Menstrual Cycle Week 3: Caramel, Chocolate, and Coffee
What's going on?
After ovulation, your hormone levels drop again.
How are you likely to feel?
This is the point at which you start to crave carby meals. "It's your body telling you what you need because those foods give you more energy which will be necessary if you've conceived during ovulation," says Jo Kellet, expert aromatherapist for Tisserand Aromatherapy. "It's all a science!"
Which scents should you try?
Your sense of smell won't be as finely attuned as before and during ovulation, so instead focus on satisfying those food cravings not just with snacks but scent too. Gourmand perfumes with good-enough-to-eat notes of caramel, chocolate, and coffee will all appeal to your nose at this time. If the idea of smelling sickly-sweet is putting you off – don't worry. There's definitely a place for sugary scents (they're pretty in the daytime), but there are also plenty of gourmand fragrances with enough depth and complexity to make sweet notes smell richer and more grown-up.
The Floral Street Ylang Ylang Espresso Eau de Parfum (£68) is the kind of perfume that people stop you in the street to ask about. It's powerful, combining red rose, ylang ylang, and jasmine with freshly brewed coffee, cream, and pepper. Delicious. The Jo Malone Myrrh & Tonka Cologne Intense (£150) is also a dreamy fragrance designed to conjure up the golden sand dunes of the Namib desert. Warm almond and vanilla notes make for a seductive scent.