Choosing the right scent is quite difficult. Every woman feels the pressure to browse through the entire range of fragrances and find that unique scent that brings out aromas she hasn’t experienced before. Complexity in choice can arise for many reasons. Maybe it’s the endless number of scents you have to choose from, or maybe it’s the poetic jargon that only experts in the world of perfumery understand.
Regardless of the reason, the search for a fragrance is always based on testing and checking. Everyone’s skin smells different, and a scent that suits one person may be the opposite for another – causing an unpleasant experience. However, there have always been ways to make the search process easier.
1. Don’t start sniffing everything in a row.
After the fifth or sixth test, you will no longer smell the full range of aromas. It’s best to try it on a piece of paper, write the name down, in a notebook or on your phone, and take it away – time will help you decide. Just remember – perfume smells different when tested on paper and on skin, so always spray the most enticing fragrance on your skin. Get out in the fresh air to get a full sense of the real scent and avoid mixing with other scents in the shop.
2. Learn perfumery jargon.
If this is one of your biggest fears when it comes to going to the perfume shop, here’s a quick lesson on top, middle and bottom notes.
The top note is the strongest scent, which you’ll only smell when you spray the perfume on. It lasts for about 15 to 20 minutes and then fades away to make way for the middle note.
The middle note (also known as the heart note) is the heart of the fragrance, lasting up to several hours. When the middle note dissipates – you are left with the bottom note.
The bottom note is the scent that completes the fragrance’s life on your skin.
So when you buy a perfume, note that if the top note is vanilla (which you love), you may like the scent for the first 15 minutes. However, if the heart of the perfume is roses (which you might not like), you might not like the same perfume at all. The reverse is also possible – you need the first 15 minutes to feel the special true heart of the fragrance, even if the top note doesn’t do much for you.
3. Don’t avoid consultants.
This is a big mistake that many people make when they get lost in the plethora of aromas. A great guideline for a consultant is to tell them what perfumes you like. Nor should you prejudge against any component. You may not like vanilla, but in a composition with other elements, you may be surprised by a variant you hadn’t even considered before.
4. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
You don’t have to choose one perfume and commit to it forever. Perfume is not a spouse. Nowadays, the line between men’s and women’s products has almost disappeared, with more and more unisex products on the market. The same rules apply in the perfumery market, where more and more manufacturers are creating fragrances for both women and men, so that everyone can find a scent that suits them, regardless of their gender.
