How To Choose A Perfume.

 

So far we've talked about why one should wear perfume, how to apply it properly so now it's time to talk about choosing a perfume.  If you are going to wear a perfume, it should be one you like a lot, like enough to make it your signature scent. 

Have you ever noticed that a scent you love on your friend, doesn't smell as nice on you?  It has to do with your body chemistry and how it reacts to the perfume.   So your body chemistry, body oils, body heat, and the bacteria on your body, all contribute to the way the scents diffuse into the air. These factors also contribute to how long the scent lasts and the notes that are released.  In fact, these same factors effect vary from person to person and year to year.

One of the first things that effect the scents of your perfume is your skin type.   The amount of oil produced by the body depends on diet, lifestyle, and stress level and these same factors determine the aroma the oil makes. This scent mixes with both sweat and perfume to create a unique scent. The general rule is that the oilier your skin, the less perfume you need and the longer it lasts. On the other hand, dry skin is rough and the roughness traps the perfume molecules so that the fragrance evaporates quickly, leaving behind a duller scent that lasts a while.  

Another factor is the pH of your skin.  If the pH is off, it won't absorb the scent as well as it does when its balanced. For the best results, your skin should be slightly acidic but if you have dry skin, moisturize it since hydration seems to be the key to helping fragrances last longer and smell proper.  In addition, if the temperature of your skin is warmer, the fragrance will seem more intense.  Since the human nose has over 400 olfactory receptors, everyone will experience scents differently so you need to look for a scent that people complement you on. 

Most perfumes have three layers of scents, the top note, middle or heart note, and bottom note. The top note refers to the scents that appear instantly while middle notes are the scents that take over when the top notes disappear, and the bottom notes are the ones left after the middle notes are gone. This is important when you are checking out scents because sometimes one scent doesn't strike us right while another one seems perfect. 

When you are out to choose a perfume, you want to spray the scent either in the air, or on a card to smell the top scents so you know what the first scents will be.  If you find something you like, put it on your wrist and smell it again in 20 minutes so you experience the middle notes.  Then in about an hours, smell your wrist again so you experience the base notes. It is the perfume interacting with the scents produced by the body that determine if the scent will be awesome or a disaster.  This is why you need to take your time in choosing the "perfect" scent.

Now you know how to select the perfect perfume.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.