Choosing a Perfume
Choosing a perfume is not as easy as it sounds. While you may enjoy a scent someone else is wearing, you can't simply decide to buy it for yourself, as it may not work with your body chemistry as well as it does your friend's. Many times, we see an ad for a new fragrance and are quite sure that we want to run out and buy it. Maybe a celebrity or designer we like has created it, or perhaps the ad itself reels us in. But once we have the chance to try this new scent, we realize that it's not a good match. Choosing a perfume involves finding one that not only compliments your body chemistry and own personal fragrance, but one that also pairs well with your personality. The same perfume can be very different on different people. On one person, a fragrance might smell divine, as that individual's personal scent combines well with the fragrance, enhancing it. Another person might try on the same scent and think it smells vile. Their body chemistry clashes with the ingredients of the scent, leaving it smelling off. Read More... When it comes to choosing a perfume, it can be a difficult decision as there are so many different fragrance notes to choose from: Citrus, Florals, Amber, Wood, Leather, Fougere, Oriental, Oceanic, Gourmand, Bright Floral, Green, Chypre, and Fruit. These aromas are combined in a top, middle, and base note structure to create a balanced scent. The top note is the fragrance you first smell when you breathe in the perfume. The middle note is what you smell once the top note has begun to dissipate and the base note, which you don't usually smell until about 30 minutes after application. Perfumes include a concentration of alcohol that gives the perfume its staying power. Many perfumes are comprised of up to 25% essential oils. A lot of natural ingredients go into perfumes. Some plants that are popular include: bay leaf, cardamom, bergamot, cedar wood, frankincense, eucalyptus, gardenia, iris, geranium, jasmine, lily, lavender, violet, lemon, magnolia, vanilla, orange, pine, patchouli, raspberry, sandalwood, rose, and ylang-ylang. Animal scents are also popular in perfume production including: civet, ambergris, and male musk deer. However, while ingredients are interesting and sound romantic and exotic, what matters is choosing a perfume that smells good on you and reflects your individuality and personality. To determine if a scent is a good fit for you, it is always good to sample the fragrance. A pulse point spot, like the wrists, is always a favorite application spot. To test out a perfume, spray the perfume on your wrists. Wait for just a few minutes to experience the first level of scent, the top notes. If you like what you smell, so far so good. Keep the fragrance on and several hours later see what you think about the middle notes. And last but not least, by the end of the day, you will be able to notice the core components, or base notes, of the perfume. If you have made it this far and still like the perfume through all its subtle changes, then is appears that you have found the right perfume for you. Never buy perfume without trying it out for a full day beforehand. Lastly, a woman should always have at least two perfumes in her collection. One for casual everyday use and another for evenings and special events. Casual perfumes are usually fresh perfumes with lighter fragrances, while evening perfumes often contain floral or oriental scents and are heavier and more potent.
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