Just like the clothes that you wear, your choice of perfume says a lot about you. Choosing a perfume, whether for a wedding ceremony or just for work, can be very tricky. It is, therefore, important for one to understand fragrances, so that they can be able to choose the right one.
Fragrances come in three main forms: cologne, eau de toilette and perfume.
The cologne is the lightest form of fragrance. It is, in fact, a diluted version of perfume, but not as concentrated as the eau de toilette. It is meant to refresh, not last. Apply it as you would powder after bathing.
The eau de toilette is the next strongest after perfume. It provides an ideal perfume base. Like make up foundation, the eau de toilette sets the base.
The perfume is the most concentrated fragrance, containing as many as 300 or more different elements. It is, by effect, the longest lasting form of fragrance.
But to get what you want from the fragrance you wear, you must first take into consideration a number of factors, such as age, skin type and diet.
As one grows older, their sense of smell declines. As a result, older people tend to prefer stronger fragrances. Older people also have dry skin, and fragrances do not last as long on dry skin as on soft, oily and moist skin. This is because dry skin absorbs the fragrance oil almost immediately.
When you change your diet, your skin’s reaction to scent changes as well. Spicy and rich foods cause odours to emanate through skin pores. This usually creates an imbalance between the body odour and the fragrance that one is wearing, and can eventually distort the smell of one’s fragrance.
It is not advisable to shop for fragrances earlier during the day. At the same time, one cannot determine how a fragrance will smell on their skin by sniffing it in the bottle. It takes from 10 min to an hour for a fragrance to blend with your skin oil. It is best to shop for scent in the late afternoon, because your sense of smell becomes keener as the day wears on.
Avoid trying new fragrances after eating strong flavoured foods, when on medication or during illness, and while smoking.
How long the scent will last on your skin is not only determined by the type of scent it is. Where you wear the fragrance also determines how long it will last on you. It is advisable to apply perfume at pulse points such as the wrist, navel and collarbone. Behind the knees may seem a strange place to apply fragrance, but it is where perfume lasts longest. Also, splash weaker concentrates such as cologne and eau de toilette on cooler parts of the body.
Surround yourself with fragrances. Save empty perfume and cologne bottles and leave them, caps off, at the bottom of your clothes drawer.
Hang sachets on the coat hangers in your closet; just two or three will make a whole closet rich with fragrances. Some beauty companies provide scented paper as fragrance samples. Tuck them into your lingerie drawer for lovely a smell.
