How to Select the Right Perfume

Choosing a great perfume takes some experimentation and research.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Perfume

1. Research your personal taste in fragrance. Do you like to smell lemons, vanilla, roses, musk?

2. Ask the woman wearing the intriguing scent of freesia what her perfume is called.

3. Think of fragrances the same way you think of music: top, middle and base notes. Note that a top note is what you smell first; citrus and light spices are the first smells to evaporate.

4. Focus on your favorite smells and take that knowledge to the fragrance counter, where a skillful salesperson will lead you in the right direction. Clean linens, tea, grapefruit, citronella candles, vanilla beans, or even rainwater will be hints.

5. Apply a scent and wait 10 minutes. Remember to spray on pulse points, where skin is warmest, for best diffusion of scent.

6. Sniff the test spot again. Still like it? Chances are you'll like it tomorrow, but keep in mind that as the top and middle notes evaporate, you're left with the heaviest oils.

7. Ask for a wrapped package when you make your decision.

Tips & Warnings

• Clear your nose with coffee beans while testing a lot of different perfumes; ask for one at the counter.
• Some women like a cleaner, citrusy smell for casual wear, and a muskier fragrance for special occasions.
• Remember that the less you expose the perfume or cologne to the air, the longer it will last.
• Navigate through your choices. In order of highest to lowest concentration of oils, and therefore most to least expensive: perfume, eau de parfum, eau de toilette, eau de cologne and body splash.
• Shop at a reputable store for the freshest, most genuine perfumes.
• Ask a store about return policies, which can vary.

Who Can Help:

• Are you tired of cakey makeup? Try RawMinerals Free.

[scentbygod]

on 4/2/2009 Nice!!!

[glendane]

on 2/4/2007 i love the smell of freesia...does anybody have any recommendations?

on 11/22/2005 I've sampled a lot of the perfumes at stores just for fun. Each time I went to Victoria Secret there was one that stood out at me - Very Sexy Pink. Over many months, each time I would go in there for something, I double checked to see if I still liked it. Sometimes I would wear it out for the day. Finally, I went in there and bought a bottle. It's the first perfume I've ever bought, and I'm very happy with it. I'm not saying you need to spend as much time I as did, don't make impulsive decisions.

on 11/22/2005 Don't buy the perfume right after you smell it. Make sure it still smells good after you've had it on for AT LEAST 2 hours. Also, just because a perfume smells great on your best friend after 2 hours, it doesn't mean that the perfume will smell good on you. Body chemistry changes the scent of a perfume drastically, and the same perfume smells completely different depending on who's wearing it.

on 11/22/2005 1. Be willing to take several trips to the store, since trying on a multitude of fragrances in one trip will aggravate sensitive skin.

2. Don't be afraid to ask for samples. This way you'll be able to try the fragrances at your leisure.

3. Start with the lowest concentration first. Not only is it cheaper, but it's also less likely to be irritating after a few days of use. If this works out, go ahead and try the next step or two up.

4. If you find a scent that you REALLY like but are allergic to, see if you can get the scent duplicated by mixing and matching ingredients in a scent shop. Sometimes the synthetic will aggravate sensitive skin, but the genuine article will be like silk. Other times, the original perfume will have a "skin enhancing" ingredient like alpha-hydroxy that is a bane to sensitive skin and doesn't affect the scent at all.

5. As a final tip, contact the manufacturer of a perfume you like (but cannot wear) and ask if they can come out with a more "user friendly" version. I'm not sure if this works, but if enough of us do it, the perfume industry might start looking at US as an entire market unto ourselves. Now wouldn't that be nice?