How To Choose The Fragrance That Defines You Best

You could be dressed to kill but if you want to take it a notch higher, your favourite perfume can do the trick. A good perfume makes you smell better, acts as a mood-enhancer and adds to your style statement.

Made from the oils extracted from flowers and plant materials, a perfume is aged for a few months to a year before it is ready to hit the market. Here’s how you can choose the perfume that’s just right for you:

Identify the notes

A perfume has three notes—top, middle and base. The top note is the smell you get when you first spray the perfume and it fades away fast. Next, what you smell is the middle note, which lingers for at least a few hours. Once it dissipates, what you are left with is the base note, the fragrance that stays with you the longest.

While choosing a perfume, check out the three notes and whether they are fragrances you like or not. You may like the top note but it only stays for a few minutes—therefore, it is important you focus on the middle and bottom notes which will last longer and determine how you smell throughout the day.

Don’t get overwhelmed

Try out three scents at a time, not more than that, to avoid getting confused and overwhelmed by the fragrances. Some experts even suggest that you should not smell a fragrance inside a store. “Never smell a perfume at the counter. The smell in the shop can be overwhelming. Spray it and escape,” Mathilde Laurent, Cartier’s perfumer, tells Marie Claire.

Does it suit your personality?

Ultimately, the fragrance you wear can define who you are—choose one that suits your personality. It could be fruity, spicy or floral. If the perfume you are wearing is giving you a headache, it is clearly not right for you. Also, if your friends, colleagues or partner complain about your new fragrance, lend them an ear—either you are wearing too much fragrance or it is just not meant for you.

Tip: Always apply the perfume on your wrists or pulse points or behind the ear lobes when trying it out for the first time. Don’t spray it on your body.