adminANY woman worth her salt should have a signature fragrance and every man who is conscious about how his cologne will represent him should take fragrance shopping seriously. You may not find the perfect scent to pledge your eternal allegiance, but you can have a good time trying. Considering that numerous perfumes and fragrances are available on the market and the list is growing rapidly, fragrance shopping can be a hectic task for a fragrance novice.
There are about 10 main categories of fragrances, but if you start with the basics such as floral, oriental, wood and citrus, it gets easier to manoeuvre through the fragrance section of your favourite departmental store.
Getting familiar with the basics gives you a good foundation before you start adding notes like fruit, powder and grass to your perfumes. Floral scents are very feminine and quite sweet. If you love the smell of flower shops and rosewater then start with Chloe by Chloe, Flower by Kenzo or Flowerbomb by Victor & Rolf.
Wood-based scents and orientals can seem quite similar but woods are deeper and heavier than orientals so think cedar tables, leather couches, tobacco and wood fires. If you think you are a wood woman, you might want to consider trying some unisex or men’s fragrances such as Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille or anything by Comme Des Garçons.
For the more classy and stylish woman, fragrances such as 212 Sexy or Purple Sublime by Carolina Herrera and Untold or 5th Avenue by Elizabeth Arden would work wonders. Chanel and Sarah Jessica Parker may also be classified in the “classy scent” category.
Oriental fragrances usually have incense, amber and vanilla as their main notes. Oriental scents are quite intimate so if this is up your street, try Yves Saint Laurent’s Opium, Givenchy’s Organza or Dior’s Poison. Once you’ve figured out if you’re floral, oriental, wood or citrus you can start exploring fragrances in your category. You’ll often find that you’re naturally drawn towards bottles of perfume from your preferred scent-family.
For instance, lots of woody fragrances are in dark, moody looking bottles that won’t appeal to someone who likes fresh citrus fragrances. Similarly, florals are often in very feminine, pink hued bottles that a minimalist oriental lover wouldn’t be drawn to.
Your body chemistry with particular fragrances is quintessential. You’ll find that some fragrances won’t quite smell the same on you as the next person. Also, medical conditions will also determine the kind of scent you settle for.
People with hay fever for example would want to settle for the more subtle fragrances by Carolina Herrera or Paco Rabanne’s Black XS or Lady Million.
Never commit to purchasing a perfume unless you’ve worn it for at least eight hours. Only try two fragrances at a time, spray one on each wrist and periodically smell them throughout the day to see how they settle on your skin. By the end of the day, you should have a fairly solid preference.
Many perfume stores are more than happy to provide you with samples. It’s great to try a scent before investing in a whole bottle. Fragrances do cost a lot of money!
You can mix it up a little – just because you lean towards loving orientals doesn’t mean that a rose based scent won’t work for you. If you’ve been wearing nothing but powdery scents, you might like to mix it up with something from a fragrance house with a fresher style like Prada or Gucci.
Online Reporter