Where's Smoove?: The quest to become the urban gentleman

I've been reading a lot of Men's Health and GQ magazine and I've decided it's time for a new men. Not just on the physical and fashionable spectrum, but overall attitude as well. It's time for a new me. Please, accompany me into the path of becoming the new age Urban Gentleman. I will be posting some tips as I get them so that we can grow together, embracing our youth and remaining hip while still getting sharper everyday.

From Men's Health March 2008

Use SCENT to snare her, subliminally

"Fragrances are linked to our emotions," says Rachel Herz, Ph.D., a visiting professor at Brown University medical school and the author of The Scent Of Desire. "That's because the brain's smell center, the limbic system, also underlies learning and emotion." Here, find our favorite new scents, plus tips for deploying them.

GO EASY ON HER NOSE

One whiff of a man's fragrance causes a significant rise in bloodflow in a woman, according to researchers at the University of Indiana. But don't bathe in the stuff. "We have more receptors for smell than wee have for any other sense except vision," says Herz. If your scent is discernible to anyone farther than 2 feet from you, dial back the amount you use.

SPIN YOUR SCENT

A man's smell is the single most important physical factor influencing a woman's sexual attraction, according to Herz's research. But "women don't differentiate much between real body odor and fragrance," she says. If a woman thinks a man smells great, she will find him attractive whether it comes from his body or a bottle. The key is to allow your own musk to mix with your spritzed-on accents. One spray to your chest before you dress will allow the fragrance to mix with your natural scent and keep the smell subtle.

STIFLE OLD OLFACTORY FLAMES

If a woman is already passionate about a scent, think twice about adopting it for yourself. "Once an association to an odor has been formed, it's difficult to reassociate that odor with something different," says Herz. Translation: She might connect a fragrance to a slew of intensely sexual or deeply emotional experiences with an ex. The human nose can tease apart 10,000 different odors. Our advice: Turn her onto something new (start with the scents shown below).

PAIR SMELLS WITH OCCASIONS

An aroma is inherently meaningless until it's paired with an experience, says Herz, so plan something novel or significant when you break out a new cologne. Another context-dependent trick: Swap scents to match the occasions, using one cologne for date nights, another for outdoor activities, and another over lazy, romantic weekends. She'll begin to associate those great times with each fragrance - like an on-demand scrapbook of pleasant memories.

LEAVE A PARTING GIFT

In a 2006 University of Pittsburgh study, 72 percent of women said they had cuddled up at night with a partner's clothing. The most reason given? "To remember him." The habit is an opportunity, says Herz. Leave a well known T-shirt at her place after a night spent watching movies, or let her keep the sweatshirt she nabbed from you the night before to stay warm. "It's most effective if you use a cotton shirt that you've worn for a day or so - better overnight than out at a bar," says Herz. "That gives you your natural scent time to soak into the cotton."

SCENTS FOR GENTS

Chanel Allure Homme sport $75
@ chanel.com