How to Choose Your Perfume
1. Choose your line of fragrances
Decide in advance what range of flavors you prefer, whether you like floral or fruit notes, or maybe something more tart and unusual. The easiest way to do this is to be aware what major fragrance categories exist:
Citrus
These perfumes with the essence of citrus fruits are lively and energetic. They are best enjoyed as a daytime delight, just the thing to wake you up in the morning before you’ve had that second coffee. Wear a citrus perfume to meet your girlfriends for brunch, brighten a baby shower, or ride your bicycle to the organic market.
Floral
Sweet and romantic, florals combine the scents of various flowers to create a classic feminine appeal. Take on such a fragrance when you want to show off your girly side, or when meeting your boyfriend’s parents comes to mind. These scents are also appropriate at church, the ballet, or your best friend’s wedding.
Fruity
Fruity perfumes are fresh and spicy, they will please with the familiar and bright smell of apple, peach, berry, mango and other juicy fruits, often blended with florals to create a compelling aroma. Pretty without being overwhelming, these perfumes are ideal for a movie-and-dinner first date. Just apply sparingly.
Green
Smelling of fresh leaves and newly-mown grass, the green fragrances are a natural and energetic group. These scents tend toward the unisex, so are best left on the shelf when you’re dressing to impress a hot date. Save them for the daytime, when their sporty, modern appeal makes them a great fit for any casual or outdoor gathering. Wear one to cheer on your favorite soccer team, at the golfing range, or on a flea market amble with friends.
Oceanic
These scents use a blend of synthetic compounds to evoke natural aromas such as mountain air, ocean spray or clean linen. Crisp and fresh, they are an ideal choice for job interviews.
Oriental
Exotic and distinctly feminine, these sensual blends feature an earthy, animalistic base scent such as musk or ambergris, often combined with warm notes such as amber. When combined with florals, these scents are called “florientals”. The effect is a bold yet mysterious perfume that makes a big entrance, tosses back a few martinis, and leaves with phone numbers in her pocket. Wear one when you want to seduce, whether it’s a third date or just a rare night out without the kids.
Spicy
With notes of cloves, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and pepper, spicy perfumes are comforting and alluring in an old-fashioned way. Wear one to your next parent-teacher meeting, or at lunch with that handsome officemate who you wouldn’t mind sharing pastry with.
Woody (Chypre)
Woody scents are built on base notes of bark and moss, conjuring winding forest paths. While more unisex than other fragrance categories, that’s not to say these scents are masculine. This strong and classic appeal translates well to the corporate office, too. Wear one to your next performance review.
2. Try the fragrance at different times of the day
Most likely, you already know that the scent smells differently on the blotter and on your skin. It depends on the pH and body temperature. The second factor can vary considerably during the day, so if you want to make sure that you have exactly “your” fragrance, try it at different times of the day.
3. Do not go shopping on a full stomach
Unlike the known fact that it is better to go for groceries on a full stomach, when it comes to choosing a perfume – it’s quite the opposite. When you are hungry, the sense of smell is stronger and you will feel all the details of the composition.
4. Do not use the same fragrance every day
It’s useful to change the fragrance every few days. Why? Because your brain gets used to the smells that surround you and you stop feeling them, which means that more likely you will start overdoing it, so it will not be just on you, but everywhere around you as well.
5. Get to know the story
Almost all the fragrances have their own story, and if you get to know it, it will help you to better understand whether you can associate yourself with it. So don’t be lazy – learn who created the chosen by you perfume and why.