Fragrance Hunting And Usage

With regards to my previous post on GIT, let me share with you some tips when shopping for a fragrance.

Take note that for men, you basically have the choice of
1) cologne
2) eau de toilette (EDT)

EDTs are generally stronger and longer lasting than colognes.

For women, you have more choices...
1) eau de toilette (EDT)
2) eau de parfum (EDP)
3) parfum

Parfums are basically the strongest form of fragrance. I think in Malaysia, only Chanel No5 is available in this form and you only need one or 2 drops of it.

Anyway when shopping for a new fragrance, take note that fragrances often are divided into daily and evening wear. Daily ones are best for office use and smell fresher/fruity/flowery. Evening ones are a bit stronger and more exotic.

Fragrances often have 3 different 'notes'
- top notes are what you smell when you first put it on
- middle notes come about after the top notes evaporate
- bottom notes are what you smell after several hours

1) If you plan to use a fragrance for a long time, get the larger bottle (often 100ml). It's better value for money and you don't have to pay again for the packaging.
2) Do not buy a fragrance simply because the packaging is nice (because you have to pay for that packaging) or they give many freebies with it.
3) Sometimes, some fragrances are unisex in nature and can be used by either sex. Be open minded ^_^
4) Take your time when choosing a fragrance - when testing a fragrance, walk around a little bit so that you can smell the middle and bottom notes of the fragrance.
5) Smelling a fragrance on a test strip and on the wrist gives you different results because the latter mixes the fragrance with your own body smell. Sometimes the resulting smell may not be as good as the smell on the test strip.
6) Smell coffee beans in between smelling different fragrances. Fragrance counters often have cans of coffee beans for this purpose. The beans 'reset' your nose and ensures that the fragrances that you smell do not mix with each other.

On usage...
1) Remember some fragrances can last longer than others throughout the day.
2) When a fragrance is about to wear out, spraying it on again may not give you the best of results.
3) Never spray a fragrance on clothing material. You may stain it.
4) Remember to moderately use the spray... you may not smell it yourself but others may think you sprayed too much.
5) Movies show you that you just to spray fragrances on the wrist and then rub them together before rubbing them on your neck. This is WRONG. Doing so will crush the fragrance and muddle the notes.
6) Spraying should be done where the blood is closest to the skin i.e. the nodes. Examples of nodes are the neck, the wrist and the heart. NOT the armpit!

Finally, please read the reviews of fragrances at BASENOTES. Definitely a valuable resource when shopping for a new fragrance.