Guide To Buying Perfume

Choosing the right perfume to buy is not always easy. This is especially true if you haven’t found your favorite fragrance yet. However, you can always follow a plan to make this process easier for yourself. Following step by step tips on how to buy perfume will get you closer to choosing the right choice. Not convinced, try the tips below and see for yourself.

Choose The Scent

The first thing to choosing the right perfume is to know how to identify the scent. The perfume scent can be characterized as notes and signatures. Perfumes will have a fragrance signature such as oriental, wood or floral. And the signatures will then be characterized by the notes, i.e. top, base and mid.

Signatures And Notes

There are four common signature notes, namely;

Fresh

A perfume with a fresh signature is simple, fresh and clean. This includes hints of citrus, green and organic. Fresh perfumes can be described as outdoorsy and youthful.

Floral

Just as the name suggests, this signature features floral scents. This includes notes of roses, lilies, and jasmine, just to name a few. Other fragrances also feature fruity-floral scents, incorporating a blend of both floral and fruity scents such as strawberries and pomegranate. This signature further widens with other variations such as oriental floral with notes such as vanilla and nutmeg.

Wood

Wood fragrance signature is characterized as outdoorsy and sophisticated. Many men’s fragrances also boast wood noted. These include hints of sandalwood, cedarwood, and other similar notes.

Oriental

Oriental scents are strong, bold and yet inviting. This includes notes of vanilla, nutmeg, musk, and other strong yet subtle scents.

Now that you know about the four common signatures, it is easier to understand fragrance notes. Every perfume is made with three notes, i.e. the top, mid and base notes.

Top Notes

Top notes can be smelled immediately when you spray your perfume. Thus, these are your first impression of the perfume and will determine whether you like it or not. They are normally volatile, quick to evaporate and strong. Generally, citrus is always a choice of top notes for many perfumes.

Mid Notes

Just as the top notes begin to evaporate, you start to smell the middle notes. These are the main body of the perfume as the base notes marinate. Middle notes are normally rounded and appear anywhere from 2 minutes to an hour after initially applying the perfume. Lavender and rose are common perfume middle notes.

Base Notes

You can say the base and middle notes are the theme of the perfume. Base notes solidify the fragrance of the perfume. Base notes rather boost and hold the strengths of top and mid notes, making them rich and deep. You will feel these notes within three minutes of application towards the total dissipation of the perfume. Musk is a favored base note.

What About The Perfume Concentration

After you have versed yourself with the notes and signatures of the perfume, you must now identify the intensity you want. Some people like lighter fragrances whilst some like intensified fragrances. Perfumes come in several common concentrations.

Parfum

This is the highest perfume concentration you will come across. Parfum holds up to 30% fragrance concentration, which also makes them the most expensive of the bunch. If you can afford them, go for them, you will never be disappointed. Because of their increased intensity, parfum can last for up to 24 hours.

Eau De Parfum

Eau de parfum on the other end holds between 10 to 20% fragrance oils. They are great at expressing the fragrance scent and can be worn for both work and dates. Their intensity also makes them great if you spend time in warmer settings. Typically, Eau de parfum will last up to 8 hours.

Eau De Toilette

These perfume types hold fragrance oil concentrations of 5 to 15%. Their concentration is a little lighter thus, they work great for people who don’t like strong fragrance scents. They are also less expensive than Eau de toilette. If you are still exploring your scent options and don’t want to spend a lot, they are an ideal choice. Eau de toilette will also last you for a couple of hours.

Eau De Cologne

Eau de cologne boasts up to 5% fragrance oils. They are not only for men but also for people who want a light and fresh scent. Most Eau de cologne fragrances, however, are made for men or feature distinctive citrus notes.

Body splash /and Aftershave

Most body splashes and aftershave will have 1 to 3% fragrance oils. This category is sometimes referred to as fragrance water or Eau de Fraiche. These types of fragrances are ideal for freshening up whether you keep a bottle in your office desk or use one at the beach. They will typically last within an hour.

Read Reviews

Another way to understand fragrance scents is by reading real-life customer reviews. Doing so will give you a lot of information about the fragrance. You may understand the scent more, how people perceive it and even how long it stays. Reviews can also help to support our decision.

Test Your Perfume

As mentioned above choosing the right fragrance will not be easy. And don’t expect to get the perfect fragrance with a single try. Although it does happen sometimes. The key is to test and try out different perfume and fragrances.

Don’t think of it as a tack but rather embrace it and enjoy it as an experience. After all, it is not stressful to test out different pleasant fragrances now, is it? You will also come across small Eau de parfum and eau de toilette sample bottles, typically measuring about 0.15 ounces. this is also an inexpensive way to test out different perfume brands and scents.

Typically, a box with 5 to 8 sample bottles will cost you anywhere from US$15 to US$40. That’s a bargain, considering you can sample some of the best perfumes every day. You experience the variations of the best scents every day!