I am so excited to start releasing fragrance-related content for you all! I am so so so excited for this because I am obsessed with fragrance, but more importantly I love sharing my thoughts with you guys! Tons of people have been asking me to write about fragrances, specifically how to start your own mini collection/how to select scents. I have a bunch of great tips for you guys so if you would like to know how to get started, you’ve come to the perfect place 🙂
Fragrance Notes & Fragrance Families
If you are unfamiliar with what notes are in a fragrance, they are simply descriptive ingredients. Every fragrance will usually have a top note, a middle note, and a base note. The difference in these three is pretty easy to understand. They are basically separated based on how long each one lasts on the skin.
The base note forms the foundation of every fragrance, so this will last a long time (usually several hours). The middle note lasts for a little less than 1 hour and the top notes lasts for about 15 minutes. This is the key to understanding how/why every fragrance in the world is so unique: because there are unlimited combinations of notes! I would recommend doing some research to understand what kinds of notes you like in a fragrance.
At the most basic level, there are 4 main fragrance families: fresh, floral, gourmand, and woody. Pretty much every single note will fall into one or more of these fragrance families. Since the families/notes are what make up the entire chemistry of the bottle, it’s important to get a good idea of what types of scents you are into. Check out this list of example notes that fall under each of these families!
Strength & Concentration
Understanding strength/concentration is a big one when it comes to selecting your fragrance.
A fragrance will typically contain perfumed oil + alcohol. The higher the concentration of alcohol, the stronger and more long lasting the fragrance will be. A very common misconception is that perfume is for women and cologne is for men. Actually, this is not true at all. It all depends on the ratio of oil to alcohol. Colognes are simply marketed towards men because they tend to prefer lower concentrations of oil (but this is not always the case).
Some people may prefer heavy, long-lasting scents while others may prefer lighter scents that they don’t want everyone in the room to smell. If you are in the former group (like me) try looking for Parfum or Eau de Parfum (EDP), as these have the strongest concentration of perfumed oils in the fragrance. If you are in the latter group, then you will enjoy Eau de Toilette (EDT) fragrances.
Have Options
This is my favorite. It’s a great idea to have different options if possible for the different occasions in your life. The most basic categories of occasions you could start out with would be:
- Professional/workplace fragrance – something that is not too strong and is appropriate for the workplace
- Everyday/easy reach fragrance – a fragrance you don’t have to think to much about and one that is perfect for all occasions
- Nighttime fragrance – something that is possibly heavier/stronger and more long-lasting
- Special events fragrance – possibly also strong, but more importantly something that makes you feel really special
You can add more as you become more comfortable with choosing fragrances, since there are so many other occasions/moods (dayttime fragrances, date night fragrances, chill day fragrances, summer fragrances, winter fragrances, etc.)! The best part is that you can curate to your liking, and you don’t have to break the bank to do so, as there are so many great affordable options out there (Aerie, Bath and Body Works, The Body Shop, Sonia Kashuk, tons of affordable celebrity fragrance lines, and so much more)!
Testers
Although most fragrance testers in stores have been removed due to COVID-19, there are plenty of places online where you can actually purchase testers for a great price. This way, you don’t have to buy the whole thing until you know you like it. Places like fragrance.com and fragrance.net are great places to start looking into some testers.
However – another tip would be to leave the store after trying on the fragrance and avoid making a decision right away. Many people may not be aware of this, but fragrances do in fact smell different based on different individuals and their respective body chemistries. So for example, a really nice floral scent could smell amazing on you but smell really bad on me, just because it may not have sat well on my skin but it sat really well on yours. It all depends. Also – a scent may smell nice at the beginning but not as great as you were expecting later on (it’s all about that top note). The best thing to do is spray it, let it sit for a while, and allow the notes to settle down (top note will simmer off). This way, you can make sure you are getting a 100% authentic representation of what it would smell like on you when you would wear it for a whole day, for example.
Research & Reviews
Don’t be afraid to watch youtube videos, read articles, and do your research before finalizing a fragrance. I have done tons of research and reading on this topics, and there’s always something new that I learn every week! Some of my favorite people to follow for fragrance advice (for men and women alike): Mona Kattan, Demi Rawling, and Karina Waldron. Check them out!
I hope this gives you a bit of information so you can start building your own collection! Remember – you don’t have to spend a lot of money to do this. Feel free to reach out to me if you want specific recommendations; I’d love to help! The most important part is that you feel happy and confident in whatever you choose to wear.
Thanks for reading today’s post and make sure to stay tuned for more posts in this category!
With warm hugs,
Snigdha
I always come back to this article when I re-pique my fragrance curiosity!
I am so happy to hear that! Glad you liked it!
Love this article Snigdha. I have to confess that usually I am at a loss when I am at a perfume store trying to pick out a nice perfume for a special occasion. You made the science easy to understand.Thanks for sharing how to savor them.😀
So happy to hear that this could help you out! 🙂 Thank you for reading!