This Is What NFL Players Are Really Attracted To

PS: What does being the face of Hugo Boss Fragrance mean to you?

Victor Cruz: It means a lot to me. Hugo Boss has always represented a clean, stylish, very bold aesthetic, and I think it definitely represents everything that I represent in my brand. So when they reached out to me to be an ambassador for them, I felt like it was a no-brainer and it was right up my alley. I was excited to be a part of it.

PS: What kind of feedback did you get from the women in your life when they saw the ads?

VC: They loved it. First they were shocked. I was born and raised in New Jersey, so when some of my hometown [friends and family] see it in the mall or near where we grew up, they're surprised and they all call and text me, my mom probably the most. She takes pictures by it every single time she goes to the mall. She's really into it, so it's cool.

PS: What's your technique for spraying cologne on?

VC: I do about four sprays on the chest, four neck sprays, then I spray it on my wrist and rub them together. I make sure that if I wear it, I make sure that you can smell it if I walk past you.

PS: What about skin care? What's your game plan for keeping your skin clear?

VC: I have a facial cleanser that I use after practice and games and in the mornings to make sure my face is clean, and then I have a moisturizer that I use as well, just to keep my face healthy and moisturized and not dry.

PS: Is it foaming?

VC: It's kind of an exfoliating one with the little microbeads to really get in your pores. Obviously as athletes, we sweat so much; you want to make sure those pores are opened up and clean, because that's where all the sweat goes.

PS: Do you get facials or any spa treatments?

VC: Once in a while. My fiancée kind of takes me, and we get it done together. Going alone isn't very masculine.

PS: Tell me about the locker room. What's it really like back there?

VC: It's fun. You see a lot of things that you probably wouldn't expect, like guys being really in tune with fashion and their own grooming. You see guys shaving in the mirror and putting moisturizer on all the time, which is probably something you wouldn't expect to see in an NFL locker room: guys taking care of themselves.

PS: Who do you think is the most stylish back there?

VC: Besides myself, I have to go with Antrel Rolle. We always bounce ideas off of each other; we kind of have a scent battle with different colognes. He always asks me what I'm wearing, and I'll ask him what he's wearing.

PS: What about deodorant? Do you have a favorite one or any products to help you keep sweat away?

VC: I'm the guy that uses women's deodorant, like Dove women's deodorant. For some reason, I think it stops sweat the most for me and keeps me the driest.

PS: I know that you're a salsa dancer and do a dance after every touchdown. Where did you learn your moves?

VC: I'm half Puerto Rican — my mom is Puerto Rican, and we lived with my grandmother for eight years before we moved to our own place. She was always dancing and always had music on, whether it was a holiday or a Tuesday. So she would teach me all the dances — merengue, salsa, bachata — everything that was a part of my culture. And then when I got to the league, I wanted to have something cool to represent me and my culture for when I got in the end zone, and I guess the salsa kind of stuck with me.

PS: Do you need music, or can you just do it?

VC: I can just do it; I got the steps down after years of practice.

PS: Is there a song you kind of hear in your head when you're doing it?

VC: There's an Elvis Crespo song — I can't remember it off the top of my head — but it always comes to me when I'm in the end zone, ironically. He was a really good salsa artist, and Marc Anthony, as well. My mom loves him.

PS: I also heard that you love attending fashion shows. Are you going to go to Fashion Week?

VC: I will. I'm attending three or four shows in New York, and that's a hectic week with the NBA All-Star game and all that stuff, so I'm excited for that.

PS: What shows are you going to see?

VC: I'm going to the Perry Ellis, Ovadia & Sons, Public School, and John Elliott. Kind of short and sweet, not too many shows, the perfect number.

PS: What are some women's beauty trends you hope go away?

VC: I know this is big for women and they have to do it, but the fake eyelashes. The good ones I can't spot, but the really bad ones, I can see them from a mile away, and it looks like a whole hand winking at me. Those gotta go. If you have to do them, do them the right way.

PS: What are some beauty trends you really like and hope girls keep doing?

VC: I'm a fan of scents; I like that women are really taking advantage of all the different scents provided for them, whether it be a perfume or just a body lotion. I love those scents on a woman, and hopefully that can stay around for a long time.

PS: So I'm going to name two things, and I want you to tell me which you like better: long or short hair?

VC: Long hair. The women who raised me and have always been in my life, my mother, my grandmother, my sister, and my daughter, long hair is what I've seen all my life, so that's what I'm used to.

PS: Curly or straight hair?

VC: Oh man, I love them both, but I have to go with straight hair. It's clean; it's a refined look. It's classy and a classic look.

PS: Red lipstick or nude?

VC: Nude. I hate red lipstick with a passion. I don't know why. It's just one of those pet peeves of mine. But I like a nude. [It's a] kind of subdued lip.

PS: What about a smokey eye or a clean eye with lashes?

VC: It depends on what you're wearing, in my opinion. But I'm a fan of both. I'm not mad at either one.

PS: Red, pink, or dark nails?

VC: It doesn't matter to me; I like them all. I just don't like an overabundance of design. Don't get a bedazzled thumb; just stick with nice nails, a clean manicure, and you're good to go.

PS: What does being a Hugo Boss Fragrance ambassador mean to you?

DeMarcus Ware: To me, it's a sense of who you are and how you played the game. I've been successful in playing football and consistent every single year in what I do. But now, what about success beyond the game? When you think about a football player, you think about the helmet and pants. But what about when you take that all off; who is that person? Teaming up with Hugo Boss is the same thing: it's about how iconic they are, and their [scents are] clean. They do things the right way, and that type of brand is great to team up with and be a part of.

PS: What did the women in your life say when they saw the pictures of the campaign?

DW: It was a big thing for me, because my mom shops at Belk in Auburn [in Alabama], which is a really small town, and she sent me a picture of the Hugo Boss ad with the fragrance. That was big — that she got to see me in the store where she loves to shop. Also, the girls in general enjoy it. And it's a good [way] to show [my] style in a way that's clean and not too out there. So I really enjoyed it.

PS: What's your technique for spraying cologne?

DW: I actually use five squirts. I do left shoulder, right shoulder, left leg, right leg, and I spray my crotch. I make sure everything smells good — you have to cover the whole area.

PS: What's your skin care regimen? Since you're always working out and sweating, what do you do afterward to keep everything looking clear?

DW: Once you take the helmet off, there's so much dirt, so cleaning your face with the right astringent is vital. All of the guys always talk about that. I use some type of astringent and then lotion up every single night and every single morning to make sure that I'm covering all grounds.

PS: Do you ever use masks?

DW: I get a facial probably about once a month, just to get all the little pores cleaned out. When you shave, you get a lot of bumps — especially if you have a chinstrap — so [facials] get all that stuff out for you to keep it clean.

PS: What are some of the biggest myths about the football locker room? What is it really like back there?

DW: It’s like a fraternity. When you're in the locker room, guys are just kind of in their own little space with a locker, and a lot of people don't understand that in each locker [represents] someone's personality. Some people have pictures hanging in there; everybody has some type of cologne, astringent, and lotion. It's like their own little bathrooms. Guys go to each other's locker, look around, and ask them what they're using. Because when you come off the field, you stink, so you try to clean yourself up as fast as you can, and what works is usually in one of those guys' lockers.

PS: So you're passing around your Hugo Boss cologne?

DW: I pass it around — the Boss bottle. I put it in everyone's locker. And it was in the equipment room, and they really like it — especially the defensive line of the Broncos.

PS: Do you guys talk about beauty at all back there?

DW: Sometimes. Actually we joke a lot on each other, like if someone has a lot of bumps on their face, someone else will say something like, "What are you doing? You need to wash your face." Or "You smell, go put some cologne or something on." You definitely have to have a thick skin. Guys will take care of each other, but they'll jones on you a little bit if you're not up to par.

PS: So that's why you get the facials, so that no one makes fun of you?

DW: They know not to say anything about what I do. When you've been in the league awhile, they know not to bother with it. But if a rookie does it, they'll get on them about it. The thing is, people try to model themselves [after each other] — especially the younger guys to the older guys, and they're going to do the same things we do. So if you've got clean skin, they'll ask what you do. Or if you smell good, they'll ask you what kind of cologne you use.

PS: Are there any cool pregame rituals you guys do?

DW: Everybody has their own ritual. I have some type of nice music [playing]. I listen to more calming jazz music, I don't need pump-up music; I'm already pumped up for the game. I'm listening to Al Green, some type of B.B. King, or Jason Mraz — soft listening stuff; that's more me. I feel like if I'm listening to calm music, my body is more calm, and I can stretch and release.

PS: What's one women's beauty trend you wish would die?

DW: I know they have no choice, but the hair blowing. Washing the hair every day and then blow-drying it — that's like 40 minutes right there. But I guess more kudos to you . . .

PS: Do you like natural curls?

DW: I do. I like a natural women. If she straightens it out, that's cool, but the more natural the woman is, that [means] more to me.

PS: So I'm going to name two things, and I want you to tell me which you like better. First, curly or straight hair?

DW: Curly hair.

PS: Red or nude lips?

DW: I like nude or pink lips, because then you can really see what someone's lips look like and they're not so accentuated.

PS: What about the smokey eye: with a lot of shadow or a cleaner one with just lashes?

DW: More lashes. I say that because eyes last forever, and why hide your eyes? Let someone see your natural, true beauty. So I would prefer not too much eye stuff.

PS: Long or short hair?

DW: It depends on the season. Short hair in the Winter and long hair in the Summer.

PS: Why’s that?

DW: It’s just something I've always thought about. Usually people want to have long hair in the wintertime and short hair in the Summer, but I think it's good to switch it up.

PS: Do you like red, neutral, or dark nails?

DW: It's all about the season. Light nails and colors in the summertime and dark nails during the Winter.