Scenting Your Holiday Office Party

*Current Fragrance: Back to Black from By Kilian

*Currently Listening: White Christmas sung by Frank Sinatra

Oh the Office/Workplace Holiday Party... Yep, it's that time of year again! Forget visions of Sugar Plums dancing in your head (that's an UPCOMING blog post), and belly up to the possibilities of your boss with a lamp shade on his/her head, the know-it-all that got YOUR promotion losing her eggnog, or finding yourself under the mistletoe with that cute guy from several cubicles over.

I've been to my share of lame holiday work parties, but then again I've been to my share that are flat out fabulously fun. There's so much you CAN'T control, you should relish in what you CAN control: looking and smelling fab! I'm here to help you with the smelling part. :-) As for the looking, just click my heels and your mouse on over to my lovely collaborator on this project, The Boston Fashionista. (As I'm collaborating with another Boston Blogger, I've taken special care to list fragrances that Bostonians can walk into a store and sniff TODAY!)

Not all office parties are created equal (in mood level of awesome/lame), just as not all perfume wearers needs are created equal: so, I tried to pick three vibes that I think encapsulate how wearers would want to feel or portray themselves at these Holiday parties.

1) Get Rid of the Grinch - Perhaps your work environment is a bit on the aggressive side. No one wants to carry that into a party environment. If I were faced with a situation like that, I'd reach for a bottle of an emotional bolstering. I think something like By Kilian's Love would be perfect. Love is a cozy, sugar dipped orange blossom that doesn't go TOO zesty or TOO cloyingly sweet. Think of the imaginary olfactory nexus of where a pomander ball and Dewdrop's (from the Nutcracker) costume. This is working under the assumption that Dewdrop's costume is made entirely of sugar cubes and orange blossom flowers..... Love from By Kilian can be found at Saks 5th Avenue, and you can read my review here.

2) I'm Not Myself Tonight - It might be something as finding yourself under the mistletoe with that cute guy from several cubicles over, or as broad as just being "someone else" for the evening. One listen of the X-tina song by the same name...girl don't wait, take the mistletoe to HIM! Anyway...so you want to vamp it up a bit, please vamp it up to the amount that you'll still have a J-O-B come Monday morning. I suggest on enlisting a little help Material Mother Madge and spritz on some of her Truth or Dare. Truth or Dare is a vampy tuberose with a tender edge. (Remember - you want to KEEP your job, as well as Monday morning under-the-breath-jokes to a minimum!) Truth or Dare is JUST gourmand-y enough to encapsulate the holiday vibe, while still letting you be a little vampish. It struts the perfect line between naughty and nice! (Gotta have all those bases covered!) Madonna's Truth or Dare can be found at Macy's, and you can read my review here.

3) Pass The Stapler and The Sparkling Cider In The Plastic Flute Please - Sometimes it just happens (although it makes my supremely sad), your workplace chooses/has to celebrate IN the office...DURING the work day. I'm also going to guess that this is an office where scent isn't necessarily celebrated. Don't worry Cindy Loo! We won't let them stop your holiday office party sniffy merriment from coming, we just need to be more mindful! Enter Jo Malone's Blackberry and Bay. Jo Malone's fragrances are notoriously on the lighter-handed side, so they're PERFECT for this type of shindig. Blackberry and Bay take very ripe photorealistic blackberries and both tamps down any excessive sweetness and gives a slightly spicy twist with the bay. Perhaps not your everyday scent, but PERFECT to kick it up a notch for that 9-5 holiday party. Jo Malone's Blackberry and Bay can be found at Saks 5th Avenue and Neiman Marcus, and you can read my review here.

I hope you enjoyed this little Office/Work Holiday Party Fragrance guide and find it useful! What fragrances have you enjoyed or had success with at your holiday work parties? I'd love to hear all about it in the comments!!! Now, click on over to The Boston Fashionista to read her post!