Perfume
Know Your Fragrance Categories
Every Perfume fits into a scent category. Women's fragrances are classified in one of the following eight categories:
- 1. Single Floral—a single flower such as rose or jasmine comprises the base of these perfumes.
2. Oriental—think musky, woody scents with deep earthy exotic essences.
3. Flowery—mix a bunch of different floral notes together and you get these popular bouquets.
4. Green—fresh like soap or clean linen providing a modern, snappy base.
5. Citrus—one or more fruit notes such as lemon or bergamot often paired with florals.
6. Flowery Aldehydic—aldehydes include vanillin, cinnamon oil and almond oil.
7. Chypre—complex woody, mossy and floral notes create a strong, rich base.
By mixing essential oils (flowers, plants, grasses and aromatic chemicals) with a fixative oil (musk, balsams and ambergris) and alcohol you get Perfume. Perfumes contain top, middle and bottom notes. Top notes appear immediately upon application to the skin then fade to reveal the middle notes (also called heart notes). Heart notes come from the category of the Perfume. These are the lingering scents and are smooth and full bodied. Base notes come from the fixative used to create the Perfume. They last the longest and take the longest to appear once the Perfume has been applied. The three notes work together to create a multilayered, multihued scent as they come into contact with your skin.
Know the Different Forms of Perfume
Perfume, Parfum, Eud de Toilet, and Cologne: it can be confusing to choose. The main difference is in the amount of oils that are contained in the fragrance. Perfume will have a concentration of roughly 20-40% aromatic oils, Parfum 10-20%, Eau de toilette 5-10% and Cologne 2-3%. The more oils, the longer a fragrance will last and the more expensive it will be.
Go Online
You'll want to do some research on what fragrances are popular, what the latest trends are and get some prices for comparison-shopping. Perfume retailers abound on the Internet. Online retailers like Sephora and AffordableScents carry large selections of designer Perfumes with good descriptions of each Perfume's expected scent. Make a list of those you'd like to try on.
Ready to Shop?
To choose the right Perfume you must try it on. Every fragrance smells differently on each individual. So while Channel may smell divine on your best friend it could reek on you. Remember, don't try on more than a few Perfumes at once, your sense of smell will get overwhelmed. Also, let the Perfumes develop on your skin (body chemistry affects a Perfume and it is important to judge those affects through top, middle and bottom notes). Once you've tried a few Perfumes you can narrow down your search to Perfumes in the category that best suites your body chemistry.
Purchasing for Another
It can be difficult to buy Perfume for your mother, girlfriend, sister or wife. A woman's choice of Perfume, because it is so tuned to the specific body chemistry of the user, is very personal. The best way to proceed is to check out the Perfumes she owns. Ask her which ones appeal most to her, what scent (refer to the categories above) she likes the best, and what designers are her favorites. Carry a hanky or scarf lightly laced with your ladies scent preference to the store with you. You can use it to help you compare what you are buying to what she already likes. Ask for Perfume samples at the counter. Then let your lady try each one and rate them. With luck, you'll find her that perfect Perfume.
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