FRAGRANCE GUIDE

Have you ever caught a whiff of scent which triggered childhood memories or a strong emotional reaction? The nose recognize. Why is that? Is it because the olfactory bulb is located next to the memory-creation center in the brain? Is it because most scents are discovered in childhood? Whatever the scientific, technical reason for the power of scent, you can use scent to enrich your presence, just as you would using clothes and accessories.

There are a wide variety of perfumes available today. From soaps to lotions to deodorants to aftershaves to high-dollar colognes and perfumes, smelling nice. It’s also provocative and, if used incorrectly, annoying. Which fragrance do you prefer? Let’s take a closer look at perfume and discover what we’re missing out on and how to use fragrance to our advantage. It is important that you know that composition of your favorite fragrance in order to decide which is best that will suit your personality, or other Fragrances in any occasion.

FLORAL

This is undoubtedly the most popular fragrance around the globe. This is perfect for the real romantics at heart. As the name suggest, this fragrances have a distinctive floral scent such as Rose, Gardenia, Ylang-ylang, or the complex combination of a bouquet of flowers. This family of fragrances can be light and fresh, there are also fruity-Floral mix or for a more exotic blend is a floral oriental fragrances. This type of scent will always depends on a person’s own taste.

SPICE

The spice fragrances is commonly a mix of both sweet and spicy. Such as ginger, cinnamon, pepper and cardamom. This particular scent is on the sultry side of note and is often have an element of surprise kick into it. This fragrances is commonly found and associated in men’s fragrances.

ORIENTAL

If you want to make a statement, like a dramatic and yet sensual fragrance, this is the quality of oriental aromas. This is often

A combination of earthy base notes such as musk, amber or vanilla. This kind of fragrances are more suited for people with an outgoing personality. This Sultry yet warmth are well suited to be use around in the evening.

WOOD

This is popular in both sexes, wood fragrances often will have a sophistication and mystery sense into it. Usually it uses Sandalwood and Cedar, mix with some lighter top notes, they are perfect evening fragrance for women and an all-rounder scent for men.

CITRUS

These are a perfect daytime Go-To Fragrances. Infused with Citrus notes such as Lemon, grapefruit, and orange. These fragrances are often light, energetic and perfectly made to wear in the Summer Season.

FRUITY

These are ideal for the warmer months, often combined with a citrus scent. They are bright, and refreshing. Because of this reason it is usually the great go-to scent for lifting your mood. Combination of fruits and Floral is also a great concoction for a sweet and blossomed fragrances.

FRESH

These kind of fragrances are the most versatile of them all. Light, simple and is always perfect to be use in any occasion.

FRAGRANCE NOTES

A Fragrance note is a term used to define the scent ‘layers’ that make up a fragrance. Most fragrances are a mixture of at least 3 notes: the top, heart and base. It’s the combination of these notes that gives a perfume its unique scent and the reason why scents change throughout the day.

TOP NOTES

The fist scent you smell when trying to identify a scent. Usually light and made up of fresh fruity fragrances. They last for around 10-15 minutes before fading.

HEART NOTES

Once the top notes faded, these scent notes will begin to blossom. These notes are the heart of a fragrance making up anywhere around 40-80% and lingers much longer than the top notes that’s why it’s as the name suggests.

 

BASE NOTES

These are the bottom scents of a fragrance. It is usually made up of rich smooth scents. These will last the longest and is often the ones that triggers your memories and emotional responses.

 

CONCENTRATION

PURE PARFUM

Highest fragrance concentration. Usually the most expensive, containing anywhere between 30-40% fragrance, these can last up to 8 hours and usually ideal to use on special occasions or evening night outs.

 

EU DE PARFUM

These are the second highest fragrance concentration around 15-20 % and will last around 4-5 hours. These fragrances contain more alcohol than fragrances. These are usually the best choice for people with High Sensitivity.

EU DE TOILETTE

These are the most popular type of fragrances, containing between 5-15 % fragrance and last around 2-3 Hours. Usually Use during the day. The term Toilette originates from French phrase “FAIRE SA TOILETTE” meaning “getting ready”.

 

EU DE COLOGNE

These one have a very light concentration of fragrances, containing roughly 2-4% with a higher percentage of alcohol. These scents tend to last around an hour or two and are often use by both genders.

When searching for the perfect fragrance, it can be challenging deciding where to start. After all, there are hundreds of scents. If you’re not familiar with the different notes, the process of finding out what scents you like can feel daunting.

 

That’s why it’s helpful to know the fragrance wheel and scent families before you start. It’s likely you have smelled each of the scent families at some point in your life, whether it be out in nature, the kitchen or otherwise!

This fragrance classification system was developed by fragrance expert Michael Edwards in order to help retailers suggest perfumes to consumers more efficiently. Each family consists of a prominent scent, while the subfamilies are blended versions of these fragrances.

FRAGRANCE HISTORY:

Along with the long-standing pyramids, The Egyptians are credited with another long-lasting creation: Making perfumes. Perfume comes from the extracted oils from flowers, spices, herbs, and animals (ever heard of musk?). Moving from East to West through the spice trade, perfumes spread through Europe during the middle Ages. Perfume was used by the wealthy during the Renaissance to mask body odor, since frequent bathing hadn’t caught on. King Louis XV of France liked perfume so much that he demanded new scents every day. From the 14th through 18th centuries, the demand for perfume continued to grow. France, Sicily, and Italy responded by growing aromatic plants to keep up with the demand. Today, France and Italy remain Europe’s home base for perfume.

SHOPPING TIPS:

• Shop in the afternoon. The sense of smell is more powerful later in the day.
• Give your nose a break and take multiple trips to other departments, testing only a couple scents at a time. Make use of the coffee beans found at the fragrance counter. They neutralize and cleanse your sense of smell.
• If you find a scent you absolutely fall in love with, purchase the same scent for toiletries. This way, different scent notes won’t clash, plus layering similar scents makes your perfume last longer.

HOW TO APPLY FRAGRANCES:

• Apply scents after showering. Your pores will be open, which allows deeper scent absorption.
• Apply a little petroleum jelly to the areas where you’ll apply the perfume. This helps the scent last longer.
• Do not spray perfume on your clothes. It might cause stains.
• Fragrances rise, so apply fragrance from feet to shoulders. A fragrance applied to the neck rises and disappears. Spray stronger perfumes at the ankles for the fragrance to radiate upward.
• Less concentrated fragrances should be applied to pulse points, which is where blood vessels give off more heat and act like fragrance pumps.

FRAGRANCE FACTS:

• Diet, skin chemistry, medication, and skin pigment alter the way a fragrance smells on a person, so never choose a fragrance just because it smells good on someone else.
• Protect fragrances from extreme hot/cold; otherwise, the scent changes. If a fragrance turns dark yellow, it’s usually a sign the scent has changed.
• It takes over 2,000 pounds of rose petals to extract 1 pound of rose oil! This can cost $3-4k to process and is why more concentrated Perfumes are expensive.
• The brain stops registering a smell after 15 minutes, so just because you can’t smell it after a while doesn’t mean it’s gone away.
• Fragrance as a confidence booster? Studies show regular fragrance wearers have a more positive outlook on life and are more skilled socially. How is this possible? Well, if others think you smell nice, it gives you more confidence, so think of perfume as an investment in your self-esteem.

We’ve all experienced it: someone walks into a room and you’re overpowered by the scent of their cologne or perfume. Thankfully, your nose goes into overload after 15 minutes and the scent isn’t noticed, but until then, you’re distracted by this invisible accessory they’re wearing. Just like an odd or inappropriate garment or piece of jewelry, you wonder what they are trying to prove.

As nice as fragrance can be, it’s not always welcome. A little goes a long way, so make sure your fragrance doesn’t invade anyone’s personal space but your own (i.e. an arm’s length away). No one should be aware of your fragrance unless he/she steps into that space. Remember: fragrance should be a subtle, personal message. Fragrances can also cause allergic reactions. Rashes and dermatitis are two allergic reactions to perfume which can range from mild to severe. Even worse are asthma attacks, migraines, or anaphylactic shock. If you feel nauseous or get a headache after applying perfume, it’s a good chance you’re allergic to it. A lesser strength version of the perfume may alleviate any reaction. When travelling in confined spaces such as aircraft and cars, go perfume-less. The person sitting next to you may be allergic to perfume so when regards to fragrances just be aware of the people in your space and act accordingly.