Style: Making Scents

There are quite a few factors that go into looking and feeling your best. There are your clothes, your haircut and your overall sense of style, sure, but sometimes people forget a critical part of making an impression: smell.  A good perfume or cologne can really bring together the presence you’re trying to establish.

Don’t forget lotions, home fragrances and oils, either. These side accessories can have you and your living space feeling refreshed and renewed in no time.

We talked to Lakewood Ranch shops to see which fragrances are popular this season. The experts at Crowder’s Gifts & Gadgets, Wish on Main, JD Barbary Shoppe and Naples Soap Co. have tips on the best fragrances, lotions and other scented gifts around.

Crowder’s Gifts & Gadgets

2401 Lakewood Ranch Blvd.

Crowder’s Gifts & Gadgets is currently selling two brands that staff say have been hard to keep on the shelves.

Inis, a unisex fragrance inspired by the western coast of Ireland — “inis” is Irish for island — is a beach-outlet favorite. Its cologne spray and revitalizing body lotion both feature the company’s signature Energy of the Sea scent.

Thymes also has a number of different scents, fragrances and lotions for guests to check out. As the name would suggest, the Aqua Coralline cologne has a breezy, ocean-inspired scent that evokes warm feelings of the water. The eucalyptus hand creme, on the other hand, has a fragrance inspired by botanical gardens. The Goldleaf Gardenia body cream uses a magnolia flower extract to soothe the skin.

Wish On Main

8141 Lakewood Main St.

Wish on Main’s selection of natural oils and creams are all from the Ambre Blends company and are imported from Indianapolis by Wish on Main owner Jan Nicholson. Nicholson, who says she has always preferred natural products over perfumes with synthetic content, chose the brand because of its ability to mix in with the body and produce unique yet great smells. The oils have resulted in something of a cult following; Nicholson says she’s had numerous customers who have been searching for the product.

JD Barbary Shoppe

8111 Lakewood Main St., Suite 104

Although many Lakewood Ranch staples have unisex fragrances or scents for women, JD Barbary Shoppe has fragrance and cologne lines specifically for men. The company’s big seller is the Blue Mark eau du parfum, a Jack Black product with bergamot, water mint and cilantro top notes with juniper and ginger middle notes and woodsy-smelling base notes. It also carries Truefitt & Hill cologne and aftershave, which is recognized as the oldest barbershop in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records.

Naples Soap Co.

8130 Lakewood Main St., Suite 101

Naples Soap Co. has a few products to help you feel relaxed and refreshed each morning. Its Florida Fresh sea salt scrub has a tropical grapefruit and orange scent, and its ever-popular Florida Fresh body butter is made with cocoa and shea butters to further hydrate the skin.