Do you sometimes walk past someone and get a whiff of their perfect scent, which reminds you of some memory you thought was long forgotten? Scents have a way of embedding themselves into our memory without us realizing so there’s no better way to become more unique to your surroundings than to pick a scent which fits you most and wear it daily. Having a signature scent can be an integral part of one’s own identity but achieving the point of being recognized by your perfume can be quite a long journey. Through this journey you will also find out more about yourself and your own personality. Here are some tips on how to choose your perfect scent and stick to it for life.
Don’t overwhelm yourself
When you visit a fragrance store, don’t go around smelling all of the perfumes which have a nice bottle. Do some research online before you go and pick three to five scents you will smell in store. This way you won’t overwhelm your nose to the point that everything smells the same. Start by reading some fragrance reviews, such as this YSL Libre Perfume Review. After checking what other people have to say about the fragrance which has piqued your interest, you’ll know whether it is made for you although you haven’t smelled it yourself.
Be content with your dislikes
Every season there are new and sometimes rather odd fragrances on the market which become instant favorites. If you find yourself not liking the “it” note of the season, that is totally valid. Not all of us have the same preferences. Also, it is said that we like familiarity in our fragrances of choice; that is, you will most likely like the scents which remind you of something you’ve tried in the past. Stick to your gut, and find a scent which fits you, not the current trends in the fragrance world.
Go deep
One of the most important things you need to do while seeking your signature fragrance is to try to learn what exactly you like. This entails a bit of learning – you need to try and recognize the notes in the perfume which are appealing to you. When you smell a fragrance, there may be things in it you like and some you don’t. Learning the names of the notes will make you an instant professional when it comes to your own preferences which will make it much easier to verbalize your wants to the clerk when you go shopping. For example, musk smells like clean laundry while citrusy scents are those which use lemons, oranges and limes as their base.
Coffee beans won’t help you
If you’ve ever been to a perfume store, you have probably noticed that there are a lot of bowls full of coffee beans around. Have you ever wondered why? According to an old tale, coffee beans are said to apparently reset your sense of smell. However, this is not of much help. If you truly need to recalibrate your nose, try sticking your head in your elbow or wherever you haven’t got any perfume on. It may sound weird, but there’s something about smelling yourself that has this ‘resetting’ function.
Don’t buy the perfume immediately
When you’re at the store, don’t go to the counter the second you think you’ve found the scent you adore. Professional perfumers have shared a great tip – you need to see how the scent develops. Since perfumes have top and bottom notes, some time may be needed for the bottom notes to truly flourish. Scents can smell significantly different after some time, some may even evaporate completely. Make a shopping break, take the sample papers with you and come back to the store after a couple of hours – only then will you be able to make the best choice.
Test the perfume out
While shopping, don’t just spritz the scents onto the small test straps of paper. It’s so important to know that there is another component to perfumes in general – the pH factor of your skin! The formula of the perfume reacts uniquely with the chemistry of each and everyone’s skin. What this means is that one perfume may have a completely distinct smell on different people. This is why it’s crucial to try out the fragrance on your own skin by spritzing it where you would usually do, to make sure you like the tones that come out when it reacts with your body.