Comments on: How to Select the Right Perfume

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?