Fragrance is something that is deeply personal to the wearer. It smells good, it can bring back memories, and it can change your mood. When you’re selecting a new fragrance, you need to think about what smells good to you, how much you want to spend, and your personality.
Before you can choose a scent for your personality, you need a basic understanding of how fragrance works. Perfumes have specific scents known as notes. There are three layers of notes – top notes, middle notes and base notes. Top notes are the first things you smell in a perfume. They are what gives you the first impression of it. Middle notes come after the immediate top notes dissipate. They’re also known as heart notes. The base notes are the last part of the fragrance that you can smell.
Fragrances are usually defined into one of four families – floral, oriental, woody or fresh. Each of these families is divided into further subsections with overlap. However, modern fragrances can be defined even more specifically than that. Most perfumeries will tell you which family a particular scent belongs to, which can give you an idea about what kind of scents you prefer. Once you have an idea of which family of scents appeals most to you, you’ll find it much easier to find a scent for you. For example, you may prefer delicate, feminine aromas, or single flower floral scents, or you might prefer something with more exotic notes.
Kelly Cruz, a shopper behavior analyst for Shopaganza, says that most people buy multiple different fragrances. She said ‘there’s a fragrance for every mood, so it makes sense that you would have a collection of perfume to choose from at home.’
The other thing you need to consider is what fragrance strength you want to choose. There are several strengths to consider. Parfum has a fragrance concentration of between 15% and 40%, although most are between 20% and 30%. This is the most expensive option, but it’s also the most long lasting with between six and eight hours of wear. Eau de Parfum has a fragrance concentration of between 15% and 20%. It’s one of the most common fragrance strengths, and lasts for around four to five hours. Because of its formulation, it’s also one of the best scents for sensitive skin. Eau de Toilette is between 5% and 15% fragrance concentration and lasts for two to three hours. Eau de Cologne has a concentration between 2% and 4%. It’s one of the least expensive fragrance options, and it lasts for around two hours. The last option for fragrance strength is Eau Fraiche. It has a low fragrance concentration, between 1% and 3%, but it also has the lowest amount of alcohol.
There are a few other things that you do need to consider when you’re selecting a new scent. You need to remember that everybody has a different body chemistry, so a scent that smells amazing on your friend might not smell exactly the same on you. Your skin type will also affect your fragrance, as dry skin tends to prevent fragrances from lasting as long, so make sure you moisturise before you apply your scent. If you want your scent to last longer you should spray it on your pulse points – wrists, base of the throat, behind the ears, bend of the elbow, and cleavage.
One of the most beautiful things about fragrance is that you can match them according to your mood and personality. If you feel playful and feminine, you can find a fragrance that reflects that. If you feel dark and mysterious then you can try something from the oriental family to show that side of your personality. You can have as many different fragrances as you want and use whichever one best matches your mood on that day. The only real rule that you should follow is that fresh, light scents work best for casual and daywear, while heavier, spicy scents are more appropriate for the evening.