I receive many emails and phone calls regarding:
How do I choose the right fragrance?
Are all perfumes safe to wear?
How do I properly apply perfume?
I bought the same perfume as my friend but it smells different on me. Why?
Should I stick to one perfume or change them often?
Where is the best place to store my perfumes?
I decided to write an article in hopes that this will guide my customers in the right direction:
Question: How do I choose the right fragrance?
Answer: This is a very good question. With so many new perfumes coming to the market every year, it is very easy to be overwhelmed by the selection. I have seen many people step into a department store and try on many different fragrances, one after another. This method will not give you accurate results!
First, stick with a brand name that you are interested in or have been happy with in the past. The reason for this is because some may react differently to your skin. Remember, not all perfumes are created equal!
When trying a new perfume, apply a small amount of it to your skin and wear it for about half an hour. This will give time for the top notes (normally included in a fragrance to make strong first impression) to evaporate. The middle and base notes will react with your skin chemistry and reveal perfume's real scent.
Do not repeat this with too many perfumes at the same time unless you refresh your smell palette. The smell of coffee beans accomplishes this perfectly.
Question: Are all the perfumes safe to wear?
Answer No, this varies on an individual basis. As a general rule, most perfumes are safe to wear. However, there are ingredients in some perfumes that your skin may be allergic to. The easiest way to find out which ones are not for you is to use the before mentioned advice. Apply the perfume and allow approximately one hour for the fragrance to react with your skin. If rash or itching do not occur then you are safe to use this fragrance.
While on the subject of allergies, please use discretion when wearing excessive amounts of perfume in public places. Some people may be allergic to the scent or just can’t stand smelling some scents for a long time. Some churches, for example, have special fragrance-free sections for people with multiple chemical sensibility (MCS).
Question: How do I properly apply perfume?
Answer: Everyone has an opinion on how to wear perfumes and where to apply them. I will explain the most common and effective ways to apply a fragrance:
First, a small amount of the perfume should be applied to all of the pulse points of your body. They include your inner wrists, inside of your elbows, behind the knees and ears.
Next, spray a little perfume into the air and walking straight into the mist. This helps diffuse the perfume's scent over your entire body.
Always apply perfume starting with lower body and working your way up to the top. Never rub wrists together after applying perfume. This will weaken and crush the smell.
To help boost the scent of your perfume, consider using the same fragrance in your body wash or bath gel, body lotion and after bath spray. You may also consider using an EDP spray.
Question: I bought the same perfume as my friend but it smells different on me. Why?
Answer: Not all perfumes are suitable for you and your skin chemistry. There are four major factors describing the skin:
* Perspiration (the more a person perspires, the less lasting the fragrance)
* Skin PH (affects odorous molecules)
* Skin profile (rough skin retains fragrance longer)
* Skin fat content (heavier fat content of your skin retains perfume longer)
The perfume can smell one way in the bottle, or on a friend, and totally different on you. There is an entire science behind your skin's chemistry but it would be hard to explain it all in this short article. You will need to find the perfume which suits you the best. Test the perfumes as described earlier in this article.
Question: Should I stick to one perfume or change them often?
Answer: The beauty of perfumes is that there are ones for every occasion: daytime, evening, office, or even a romantic date. The best place to learn about a perfume's recommended application is the Internet, including online retailers such as Fragrance Place. You can browse between perfumes and find more about perfume notes. The product descriptions on the websites generally tell you the perfume's recommended application.
We have to remember that perfumes are very temperature sensitive. Colder temperatures will reduce the intensity of the perfume. Consider wearing a stronger perfume such as Eau De Parfum in the winter time and Eau De Toilette in the summer. In the summer, it is normal to reapply perfume throughout the day.
Speaking of romantic events, there are many perfumes available containing pheromones, or ingredients which aid in attracting the opposite sex. Some of the perfume’s notes also include jasmine, patchouli, sandalwood, rose, ylang-ylang and musk, which are very well known from their aphrodisiac properties. However, this is a subject for a separate article.
Question: Where is the best place to store my perfumes?
Answer: Perfumes are light and temperature sensitive. We recommend storing your perfumes and fragrances in a dark, dry and low temperature place. Some women keep their Eau De Parfum bottles in the refrigerator during hot summer days, but I think the cabinet underneath your bathroom sink is good enough to store perfumes for a long time.
Some more important notes to keep in mind:
* Most perfumes have shelf life about 3 -5 years from the manufacturing date. However, if stored properly they may last much longer.
* Spray type perfumes last longer than splash type.
* Once a perfume bottle is opened, the perfume may last only about a year.
