The hottest celebrity on the planet just put out a new perfume. You’d love to try a new fragrance. Do you rush out and buy it? Not so fast! The reasons for choosing a perfume are many. So are the reasons for not choosing a perfume, like a celebrity endorsement.

How do you choose a perfume then? First, find what kind of scent most appeals to you. Then, test perfumes to see what smells good on you.

Are You Flowery or Musky or Citrusy or …?

There are several types of scents or themes, which are the basis of perfumes. Some examples are:

·          Chypre : Chypre fragrances have a woody, floral, and mossy base. When you think of the chypre theme, think Diorella by Christian Dior.

·          Citrus: Think grapefruit , lemon, or tangerine. Most fragrances of this theme are eau de colognes. CK One is an example.

·          Floral: Floral is one of the most popular themes. Some perfumes that use the floral theme are: Estée Lauder Beautiful and Cacharel Anaïs Anaïs.

·          Orientals/ambers: Ambers have aromas of musk, vanilla, spice, animal scents, combined flowers and woods. Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent Opium, and Calvin Klein Obsession are all examples.

When you look for a new perfume, be open to experiencing different themes. You may be surprised at what appeals to you.

Picking a Perfume

If you’re going shopping, and one item on your list is perfume, visit the perfume counter first. Test a few fragrances on paper. If you find one or two you like, apply them to your skin, one on the back of each hand. Then wait… not necessarily at the perfume counter. Go shopping. Grab a latte. Then check the perfumes and see if you still like them.    

Scents change over time relative to your body chemistry. What smells good on your friend may not smell as nice on you. And something that smells good on you now may not smell good two hours later.    

This is because perfumes have three layers:

·          Top note: What you smell immediately after applying the perfume.  It is your first impression, but is also very volatile. It fades quickly.

·          Middle note:  For several minutes to an hour after applying perfume, you can smell the middle note. The smell of the perfume mellows.

·          Base note: After thirty minutes, you smell the base note. It blends with the middle note to provide the main theme of the perfume. The base note is the richer smell.

Once you’ve given the perfumes a chance to mingle with your body chemistry, select which perfume is right for you. You may even like more than one. That’s OK…you always need a perfume for every occasion!

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