Perfumes play an important part in elevating or depressing our mood. Some people wear same perfume all the time, so that it becomes their identity. While it is not bad to do that, you can bring a variety in your perfumes, because there are lots of nice smells in this world to enjoy, as you can see on perfumes importados! Looking at the variety of perfumes on this website, you will be amazed and will feel like having all of them! How will you choose a perfect perfume for you from amongst such a vast variety? Here are some tips.
Some Basic Terms
Absolutes – Absolutes mean pure, natural oils and extracts from flowers and other plant materials. E.g. pure rose oil. They are very expensive.
Note – Note is an odoriferous component of the perfume. In a composed fragrance, there are different notes in it that we can smell. The first scent is called the top note and when it dissipates, we smell the middle note, aka bouquet. After this fades, we smell the basic note. You should not settle on a perfume until you smell the final note.
Eau de Cologne – This is a mixture of alcohol and water, with 3% to 5% oil in it. It tends to be refreshing and light, normally with a citrus oil component.
Eau de Toilette – Eau de Toilette contains a little more percentage of perfume oil than Eau de Cologne, i.e. 4% to 8%, and is mixed with alcohol rather than water.
Eau de Parfum – This contains a higher amount of perfume oil, about 15% to 18%, mixed with alcohol. It is pricier than Eau de Cologne and Eau de Toilette.
Perfume – This is 15% to 30% of perfume oil mixed with alcohol and because of this higher amount, it is far pricier than the former three.
Some other terminology describing scent families also exists, different for women and men. For women, they are citrus, floral, fresh, sweet, oriental, wood or spice, whereas for men, in addition to these, there are a lot of masculine scents such as tobacco, leather, mosses and musk.
Feminine Fragrance Families
Fragrances are characterized based on its predominant scent characteristics. Most feminine fragrances are made up by four basic families – Floral/Sweet, Oriental/Spicy, Citrus/Fruity/Fresh and Woody/Chypre. There are sub-groups within these.
Floral – Floral is the most popular scent in feminine fragrances. They are very sweet and can be easily identified.
Oriental – Oriental scents are spicy! Think of warm vanilla, incense resins and spices, or amber or musk – they bring an air of mystery!
Citrus – Citrus scents are also easily identified – they smell like freshly cut lemon, orange, grapefruit etc. They are invigorating.
Woody – Very earthy smelling fragrances – oakmoss, patchouli, labdanum and bergamot come under these.
How to Choose the Perfect One?
- Change according to season and time of the day, e.g. a floral scent for daytime and an oriental one for night, stronger scents in cooler season and lighter ones in warmer weather, and so on.
- Our body chemistry is unique to us. A perfume may smell different according to who wears it. Also it will smell different in the bottle and on the card, than on your skin. So, first spray it on a card. Smell it after 5-10 minutes and see if it speaks to you. If yes, spray it on your skin.
- Your skin type is also important. Is it oily, dry or in between? If it is dry, the scent will dissipate faster and so you will need highly concentrated perfume than an Eau de Cologne.
- Our sense of smell is sharper in warmer weather and later in the day. So, shop during these times for perfumes.
- Don’t try out many perfumes at a time. Perfumeries have small jars of coffee beans kept here and there. Take a sniff. They do the job of clearing your sense of smelling, between different scents.
- Choose toiletries like deodorants, powders or lotions complementing to your scents, and not clashing with them.
- Applying perfumes on the pulse points gives their optimum performance. They are middle of the neck, inner wrists, behind the ear and behind the knee.
- To make the perfume last longer, rub a little petroleum jelly over your skin where you wear the perfume. Or wear it right after the shower when skin pores are open so that the perfume will be absorbed in the skin intensely.
- Last, but not the least, don’t wear too much of it! You certainly don’t want scrunched up noses or coughs when you walk in the room.
Make use of these tips and you will surely find your signature perfume that will keep your mood always elevated.
