Depending upon your persona, perfume tones can range from deep, dark, and mysterious (vanillas, sandalwood, and patchouli) to light, outgoing, airy, and romantic (citrus, rose, gardenia and jasmine). When purchasing a fragrance, ask yourself what part of your personality do you want to express and accentuate? It’s a lot like shopping for a pair of shoes; you won’t know which scent fits you until you try it.
“Try it on before you buy it,” says Susan Schwartz, fragrance consultant at Robinson’s May in Palm Desert, Calif. “There are essentially three different types of fragrances: spicy, fresh, citrus and floral but again it depends on your body type.”
Working around women’s perfume day in and day out, Schwartz seems to know which scent can make shoppers feel romantic one day, sunny and bright - the next, bubbling with energy on the third day and mischievous and spicy on the fourth.
But just like appreciating fine wine, perfume’s mystique is relished in layers. The average perfume is made up three notes—top, middle and bottom. The top notes are the first scent and usually go away faster than you can say "perfume".
The scent that lingers on after 10 minutes of applying is the middle note, which will last up to two hours. The bottom notes are the strongest and will stay with you throughout the day. All these smells are then mixed and bound with the help of a base—alcohol.
Body Odor
One of the most important factors in finding the right scent is to be cognizant of your own natural body odor. If you're a person that loves to wear a scent, try leaving home without wearing a fragrance before sampling one at a store. By doing so, you may discover you prefer more of a floral and light scent in the day and more of a spicy and woodsy scent at night.
Do and Don'ts
- Don’t rub it, spray only once. If you do spray more, neutralize it with coffee beans
- Do apply an oil-based skin lotion to enhance the longevity of the fragrance.
- Do wear stronger smells in cooler weather as cold reduces their intensity. Fruity flowery misters are most suitable for summer.
- Don’t spray perfume on your clothes, as this causes staining. Apply perfume on pulse points like wrists, behind knees, nape of the neck and inner ankles. Oils in perfumes are photosensitive and exposure to sun immediately after applying can cause permanent marks on your skin.
- Do apply an hour or so before heading out. For everlasting fragrance, use products from the same brand in layers with soap, body lotion, moisturizer, talc and lastly the perfume and you could give daisies stiff competition.
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