How To Choose A Fragrance That Is Right For You

People often choose a fragrance they’ve smelled and love on someone else and end up disappointed. This is because fragrance reacts differently depending on skin types and body chemistry. How to choose a fragrance that is right for you? For example did you know it’s never a good idea to try out a new fragrance after eating strongly flavoured food, immediately after exercising, when recovering from an illness or even when feeling stressed. Hormonal changes and medication can also affect our sense of smell, changing our perception of fragrance and appreciation of it. Many people are daunted by the vast range of choice online, in perfumeries, and department stores. The choice is confusing!

iPerfumer helps you to find your perfect fragrance; either for yourself or as a gift for someone else.

iPerfumer – Free – Apple

– Available as an App for iPhone, Android, or via Facebook, its’ suggestions come from the information given by each individual user, combined with the recommendations of people in the iPerfumer community who like the same perfumes as you. 

– This App can be used to shortlist the perfumes best suited to you, to develop a “favourites” list, to check out the latest launches, to learn more about perfumes that you know, or to find out which fragrances are rated most highly by other perfume buyers. 

– Imagine how much fun you could have with a list of recommendations to spritz next time there is an opportunity. Why not make an event of it and go with friends – you can enter lots of profiles into iPerfumer, so everyone can join in. 

Know about Fragrance Families

Perfumes are divided into families, each very distinct. There are three main families in women’s fragrance:

Floral: very popular and can be best described as the sweet, soft smell you get when entering a florist shop. Jasmine, rose and ylang ylang are frequently used in combination to create an intensely feminine scent.

Oriental: deeper, more sensual and voluptuous, oriental scents use vanilla, patchouli, woods such as cedarwood and sandalwood, gums and resins.

Chypre: for many an acquired taste, chypre scents have a distinct dryness which is often coupled with floral, green and woody notes.

Fragrances are often combinations of these main groups, so you will hear scents described as fruity floral or a ‘floriental,’ which is to do with the combination of ingredients or accords. Common fragrance family combinations include:

Floral woody oriental – warm, sweet and soft

Floral spicy oriental – sweet, spicy, soft

Soft oriental – powdery

Semi-oriental – sweeter, less rich and less soft

Men’s fragrance also has three main families: oriental, chypre and fougere.

Fougere: mostly found in men’s fragrances. The classic fougere uses lavender, oakmoss and coumarin with bergamot, geranium and vetiver to produce a fresh, aromatic scent.

Where should I wear fragrance?

This is entirely personal, but many people like to wear their fragrance on the wrists and on the neck where it can be smelled as the ingredients warm up and release their scent. Don’t rub wrists together as this can crush the ingredients.

If you want people to know you are wearing fragrance, then also spray around your neck and chest. Spray fragrance on a scarf because you wear it close to your skin. Better not to put it on a coat or sweater as you might want to change your perfume and then you’re stuck with it. If you want an all-enveloping scent, then spray your fragrance in the air and walk through it, so it clings evenly all over your body.

Images: iPerfumer