Seamus Hammond
Shopping for perfume can be a tricky business. With so many scents to choose from, how do you find the right one for you? Well, it's important to remember that scent is subjective, and what evokes positive memories for one person might evoke negative ones for another. When shopping for perfume, it's a good idea to test it on your skin before buying, as fragrances interact with individual skin chemistry. You could also shop with a friend whose olfactory tastes you trust, or do your research online by checking out reviews and descriptions of different fragrances. If you're shopping for perfume online, you can get in touch with brands on social media to ask for more information, and many brands offer lower-priced sample sets.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of perfumes to try in one visit | Not more than 4 |
| Buying decision | Don't buy on the day of smelling it for the first time |
| Shopping with a friend | Can be helpful to get an honest opinion |
| Online shopping | Get in touch with brands on social media for more information |
| Samples | Brands offer lower-priced sample sets, and some let you apply the price to a full-sized bottle later |
| Online reviews | Check out reviews written by real people |
| Scent | Evokes positive or negative memories |
| Fragrance families | Learn how to identify them |
| Gifting | Opt for something similar to what the receiver already wears |
| Trust your instincts | If you don't like a smell, don't buy it |
| Fragrance notes | Think of landscapes, fruits, flowers, or plants that make you happy |
| Fragrance concentration | Higher concentration means a stronger scent |
| Sillage | How powerful the scent is |
| Longevity | How long the fragrance stays on your skin |
| Fragrance pyramid | Top notes, heart notes, and base notes |
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What You'll Learn
Know your scent preferences
Knowing your scent preferences is an essential part of choosing a perfume. Perfumes are classified into different fragrance families, each with distinct notes and olfactory characteristics. Familiarizing yourself with these families will help you narrow down your options and discover scents that align with your personal style. Common fragrance families include floral, oriental, woody, fresh, citrus, and aromatic. Floral scents, for example, often feature notes of rose, jasmine, or lily, while woody fragrances may incorporate cedar, sandalwood, or patchouli.
Understanding your scent preferences can also be influenced by your personality and the mood you want to evoke. Some people prefer to wear strong perfumes daily, while others reserve them for special occasions. You may also want to consider the season, your dress sense, and the social situations you'll be wearing the perfume in.
To help determine your scent preferences, you can take a perfume quiz. These quizzes ask a series of questions about your preferences, personality, and lifestyle, then recommend scents based on your answers. You can also get in touch with brands on social media to ask for more information about their fragrances. They can help narrow down the range based on your preferences and may offer shortcuts to understanding each scent.
Sampling different fragrances is another way to determine your scent preferences. Many brands offer lower-priced sample sets or allow you to request small samples in-store. Ordering samples lets you try out different perfumes without committing to a full-sized bottle. When sampling, be sure to test the perfume on your skin and avoid trying more than four perfumes during one visit to the shop.
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Shop with a friend
Shopping for perfume with a friend can be a fun and helpful experience. Firstly, it's a hobby that is often done alone, so bringing a friend along can make it a more social occasion. Secondly, your friend can give you an honest opinion about how a perfume smells on you. They might have different ideas about what smells good, but that's part of the fun! It's also a great way to learn about new fragrances and get educated on different notes and accords.
If you are the friend accompanying a shopper, it's important to be honest but kind. Remember that fragrance is very personal, and what one person likes, another might not. Be open to trying new scents and giving your thoughts, but also be aware that your friend might not agree. It's all about finding the right perfume for them, not you!
If you are the shopper, it's a good idea to go in with an open mind and be prepared to try a few different fragrances. You might think you like a particular family of scents, but be willing to experiment. Ask your friend to give their honest opinion about how each perfume smells, and whether it suits you. You could even make a game of it, asking them to judge each one and give a score out of ten.
Remember to take your time when shopping for perfume with a friend. Don't be rushed by pushy salespeople. Take each perfume outside and give it at least thirty minutes to settle on your skin before making a judgement. You and your friend can then decide if it's a good fit for you.
Finally, don't be afraid to ask for help. Staff in perfume shops are usually very friendly and knowledgeable. They can guide you towards the right fragrances and teach you about different notes and accords. They can also give you samples to try, which is a great way to test a few different perfumes without committing to a full bottle.
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Test on skin
Testing perfume on your skin is an important step in choosing the right scent for you. However, it is recommended that you do not spray perfumes directly onto your skin when testing them out, as the scent will linger and your skin will absorb it. This will result in the smell staying on your skin for the rest of the day, and you will leave the shop smelling like a mixture of different scents.
Instead, you can ask the sales representative to spray the perfume on a piece of paper, also known as a tester strip or blotter. Business cards make particularly good blotters due to their texture, which allows them to absorb the scent effectively. If you are testing multiple perfumes, make sure you use a different side of the strip for each scent. You can also ask for little bottle, glass, or plastic samples to take home with you.
Once you have found a scent that you like, you can test it on your skin. Spray some on your wrist and sniff it again after 20 minutes to get the middle note. If you like the base note when you smell it an hour later, then you can consider buying the perfume.
It is important to remember that body chemistry has a major effect on fragrances. What smells good on one person may not work for another, as your choice of fragrance is influenced by subconscious factors, such as your genetic makeup and immunogenetic profile. Therefore, it is recommended that you test perfumes on your skin before buying them, to ensure that they complement your body chemistry.
Additionally, it may be helpful to bring a friend with you when shopping for perfume. They can give you an honest opinion about how the scent smells on you and whether it suits you.
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Sample before buying
Sampling perfumes before buying a full-sized bottle is a great way to test if you like a scent and how it reacts with your skin. Fragrance is highly subjective and personal, so it's important to sample a perfume before committing to a purchase.
Sampling a perfume allows you to understand how it develops on your skin over time. Most fragrances are built like a pyramid, with top notes, heart notes, and base notes. The top notes are the first scents you smell, which evaporate quickly, making way for the heart notes. The base notes are the scents that linger for hours. By sampling a perfume, you can observe how the scent evolves and determine if you like how it develops over time.
You can sample perfumes in-store by spraying or applying them to your skin. However, it's important to note that you shouldn't try more than four perfumes during one visit to the shop, as it can be overwhelming and skew your impression of the scents. If you're shopping online, many brands offer sample sets or single samples at a lower price. These samples can be applied to your skin to test how the perfume interacts with your body chemistry. Some brands also provide detailed descriptions of their perfumes, allowing you to identify the notes and compare them to other fragrances you may be familiar with.
Sampling before buying is a great way to explore different perfumes and find the one that suits your unique preferences and skin chemistry. It ensures that you make an informed decision and don't waste money on a full-sized bottle of a perfume that you might not end up liking.
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Understand fragrance notes
Understanding fragrance notes is crucial to finding a perfume that suits your preferences. Fragrance notes are the individual scent layers of ingredients that make up a perfume. They are the building blocks of a fragrance and determine its overall scent profile. Notes are classified in a fragrance pyramid with three main categories: top notes, heart or middle notes, and base notes. Each note plays a specific role in the fragrance's development and longevity.
Top notes, sometimes referred to as head notes, form the top layer of a fragrance. They are the scents you detect first after spraying a perfume and usually evaporate quickly, lingering for only the first five to fifteen minutes. Popular top notes tend to be citrus, fruity, and green, with examples including lemon, bergamot, grapefruit, and apple.
Heart or middle notes appear as the top notes start to fade and remain evident for the full life of the fragrance. They make up around 70% of the total scent and last for about 2-3 hours. Heart notes include full-bodied, aromatic floral oils like jasmine, geranium, rose, and lavender, as well as spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom.
Base notes are the foundation of the fragrance, adding depth and resonance. They kick in about 30 minutes after application and linger for six hours or more. Base notes are rich, heavy, and long-lasting. Examples of base notes include woody scents like sandalwood, cedarwood, and patchouli, as well as oriental notes such as amber, musk, and vanilla.
To identify the different notes in a perfume, pay attention to how the fragrance changes over time. First, identify the initial burst of top notes, then the heart notes that follow after about 15 minutes, and finally, the rich base notes that linger for hours.
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Frequently asked questions
Shopping in-store and online both have their pros and cons. Shopping in-store can be a good way to get an idea of what different perfumes smell like, but you may experience pressure from sales assistants to make a purchase. Shopping online can be a more low-pressure experience, and it's easy to get in touch with brands on social media to ask for more information about their products.
A good way to find out if you'll like a perfume is to test it on your skin before buying. However, don't try more than four perfumes during one visit to a shop, as this can give a skewed impression. If you're shopping online, many brands offer lower-priced sample sets of their perfumes, and some let you apply the price of the samples to a full-sized bottle.
It's important to consider the concentration of a perfume, as this will determine how strong it is. Parfum has a high concentration, while eau de cologne is a lighter option. You should also consider the sillage of a perfume (how powerful the scent is), and the longevity (how long the fragrance stays on your skin).
Scent is subjective, and what one person loves another may hate. A good place to start is to think about the types of scents that are linked to your positive memories or that induce nostalgia. You could also consider the types of landscapes you like to relax in – for example, if you like the beach, you might enjoy fresh fragrances with oceanic aromas.
A safe approach is to give something similar to what the recipient already wears or has commented on in the past. You could also give them a gift card to spend at a fragrance retailer, or the freedom to choose their own scent by visiting a place where they can customise their own scent.
