Choosing the right perfume can never be an easy task. There are a lot of factors to consider. But it can be rewarding and a lot of fun, too. Your fragrance reveals a lot about your personality, or what you want it to be. Remember also that certain ingredients in perfumes affect or arouse different kinds of emotions and feelings in people. For instance, spicy scents like musk are believed to be aphrodisiacs, while fruity scents are calming, fresh, yet sensual. You must be able to choose the right kind of perfume that will fit your style and your purposes, as well.
The first thing to consider when selecting perfume is that you must not get influenced by what perfume advertisements are telling you. It’s a big mistake to buy perfumes without trying them out first. Never trust a perfume’s description in a magazine or on TV. You have to try out and smell the scents yourself, to make sure that you’re getting the right kind of perfume that suits you and your personality. When testing new scents, think about how you would describe them. If you try out a perfume and you think the words “sexy”, “fresh”, or “fun”, then these are the messages that you’d be sending to people as well.
Try to think about what kinds of scents or smells you really like or are attracted to. Research can be a very valuable tool. Lots of perfumes, especially those that are coming out nowadays, are based on the scent of vanilla. Do you like the aroma of a cake being cake? Or perhaps you prefer the scent of the ocean? If so, oceanic fragrances will work well for you. You may think that you wouldn’t want to smell like tea leaves or apples, but these preferences can be clues to what scent is right for you. Another important thing: never assume that just because your friend’s perfume smells heavenly, it will also smell the same with you.
Consider also the season. During the summer, fresh, fruity, and floral fragrances work best and are suited for the season. Spicier and warmer cents are more appropriate for the colder months. Some experts say this also goes for your location; if you’re living in tropical climates, for example, wearing fruity and fresh scents would generally be the best choice.
Age must also be a factor when choosing perfumes. Not all perfumes are suited for all occasions and age groups. An oriental perfume may come off as too sophisticated for a teenager, for example. These fragrances can have strong scents, and are mostly suited for intimate, special occasions. Green perfumes, on the other hand, are light, refreshing, and are more appropriate for teenage girls.
But how do you test perfumes? Refuse those little cardboard pieces that some salespeople may offer you, and instead try it out on your skin. Spray it on your wrist where the skin is warm, so that it will diffuse the scent quicker. Don’t rub it into your skin. But don’t sniff the perfume immediately after you spray it on, either. Wait for several seconds or even for a minute. Sniffing the perfume as soon as you put it on your skin will just overwhelm your senses with the alcohol. You can try on two perfumes, though, but spray either one on each wrist. And don’t try out more than two; your nose will get confused and you’ll go out of the store smelling like a perfume factory.
One more interesting thing you might want to remember. Once you apply a scent, wait for about half an hour. If you can’t smell anything by that time, but other people can, then that scent is meant for you!
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