Illinois Hypnotist

Most people use fragrance of one kind or another, whether its purpose is to cover up possible body odour or just for fun. When I say ‘fun’, I mean ‘pleasure’ or to attract admirers, whether you intend to do anything about them or not. There are literally thousands of scents to choose from and they are priced from cheap to exorbitantly expensive. So, when there are so many choices, how do you know which ones are suitable for you?

There are a few rules of thumb that you can use as guiding principles to help you choose which scent is appropriate for you. Firstly, you will have to know a little about the basic varieties of scent on hand, before you can find out which brand of perfume will suit you the best.

So, you can begin by taking a look at the ingredients on the bottle. From these ingredients you can determine what type of fragrance is in the bottle. The basic types of scent are: light musk, natural fragrance, loud heady scent, floral scent, warm scent, bright cheerful scent and a few others.

You should get a small note book and make notes when you test perfumes in various department stores. Perhaps you will find musk too overwhelming for you or perhaps you do not want to smell like a garden flower. It is all very individual and personal. No one can say that you are right or wrong.

One’s body chemistry plays a huge role in why a scent will smell lovely on your friend, but not so well on you. It is just a fact, that you cannot go by what smells good on someone else.

Scents that are manufactured from natural substances such as flowers, herbs or spices and even fruit tend to smell warm and soft. Examples of this type or fragrance are gardenia and lily of the valley. Musk, however, may be made to produce a delicate bouquet that swirls softly around you, but it can be strong and heady too.

You may find that you like a perfume, but that it is just too overwhelming for you. If that is the case, you may be able to get it in Eau de Cologne or Toilet Water, which are weaker in dilution. Other than that, you could use less or dab it on the underneath of your clothing where it might not be subject to so much body heat and so will not evaporate quite so quickly.

If you go about choosing the right for yourself systematically, it could take quite some time to find something that is ‘Essence De You’, but it is well worth it. What is a year, when you can wear the perfume for forty years? This is why I suggested getting a little note pad to put in your bag before doing the rounds of the free trial counters in the department stores.

The salesgirls won’t mind, they will be pleased to show off their knowledge and be delighted that someone is taking a real interest in their merchandise. Then, once you have one, you could start all over again, if you enjoyed finding the first , but next time you will have a notebook full of suggestions.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with men’s perfume. If you have an interest in romantic gifts, please go over to our website now at Romantic Gifts: Ideas

These days, everyone is very aware of the benefits of eating properly and the consequences of excess. This is one of the reasons why a healthy gift basket is a fantastic idea for a present. Going ‘healthy’ does not mean that the gift basket cannot be fun, personal and beautiful. If your loved one likes nuts, then buy nuts, but unsalted ones in their shells. You see? It only takes a little lateral thinking.

Children may seem difficult to please on the topic of healthy gift baskets, because children love candy and sugar, but there are many healthy snacks, which have a little less sugar. For instance, jam-filled biscuits contain sugar, but they also contain fruit. The same goes for oatmeal raisin cookies.

Toss in a few energy bars from the health food shop made from grains, fruit, honey, raisins and nuts and you may not have cut down on the calories, but you have increased the goodness of the foodstuff. An unusual fruit from the Indian Supermarket, like a passion fruit, a star fruit or a papaya might go down well too and impart extra vitamins.

If you are looking at giving a healthy gift basket to a teenager, you may do well to keep in mind that teens worry about their appearance. The get spots and spots. So you could prepare a healthy gift basket which included fresh fruit, pimple cream and skin cleanser with rose-scented bath bags for girls, and shaving kits for boys (or vice versa).

If you are giving a healthy gift basket to an elderly person, then bear in mind that many older people often put up with dietary problems and aches and pains, so the older you get, the more you value healthy treats. Gourmet chocolate, fine quality drinking chocolate, bath salts and peppermints would surely be cherished. Single leaf tea is also an idea, say, Lapsong Suchong.

If you are thinking about giving a healthy gift basket to your parents, why not? Mum may well appreciate a variety of anti-wrinkle skin creams, cocoa butter or glycerin soap and bath salts. Many shops stock oils beneficial to mature skin. Gourmet chocolate will also be appreciated as will rarer nuts and fruits. Rose water is a good addition too.

And Dad? Well, you know him best. Is he athletic and health orientated or is he into work and relaxation? Does he take pleasure in fishing or golf? Does he enjoy bar-b-queing? Does he enjoy expensive, single malt whisky – the non-guzzling kind? Does he like the occasional beer? If so, you could get him a few foreign beers that he has never tried before. Chocolate liqueurs are usually a firm favourite as well. Stem ginger is a popular luxury with those men who are aware of its existence.

Perhaps a few magazines on his favourite subject (no, not Penthouse) or a couple of tickets to a game. A joint basket for Mum and Dad is probably easier and then you can send them to the theatre or/and a restaurant too. A healthy one, of course.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Valentine’s Day Gift Baskets. If you have an interest in romantic gifts, please go over to our website now at Romantic Gifts Ideas

If you and your partner are interested in a romantic break, you may have a difficult time deciding on a location because there is such a large number of vacation destinations to choose from. However, I would like to suggest St. Thomas, in the US Virgin Islands, which lies in the Caribbean.

St. Thomas is well-known for its romantic holidays. Hundreds of thousands of couples have been vacationing in St. Thomas in order to get pleasure from an exclusive, intimate, and romantic vacation. If you are asking yourself why St. Thomas is such as wonderful place for romantic breaks, you ought to read more about St. Thomas on their official Internet web site.

The Caribbean, in general, is well known for its magnificent, tropical weather and this sort of environment is many couples’ ideal romantic vacation spot. The lovely weather means unmatched opportunities for swimming and other beach activities. If seeing all the good-looking people in their bathing costumes does not turn you on then nothing will!.

However, do not think that St. Thomas is only intended for younger people. It caters very well for people of all age groups, although some areas are ‘adults only’. So, if you will have to check up on any age restrictions on some of the private beaches. Some may be Club 18-30, others may not admit under 18 year olds.

The ‘adults only’ resorts in St. Thomas are just right for romantic holidays. The hotel rooms in these resorts are also of a superior class. Many of them have oceanic views and large in room baths or jacuzzis. If you can get hold of one these rooms, you may not even care to go outside.

However, if you do want to go outside, many of St. Thomas’ beach resorts offer outstanding opportunities for all varieties of water sports like boat trips, snorkeling and assisted scuba diving tours. If you are not water-orientated or you want to try something on land then there is horseback riding too. Horse riding along the shoreline is very popular. Many resorts have their own specialist activities, so when you reserve your holiday, make sure you check out what is accessible to you in that locality.

There are ample opportunities for shopping and sight-seeing on your own as well. You could hire a car and head up the coast or inland to one of the national parks, where you might see wildlife or find a quiet restaurant offering delicious local food.

Last, but definitely not least, in the list of romantic things to do in St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands is to get wed. There are fewer restrictions on marriage for American couples than on mainland America. The only observances are a $50 fee and an eight day posting of bans to declare your intention to wed. You can get married at almost any time of the day or night. So, a sunset wedding on the beach is easily workable and is, in fact, one of the most popular romantic reasons for young couples coming to St. Thomas.

Owen Jones writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with romantic men’s perfume. If you have an interest in romantic gifts, please go over to our website now at Romantic Gifts Ideas This article, A Romantic Holiday In St. Thomas is available for free reprint.

A person’s scent is a unique way of expressing oneself. Some people choose the perfume they wear depending on their frame of mind, some wear one perfume during the day and another in the evening, while many people choose to wear the same scent all the time. Others have a favourite, very expensive scent that they wear only on special occasions.

Whatever someone does, the choice is a personal one. Some people use a scent like a personal brand, so that whenever you get a whiff of that particular bouquet, you instinctively think of that one person. My mother used a scent called ‘Wild Gorse’ made by the monks on Caldy Island in west Wales for this reason. Very, very few other people had that scent, as you had to go to the island to buy it.

It is almost impossible to choose perfume for someone you do not know, unless you go for a famous, expensive name like Chanel No. 5. There are few women who would turn down a bottle of that, even if it was not their favourite perfume. The more you know the person the easier it should get, in theory at least.

So, how do you know which perfumes are going to be a welcome gift? That is the $65k question. There are a number of ways that reduce the odds of you making a slip-up. You could take a sneak look on their dressing table to see what that person wears already.

If you think far enough ahead, you could bring it up in conversation with an off-hand compliment like: ‘Oh, what a lovely scent/after shave! I like that. What is it called?’. But you have to do it weeks before you need the information.

Or you could choose a scent that brings a special memory to mind, like the perfume that was worn on their wedding day, anniversary, or graduation day. Perfumes like these bring back pleasant memories and make them feel good by association. If you are not a bosom buddy of the one you want to buy for, you could ask their friends’ advice.

If you want to give a gift of perfume to someone that you want to remember you by, why not invite them out for a meal or a show and a meal and present the scent in the restaurant? Most perfumes lose their potency after four or five hours, which is why many women top up every now and again with a spray from their handbags. Very few men do this.

So, if you give the perfume later on in the evening, there is less chance of it clashing with what they are already wearing, meaning that someone is more likely to dab a bit on there and then, thereby associating the bouquet in their memory with the night you took them out. Just make certain it was a good night out.

If all of the above fails, then most department stores offer perfume gift boxes which include the scent , a powder and body wash. These perfume gift boxes are a decent alternative, even if the person only wears it to go to bed or around the house.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with men’s perfume. If you have an interest in romantic gifts, please go over to our website now at Romantic Gifts: Ideas

If you are feeling romantic and you want to be alone with your loved one in a romantic place far from humdrum distractions, why not go to Paris and take a cruise? The cruise ships are gorgeous and offer haute cuisine with fine wines and a wide range of dishes. Service on board is superb and if they know that it is a special trip for you, they will go out of their way to make it even more special.

Just by selecting the city of Paris as your venue, you will be conveying the impression of romance, because as everybody knows, Paris has the reputation of being the capital of the world of romance.

So, how do you go about booking one of these cruises? Well, clearly, first of all, you have to be in Paris. This is not a difficulty, if you live in Europe as there are flights and sleeper trains. If you are American, you will have to take the longer-term view and start saving for next year.

Once in your hotel in Paris, you can either ask reception for details or go to one of the many Tourist Information Centres, where everyone speaks English. The cruise line staff will pick you up from your hotel on the chosen day, so that you will not have the aggravation of having to find your way through a strange, busy city alone.

Once on board, the pampering starts with your welcoming on board and a complimentary drink to ignite the fires of romance. You will enjoy four or more hours of this, depending on which cruise you decide on, but they are all wonderfully romantic voyages aboard beautiful cruise liners.

Generally speaking, the cruise will begin on the left bank of the river Seine, usually in the vicinity of the Eiffel Tower. Some of these boats are made of a type of plastic glass, so that your view of the streets and monuments is unimpeded. And of course, all the sights are lit up at night and in quite a spectacular manner too. You will also be able to see downwards into the water itself.

As you cruise on this glass boat you will be entertained by some of the finest musicians that Paris can offer you. Solo instrumentalists; quartets; classical music; solo artiste singers or a duet. There are also cruises with more modern music as well, but I don’t find them as romantic as the more traditional stuff. However, you can take all these details into account when you book your romantic cruise in Paris.

You will not only pass by celebrated landmarks, you will also pass very close by them and even underneath them. Famous bridges; Notre Dame; the Louvre, and many more. Not only that, but you will see all these fantastic historical monuments while being pampered by the best hosts that Paris has to offer and drinking fine wines and champagne, seated at the bow of the cruiser in luxury.

Once your romantic cruise and your meal are over, you will be taken to a lavish show on the Champs Elysees, where you will be given a half bottle of champagne on entry. There is no need to worry about driving, so let your hair down and enjoy yourselves.

When you have had enough of the high life, you will be taken back to your hotel, in the same manner that you were picked up. However, there are other options too. You may want to go back to the hotel on a romantic horse and carriage, it will sustain that romantic mood.

Once you get back to your hotel, why not both get in the bath together? Light a few scented candles, open another bottle of wine and play some soft music. It will be an evening you will both remember for the rest of your lives, I promise you.

Owen Jones writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with Valentine’s Day Gift Baskets. If you have an interest in romantic gifts, please go over to our website now at Romantic Gifts Ideas This article, Romantic Cruises In Paris is available for free reprint.