Choosing a fragrance you’d be using on a daily basis must be one of the most difficult beauty tasks.

Even though they don’t alter your looks in any way, perfumes are somewhat considered to be beauty products. That is because they can make you more attractive – it has been proven many times just how much certain scents can affect us. They can also determine how other people, your friends and colleges, feel about you.

That is why it pays off to take your time and find a perfume that suits your personality and your lifestyle. And even though it can be a challenge, the following 5 steps can help you a lot in finding your signature scent…

1. What is your favourite scent in the world?

If you’ll be choosing a scent to follow you around day after day, it better be something you like and that makes you feel good, right? So, instead of thinking what perfumes are popular at the moment and what people around you like to wear, ask yourself - what scent can make you smile every single time?

Are you mostly into floral scents? Do you prefer roses, jasmine or wildflowers? Maybe you are more into warm, spicy scents, like cinnamon, honey, chocolate or even coffee?

Or do you prefer fruity scents? Something sweet, like a peach or mango? Or maybe fresh and summery, like watermelon or even cucumber? How about green apples?

Don’t think just in terms of perfumes either. How does the scent of books make you feel? Freshly cut grass? Sugary sweets? Ocean?

Just find something you enjoy the most and start from there. Then you can go online and find a list of perfumes that contain that exact scent.

 

 

 

2. Top, Heart and Base Notes

So, now that you know what scent you like the most, think about what other scents would go well with it. What would complement it, soften it or make it stand out.

Almost all perfumes in the world consist of top notes, heart notes and base notes.

The top notes are the lightest of all the notes. They are the ones that you can sense as soon as you apply a perfume, and they are also the first ones to evaporate and fade. Top notes are usually the scents of citrus fruits, herbs and other fresh, light scents.

The heart notes are the ones you can smell when the top notes evaporate. They last longer and mix more with the base notes. You can often find sweet fruit, floral and subtle spicy scents in this category.

The base notes are the ones you can smell for longest. They are usually rich scents that, when mixed with the heart notes, give each perfume a unique signature scent. These include vanilla, amber, musk, patchouli and most evergreens.

So, think about where your favorite scent fits into that story. Go through a list of perfumes you got earlier and think about the other notes they contain. Eliminate those that contain scents that you don’t like. Try to narrow the list down to those that reflect well your preferences.

 

 

 

 

 

3. Where Will You Be Wearing Your New Fragrance?

Most perfumes you can wear in multiple occasions, and that is the goal – to find your signature fragrance that can follow you everywhere you go. That said, some fragrances simply fit better in certain circumstances. And some don’t.

For example, if you are an outdoorsy person that like to climb mountains and enjoy sport activities, you may want to stay away from heavy, sweet perfumes. Sexy, musky perfumes may be a bit too much for an office.

Just keep in mind that there are no any strict rules when it comes to where you can wear a perfume. It is more just something to think about and have in mind when choosing your fragrance.

4. The Fragrance’s Strength

Finding the scent that you like is by all means the most important step in choosing your new perfume. But there is one more thing you need to consider – how strong you want the fragrance to be.

You know how sometimes you can’t smell someone’s perfume unless you get really close? And sometimes you can feel it from the other side of the room?

That is because most fragrances contain fragrance oil, water and denatured alcohol. And the more of the fragrance oil the product contains, the stronger it smells. That can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on what kind of effect you want to achieve.

To help you out, manufacturers use different classifications of fragrances that represent the strength of the product. So, Parfum is the strongest and it contains 20 - 40% fragrance oil. It is followed by Eau de Parfum that contains 15 - 20% fragrance oil. If you want something lighter, you can try out Eau de Toilette (with 5 - 15%), Eau de Cologne (2 - 4%), and the lightest ones are body sprays and mists with only 1 - 3% of the fragrance oil.

5. Test When You Can, As Much As You Can

Last, but not least, the best way to know if a fragrance is right for you is to test it. You can find testers or samples in many stores. And many online stores also offer sample sizes, to help you make the right decision.

And don’t just sniff the tester and call it good. Apply the sample on your pulse points and wear it for a while. Wait for when you can smell the base notes and pay attention to how your skin alters the perfume’s scent. After a day or two, you will have a much better idea of whether you like the fragrance enough to wear it every day.