty is for you, as the scent lingers in the air beautifully without being overpowering or cloying for those around you.

Issey Miyake uses very unusual and rare materials in order to create perfumes that are said to evoke the sense of timeless freedom and serenity. L'Eau d'Issey for Men is a woody aquatic fragrance with opening notes of yuzu alongside bergamot, lemon and tarragon with an heart of nutmeg and water lily, and finishing with base notes of tobacco, sandalwood, cedar, vetiver and musk. L'Eau d'Issey for Men was created by Issey Miyake to be the universal scent for any occasion which I'd agree with wholeheartedly as it suffices for everything from the office to the gym.

Issey Miyake L'Eau d'Issey for Her was designed by Miyake as a fragrance which was "as clear as spring water" combining the spray of a waterfall, the fragrance of flowers, and the scent of a springtime forest. The top notes of For Her include lotus, freesia, cyclamen and juicy melon with an heart of peony, lily and carnation. The base notes are a lot woodier in comparison with spicy cedar, sandal, musk and amber.

I find both versions of L'Eau d'Issey to be rather similar and I enjoy wearing For Her whenever my partner wears For Him as it somehow manages to intensify the fragrance, and I think that they really compliment each other. Both editions are impressively long wearing with a fantastic longevity of over twelve hours, however L'Eau d'Issey For Him does pip For Her to the post as it lingers beyond the twelve hour mark, and really clings to clothing. One of L'Eau d'Issey's best features is that both For Her and For Him can be worn by any age and are timeless fragrances that can be worn season to season as they're both fresh and woody at the same time.

If I had to choose my ultimate favourite compatible female/male fragrance duo then it would have to be Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb and Spicebomb, and they're so confident in the amazing compatibility that Viktor & Rolf include a vial sample of Spicebomb inside the 50ml version box of the Flowerbomb. I have definitely saved the best to last with Flowerbomb and Spicebomb, and for good reason too. Flowerbomb launched onto the market back in 2005 and due to popular demand, Spicebomb launched in 2012 to represent the male equivalent and it's been a bestseller alongside Flowerbomb ever since.

The famous fashion designer duo wanted to give men the fragrance which Flowerbomb is to women, whilst bearing in mind that spices are for masculine scents what flower notes are for feminine scents. I cannot not mention the matching hand grenade style packaging for both bottles as I simply adore the packaging as it makes a real statement with the dainty, cut glass and pale pink fluid for the women and a chunky, matte black metal design for the men with the V&R logo on the grenade's 'pins' for an edgy touch.

Kicking off with the notes, Flowerbomb is an oriental fragrance with top notes of bergamot and green tea, heart notes of Sambac Jasmine, Centifolia Rose, freesia and Cattleya Orchid and base notes of musk and patchouli. Spicebomb is warm and spicy in comparison with opening notes of bergamot and grapefruit, an heart of elemi and pink pepper and finishing with a base of leather, tobacco and vetiver. I'd describe both Flowerbomb and Spicebomb as being exceptionally unique and memorable, and whenever I wear Flowerbomb, I'm always complimented on my perfume and likewise with my partner with Spicebomb.

I find Flowerbomb and Spicebomb to be perfect partners in terms of compatibility, just like how they were intended to be when they were created and if you like to wear matching scents with your other half like myself, I cannot recommend both fragrances enough. I even sometimes enjoy wearing Spicebomb myself to my partner's annoyance as I just find it to be so intoxicating, especially when I layer it with Flowerbomb over the top. I could never imagine my fragrance collection being complete without Flowerbomb, it's definitely one of my top five favourite fragrances of all time and Spicebomb is most definitely my favourite male fragrance regardless of season or occasion.