UNDERSTANDING FRAGRANCE
Finding your unique fragrance style and shopping for fragrance should be an enjoyable process, but can sometimes be a bit daunting. The key to finding fragrances that compliment you is by understanding the various fragrance families and fragrance notes. You can then decide which scents suit your personal style, lifestyle and learn the best care for your fragrances.
Throughout our fragrance journey, we will share helpful tips from industry experts that can guide you along the way.
Fragrance Families
The first step to finding your favorite fragrance is to understand the different scent families that every perfume is based on. The four main types of fragrances are fresh, woody, warm and oriental.
FRESH
Fresh fragrances typically embody aromas of citrus, sea water and green notes. Green fragrances denote revitalizing, zesty and clean scents. Citrus-based fragrances are usually curated with lemon, mandarin and bergamot, while water fragrances are reminiscent of aquatic notes such as sea salt and ocean breezes.
Fresh green fragrances are often described as herbal and leafy scents that inspire an invigorating and energizing aroma. Some green fragrances are likened to aromatic fougère fragrances, created with notes of lavender, rosemary or basil. These scents provide a calming and delightful aroma.
FLORAL
Floral perfumes are among the most famous and varied fragrance groups. This family includes fragrances with pleasant and blooming scents like roses, jasmine, lilies, and peonies. Floral fragrances may range from light and delicate to complex and effective.
ORIENTAL
Oriental perfumes are pleasing to the senses. They consist of warm, sweet and spicy notes. Oriental perfumes are a more rich perfume family that includes floral oriental, soft oriental, and woody oriental fragrances.
Perfumes and aftershaves in this category are rich and sensual, with components of cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla, and jasmine, orchid, and orange blossom frequently used.
WOODY
Woody perfumes are another warm family with a fascinating and seductive smell that is particularly popular in aftershaves. It's a wonderful option for wearing in the evening since it uses wood-based scents, including cedarwood, sandalwood, vetiver, and amber.
Woody fragrances are split into mossy woods with an earthy, sweet undertone, and dry woods which often have a smoky, leathery smell to them.
UNDERSTANDING FRAGRANCE NOTES
Top, middle, and base notes are often used to characterize a perfume.
The top notes of a perfume, also called the head or opening notes, are what you smell just after spraying it; they evaporate rapidly but form the scent's first impression.
After the leading notes have faded away, the middle, or heart, notes emerge. These scents are considered the fragrance's primary body as they are generally well rounded and stay longer than the leading notes.
The base notes are what remain at the end; this is the scent that sticks with you the longest. The base notes are the full body of the perfume as they are a mixture of the earlier notes and last the longest.
Fragrance Strengths
PERFUME
Perfume consists of 15-40% pure perfume oil in an alcohol base. It lasts up to 24 hours and costs the most per ml. It's also known as “extract”.
EAU DE PARFUM
Eau de Parfum (EDP) is a prominent choice among perfume brands and consumers. It consists of 10-20% perfume oil and Eau de Parfum lasts around 8-12 hours on average.
EAU DE TOILETTE
Eau de Toilette (EDT) consists of 5-15% perfume oil. Eau de Toilette perfumes usually have a brief burst of lovely fragrances before fading, making them ideal for making a good first impression. In most cases, these perfumes will linger between 4 and 7 hours.
EAU DE COLOGNE
Eau de Cologne is a much lighter option than the other two. It consists of only 2-4% of perfume oil and is often used as a body splash to freshen up at regular intervals. It last around 2-3 hours.
EAU FRAICHE
Eau Fraiche is the lightest concentration of perfume oil at 1-2%. This is ideal for people who like light fragrances and stay away from heavy scents. Eau Fraiche will last a couple of hours at best and is perfect for producing a subtle, delicate fragrance.
Perfume Do's & Dont's
1: Don’t Rub Perfume into your skin
When you rub fragrance into your skin, the top notes fade and evaporate before they have a chance to settle. This means that the notes that first drew you to the fragrance will never fully translate onto your skin. It's important for your perfume to gently combine with your skin's natural oils- that’s what makes your perfume last and smell slightly unique to you.
2: Spray it onto your pulse points
Your pulse points are where your veins are closest to your skin, allowing you to feel your pulse (literally). The inside of your wrists, inner elbows, below your belly button, and below your ear lobes and knees are some main examples. Extra body heat is emitted from these warm areas on your body, which assists in the natural diffusion of a scent. Spritz or dab (don’t rub) on a couple, or all of your pulse points and maximize how long your perfume will last on you.
3: Where you store your perfume matters
It's a NO-NO to keep your perfume in your bathroom, where steam from regular showers may interact with it. Humidity, water and rapidly changing temperatures may change the composition of a fragrance and decrease its shelf life. Furthermore, any kind of light (particularly sunlight) may damage the makeup of a perfume. What is the best place to store your perfume? A cool, dark, and dry location. Before you bury your bottles in your closet, consider putting them inside a bedroom dresser or vanity drawer, or even the box your perfume came in-as they were made to keep your perfume safe for the long-haul.
4: Spritz, then walk into your perfume
Diffusing your perfume all over rather than concentrating it on every area is the key to making it enjoyable and not overwhelming. The goal is to have your perfume to complement your natural scent and not totally mask it. Rather than spraying perfume all over your body, dab a little bit on your pulse points and then "spritz and step." Spray your fragrance in the air in front of you, then walk right into it and out. This will leave a little layer on your clothing and ensure that you are well covered (without overdoing it).
5: Be Careful of spraying perfume on clothes
Spraying a little bit of perfume onto your clothing can help you maintain your fragrance all day—just make sure it's not fabric or material that easily stains like silk. If you are wearing an easily stainable fabric, an option is to spray some fragrance in the air and wave your clothes about in it, or spray some on the inside lining of your coat or blazer. A light wafting of your favorite fragrance will follow you wherever you go.
6: Don’t Overdo it
Spraying the right amount is difficult for everyone. If you've ever asked yourself why perfume prices vary so much, it's because they contain various degrees of fragrance concentration, which means they all have a varying intensity when applied. The key is to pay close attention to how your perfume is labeled as that will suggest how much and how often to apply it.
7: When and how to apply perfume
The best time to apply perfume is after showering, as your pores will be open which allows deeper scent absorption.
8: Keep the cap on the bottle.
Always put the cap back on your perfume bottle after using it. The less the perfume is exposed to outside air, the better it will keep.
9: Do not shake the bottle.
Refrain from shaking the perfume bottle before use.