We understand how overwhelming shopping for perfumes can be in general, and especially when it comes to deciding your signature scent and being a 100% sure that you’re going to stick to it – it’s daunting as hell! So how do you discover the perfect sense made for you? We’re putting the secret out today.
Three scents at a time
Science says that your olfactory bulb can tire after three strong scents and don’t even think if coffee beans as your palette cleanser since it can temporarily deaden certain synapses. Simply head outside into fresh neutral air for a few moments instead before you resume your search.
Know your notes
Top Notes: These are the clean, citrusy, and fruity smells and they’re most apparent when you first spray on the fragrance. They’re also the ones that evaporate the fastest, within 15 minutes in most cases.
Heart Notes: These are generally green, herbal, floral, or spicy smells that will become apparent as the top notes start to fade and are the most dominant part of the scent you’ll buy.
Base Notes: These are the underlying smells that form the foundation of the scent. Think vanillas, chocolates, woods, and musks – earthy smells that last for the longest. They won’t be detectable immediately, but when they do they can last from anywhere between two hours and a whole day.
Know your scents
Musk: This may sound tough and manly, but musk is actually a clean-laundry scent.
Smokey: It can smell like a campfire burning, fragrant cedar chips, or a blown-out match.
Citrusy: Lime, lemon, oranges. In short, DELICHIOUS!
Woody: These scents can range from a creamy nutty flavor (like pralines-and-cream ice cream), to sandalwood, to spicy and dank like a musky old closet (patchouli), to the classic cedarwood.
Green: Imagine wet grass or freshly cut grass, mossy and earthy.
Floral: All things floral, it covers every floral scent to exist on the planet.
Aquatic: Where 7 Up meets bubble bath.
Oriental: STRONG. It can be slightly powdery with a hint of spice or sweetness.
Test it on the skin
Paper testers are great to start with, but when it comes to a decision this big, test the perfume on the body at areas which aren’t getting washed constantly, wrists, arm etc, as body chemistry can affect how a fragrance smells on everyone. Check it every 20 minutes to see if you still like the scent as the notes start vanishing.
Know the concentration lingo
How long a perfume will last depends on its concentration. The concentration is simply a description of the balance between water, alcohol and scented oils and is generally split into three groups:
Cologne: Colognes are the lightest concentration and are ideal for a reviving splash in the morning or a pick-me-up in the afternoon, but they won’t hang around all day.
Eau de toilette (EDT): Eau de toilettes have a light wear on the skin and offer between five to 15 percent perfume oils. Ideal for everyday wear, they are designed to gradually fade down throughout the day.
Eau de parfum (EDP): Typically offering 10 to 20 percent concentration of perfume oils, eau de parfums are potent and compelling, and will linger on your skin until late in the evening.
Your signature scent should only be yours
This is that one decision that you’ll have to take on your own, no BFFs involved. From the olfactory sensation, to how it wears on your skin, to the fancy bottle; every element should be special and unique to you. You don’t need to like or wear the same fragrance as everyone else, it’s your signature scent after all. Own it like a boss!