Fragrances have what is called the three-part life cycle.
Each of the three parts is made of individual scents, or notes, that are combined together into the perfume. They cannot be smelled all at the same time, but rather in succession.
• The first part is called the top note. This is the initial scent of the fragrance that hits the nose immediately after spraying onto the skin, making it the scent that one smells for the next 15 minutes to two hours after application. Typically, top notes are all sorts of light floral, citrus, fruity, and powdery scents. Sometimes, manufacturers also put in a hint of marines, aquatics, and spices in there.
• The second part is the medium note, also known as the middle or heart notes. It is called the heart note because this is the scent of the main element of the perfume. This scent comes out only once the top note has dissipated or faded and can last from three to five hours after being sprayed, meaning it builds off the scent of the top note. Fruity scents can appear here as well, but mostly it is of heavy floral scents like jasmine, or green scents like grass.
• Lastly, the third part develops near the end of the fragrance’s life, which is why it is called the base note. To make up for its last appearance, the base note is often bolder. Even though the medium note is the heart, the base note is the foundation of the fragrance, determining how long the scent is going to last on your skin. Usually, the scent from moss, smoke, vanilla, or sandalwood—which is what the base note is composed of—last from five to ten hours.
Imagine the kind of science that gets into creating this stack of scents!
Amazing, isn’t it?
In the perfume industry, there is a very wide range of scents available. So many, in fact, that you won’t be able to remember all of them.
Luckily, there are only four main fragrance families as a general guide.
Think of it as your red, blue, and yellow of perfumes: the basics, the roots of all other scents.
The four main fragrance families are: floral notes, oriental notes, woody notes, and fresh notes.
All four of these can be broken down into different scents, and/or combined in different concentrations to achieve a certain final mix of perfume.
Among others, here are the possible combinations:
• Soft oriental
• Oriental
• Woody oriental
• Woods
• Mossy Woods
• Dry woods
• Aromatic
• Citrus
• Water
• Green
• Fruity
• Floral
• Soft floral
• Floral oriental
These are just some of the choices that you can pick when finding the perfect perfume for you, and of course as a general rule each of these scents would smell different on you than on another person because of our natural scents, also known as pheromones, which is unique in each person.
Perfumes are not designed to overpower or conceal this natural smell, but rather enhance it, and that’s what you should keep in mind when shopping for a perfume.
You would need to explore each of the scents mentioned above and find the one in which you enjoy and would want to make your personal scent.
As you can see, perfumes are more complex than just being a “bad” and “good” scent.
Amazing how all these smells, mixed in different levels of concentrations, can make something that invokes feelings in us, right?
It can even transport you into a place you’ve never been before!
More on that later.
First, let us clarify what we meant by “levels of concentration.”
Before anything else, let us explain to you what fragrances are if you didn’t know it yet.
It’s okay. A lot of women technically don’t know it either.
So, fragrances are a mixture of what is called in the industry as raw materials.
These raw materials are extracts from natural sources such as fruits and flowers, or synthetic raw materials such as aldehyde.
The extracts are called perfumed oils, and they are then mixed with a solvent—usually alcohol, can also be water—to seal the pleasant concoction of scents.
The amount of these oils varies per mixes. A higher concentration would mean a stronger fragrance. This strength is then the gauge of how long the scent is going to last on your skin.
Each amount of perfumed oils per concoction—1-3% to 20-30%—are called different names, which is also why fragrance is the umbrella term for everything that ranges from eau fraiche to parfum.
What are those?
Let us elaborate with a fragrance’s concentration guide:
• Eau Fraiche
1-3% perfumed oils mixed with a solvent.
Lasts for less than an hour.
• Eau de Cologne (Cologne)
2-4% perfumed oils mixed with a solvent.
Lasts for about 2 hours.
• Eau de Toilette (Toilette)
5-15% perfumed essence mixed with a solvent.
Lasts for about 3 hours.
• Eau de Parfum (Perfume)
15-20% perfume essence mixed with a solvent.
Lasts for about 5 to 8 hours.
• Parfum
20-30% pure perfume essence mixed with a solvent. Usually oily because of the high concentration.
Can last up to 24 hours.
These are what you need to keep in mind when looking for a scent that you want a specific length of time to last for, and luckily they are usually branded outside the bottle.
Also, can you see how these terms can get confusing?
For the sake of simplicity, we’ll use perfume as a general term moving on in this article—regardless of concentration levels—since it is what fragrances are most commonly known as.
Perfume prices vary based on the kinds of raw materials used, the concentration levels, and the brand who made it.
An expensive perfume does not necessarily mean a top notch ingredient, or higher levels of scent essence.
Most importantly, a more expensive scent does not automatically mean a better fragrance because it is very possible to combine expensive materials and end up with a hideous mess.
As a matter of fact, some of the most popular scents are relatively cheap mixtures.
Such as Estee Lauder’s White Linen perfume made in 1978, which is very similar to Chanel’s No. 5 with its heavy aldehyde base, but relatively cheaper.
Now you might be wondering what drives a perfume’s price higher.
One of the factors, indeed, is the amount of perfumed oil concentrate the fragrance contains. This is why Parfums are more expensive than Eau fraiches.
However, most of the cost that we end up paying for when buying these bottles are the marketing efforts of the company and the name or image of the company itself if it is of a famous brand.
Some companies even go as far as creating their own line of scents to be part science and part marketing—that even if the scents are technically different ones, they all still feel the same because they come off from the same family of scents.
So if you’re shopping for a new bottle of perfume but is under a tight budget, check first the levels of concentration and the name of the brand, to gauge just how much a bottle should really cost and if the price is worth paying for.
In general, fruity (particularly citrus-based scents) and sweet scents mixed with vanilla or caramel for additional depth are ideal for teens because it gives off the youthful vibes which is what this age group is all about.
However, this age group is also the most conservative in their perfume choices, as well as the most capricious, borderline exaggerated.
So we recommend here the kinds of perfume from both ends of the spectrum:
• Marc Jacobs DOT – Marc Jacobs
This scent is perfect for all little miss sunshine out there. Its notes of red berries, coconut water, musk, and honeysuckle are a little ray of sunshine in itself, mirroring its sunny character.
• Viva La Juicy – Juicy Couture
The scent of this perfume is just light enough to wear to school and not too overwhelming like a lot of other flowery scents out there. The fun and crisp smell is made from wild berries, mandarin, with notes of honeysuckle, jasmine and woods.
• Wonderstruck – Taylor Swift
Who doesn’t love Taylor Swift, right? Even her signature scent is also loved by everyone. It is made of sandalwood, honeysuckle, hibiscus, apple, blossom, freesia, and golden amber, making up that very sweet smell that teenagers just love. It is fancy, with just a hint of some traditional scent.
Most women aged 20 to 29 are still very adventurous, so if you fall under this category, do not be afraid to try all kinds of scents. It’s only natural to do that before you can find what you’re really looking for.
Additionally, young women are also the most influenced in their perfume choices by outside factors like the current trends. They are the most conforming to cultural and media advertisements in magazines and televisions—but for a good reason, too.
The reason why they prefer famous brands more than all other age groups is because said famous brands really do have something that they fancy.
• Eros Pour Femme by Versace is the right fit for if you’re on that stage where you are still dating around, finding the right man for you. It is inspired by the god of love, Eros, so it is a sexy combination of sandalwood, musk, and various woody notes with just a hint of citrus.
• Ralph Lauren’s Style would be great for you if you are one of those hard-working women that strive to excel in their jobs. It’s full of violet leaves, orange floral, jasmine, gardenia, vanilla, and a hint of musk, making it perfect for a day at the office.
• Princess Night by Vera Wang is one of the go to of young women out there who still like amazingly sweet perfumes. It is concocted from crushed sugar, vanilla, and some woody notes. It smells sweet, youthful, and yet grown up.
Women in the 30’s decade of life appears to be in some transition between the emotionality of the 20’s and the practicality of the 40’s, so it is not a surprise that when it comes to their perfume choices, they are a little bit confused.
A lot of these women find that they should let go of their favorite 20’s scents, and move to a more mature selections.
If you’re one of the confused ones, then we’ve got a few choices for you to try out:
• Signorina Eleganza by Salvatore Ferragamo is a luxurious fragrance that celebrates feminine grace and sophistication. It has a head note of grapefruit and pear, a heart of almost powder and golden osmanthus petals, and a base of patchouli and white leather.
• One of the most popular and best-selling perfume in the world is Tresor by Lancome, and it is most commonly used by women of age 30s. It started production way back in 1990, and it is still famous among women these days. Its warm floral-oriental scent is concocted from rose, heliotrope, orris, apricot, and iris.
• Bvlgari Pour Femme by Bulgari is a feminine classic with its top note of bergamot, violet leaves, and orange blossom. In the heart is jasmine Sambac, followed at the base by the powdery coldish iris, musk, and sandal wood.
Self-awareness and self-understanding is what the 40’s age group is all about, and it translates even up to their perfume choices.
Additionally, they are quite the opposite of the women aged 20+, because they cannot be swayed by advertisements on televisions and magazines anymore. The trend just doesn’t appeal to them.
If you’re by this age, you should already have your signature scent nailed down, but if not, here’s a few selections:
• Chanel’s No. 5 Eau Premiere is kind of the go to perfume for mature women. The original No. 5 is a classic, but the Eau Premiere is quite different from the original in a way that it is less rich and bombastic for everyday use.
• Dubbed as a very memorable perfume, Thierry Mugler’s Angel is a blend of food-related notes like chocolate, vanilla, honey, berry, bergamot, and caramel mixed with warm spicy and patchouli. Because it is less a conventional blend, people easily remember the unique scent.
• Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana is one of the bestsellers in the US, and it is because no one can beat it for making the wearer feel refreshed. With its combination of musk, apple, jasmine, and rose notes, it is like the Mediterranean in a bottle!
According to a study, Women in ages 50 and older are the most confident and the most content with themselves.
Needless to say, they are not affected by the opinion of the opposite sex when it comes to their perfume choices.
They choose based on their own preferences and tastes.
If you‘re in this age group and have not chosen one for yourself yet or would like to celebrate the new woman you’ve become, you might be interested to try these recommendations:
• Coco by Chanel is a classic for a reason, and that is because mature women love it so much. Its mix of amber, Bulgarian rose, Spice Island clove bud, frangipano, mimosa, and jasmine is a sweet scent that is perfect for both morning until evening.
• Burberry London by Burberry is a perfume that is all about relaxation, confidence, and feminine elegance. It is mixed from clementine, honeysuckle, tiare flower, jasmine and peony, with hints of patchouli, sandalwood, and musk.
• Jo Malone offers Dark Amber & Ginger Lily Cologne Intense for that untraditional woman who prefers unique scents. Its top note is black cardamom, a heart of black orchid, and a base note of the rare kyara wood incense, which is prized in the Japanese art of incense appreciation.
So that is how you choose the best perfume for women based on your age, but what if you want a unique scent for a special occasion? We’ve got that covered for you below as well!
It is your wedding day in a couple of weeks or days, and you’ve got everything already perfectly planned out.
But what about that wedding scent?
Going astray from your usual perfume for this special day is actually a very good idea, so that only this scent is associated with the memory, making the day even more special.
However, finding the perfect wedding scent is as hard as finding the perfect wedding dress—they are actually even in the same stress levels.
So we’ve picked out a few samples to help you get started on this treacherous road of finding the best perfume for your wedding day.
• If you’ve set up your ceremony to be the “Wedding of the Year,” even down to that fairytale feel, then Illuminum’s White Gardenia Petals is perfect for you. This is the verified perfume that Kate Middleton wore on her wedding day, so it is guaranteed that you’ll feel like a princess wearing this while walking down the aisle.
• Le Labo Santal’s33 is the best perfume for you if you’re the kind of bride who wants to break off from the mold. It definitely is not a feminine fragrance, with its leathery and musky smell. But,it is a unisex scent with masculine notes, so your groom might get drawn to its familiarity.
• If you’re a bride that is somewhere in the middle—not too girly and not quite rebellious—then Penhaligon’s Iris Prismai your scent. It’s top notes of bergamot and pink pepper, heart of iris and jasmine, and a base of leather and sandalwood is not too strong and not too soft, balancing at just the right strength so when you hug a wedding guest or a family member, they remember the scent too.
A couple of years back, a news about fragrance have broken the internet.
It was a breakthrough with science.
What was it?
Well, researchers from Queen’s University in Belfast, Ireland published in the journal “Chemical Communications” a study stating that a delivery system for perfume can ensure that a person smells better the more they sweat.
The researchers have tested this by isolating molecules that allow the fragrance to be released in response to moisture.
This delivery system is created by tagging a raw fragrance to an ionic liquid, which has no smell. Once this makes contact with water—like sweat—it releases the aroma.
But wait, it gets even better!
Since it is an ionic liquid, the thiol particles that makes sweat smell bad are attracted to it, so they get trapped in it and lose their power!
Isn’t that just perfect for a female athlete who wants to stay fresh even during training and competitions?
Here’s the catch though: they have not developed a perfume out of it yet.
Yes, we know.
Bummer.
Luckily, there are other fragrances available out there for the sporty you, and here are some of them:
• If smelling fresh all day is your goal, then DKNY’s Be Delicious is the perfect for this purpose. It is a blend of jasmine, apricot, cassis, and grapefruit, giving it that fresh scent that is naturally bright as well.
• If the floral scent is more like your thing even when training or competing, Viktor & Rolf’s Flowerbomb is everything its name suggests, so it should be on your top choices. It blends freesia, orchid, jasmine, rose and many more flowers to achieve that feminine energy.
• For earthy tone lovers out there, there is also a suggestion for you: Sporty Citrus by Michael Kors. Its blend of mandarin orange, jasmine, and patchouli is where it got its name. These ingredients are unmistakable in its scent too.
If you work at an industry that makes you meet with various different kinds of people every day, wearing the wrong perfume can be a disaster.
It would be so easy for someone else in the enclosed meeting room to say that your perfume is too strong that they can smell if from across the 20-foot table and it would totally wreck you, throw you off your game even.
You could lose a business opportunity because of it.
This is why choosing the right perfume for a very important meeting should be contemplated properly.
Here are a few options:
• Prada Amber by Prada has a top note of bergamot, bitter orange, mandarin, and mimosa absolute. Meanwhile, its middle notes are rose absolute, and patchouli absolute, finishing it off with a base of labdanum, tonka beans, vanilla, sandalwood, and benzoin. It is the perfect scent to give you that extra oomf for that nerve-wracking meeting.
• Parfums Berdoues offers its 1902 Vetiver as an intense and striking scent that is both stimulating and relaxing, which is everything that you need for a meeting. Its notes of Artemisia, lavender, sunflower, oak leaves, vetiver, musk, verbena, and sage fuels strength and success for the wearer.
• A lot people know that a clean smelling perfume could just never go wrong. Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh is ideal for making sure that you impress that potential client or partner.
Having a scent is all about setting a mood, creating a vibe, or letting the people you’re with know what you’re feeling, so choosing a scent that is based on your party plans is actually really logical.
And it doesn’t even matter where the party is happening.
Just because you’re having a party at a friend’s humble place doesn’t mean that you don’t need a special scent for it, because you do.
Here’s a few choices:
• BottegaVeneta has a laid-back scent in a form of their Parco Palladiano IV. It is equal parts weighty florals, wood, a hint of chestnut, and finished off with vanilla absolute. It specifically doesn’t have rose, but for some they can detect that very, very soft rose vibes.
• Want to be the heart and life of the party? Then what you are looking for is Carolina Herrera Fragrances’ VIP 212 Rosé. It is inspired by vodka cocktail with frozen mint, but more feminine than its 212 VIP Men counterpart.
• Of course, this list is not going to be complete without the original party girl, Paris Hilton. The perfume Paris Hilton, which namesake is obviously its maker, has a melon note at the top, which is rare in fragrances, along with peach and apple. In the middle, there are white floral that balances out the top notes. At the base are sandalwood, moss, and musk.
So you have a date and you’ve already picked the perfect dress for it, as well as the accessories to compliment it with.
He’s also chosen the romanticrestaurant at the city for the venue, and he’s picking you up at seven on Saturday night.
You really, really like this guy.
He’s the right amount of gentleman and funny, based on the conversations you’ve had.
You double check your things days before and think everything is just fine and dandy.
Or is it?
Have you picked yet the perfume to make him swoon over you? Really seal his attention to you?
If not, then you’ve come to the right place.
We have a few suggestions to keep those eyes locked on you all night.
• Giorgio Armani’s Sí is being promoted by Cate Blanchett and very rightly so! She embodies everything the perfume is: chic, voluptuous, intense, and yet soft. The perfume’s top note of blackcurrant nectar, a heart of freesia and Rose of Mal, and a musky base lingers on skin and would surely enchant your date.
• Chanel’s tag line for their perfume Chance Eau Tendre is “take a chance on love,” and when you’re wearing this, it would be such a waste to not live up to that. Its delicate fruity floral scent is just the right amount of sexy to captivate your date.
• Romance is Ralph Lauren’s entry into the dating field, and the name fits it just right. It is literally romance in a bottle, with its combination of extravagant flowers, velvety woods, and soothing musk.
Listed above are just a few suggestions on what scent you can wear for any possible occasion you might come across with, so take your time to consider every option! If you’re looking for something to make you feel even sexier, continue reading.
If you’re having one of those days in our lives that you want to feel extra beautiful than usual, then a good perfume is exactly what you need.
A sniff of the right one would give you that additional push that you need.
Try some of these and see if they don’t instantly make you feel even more beautiful:
• In this field, nothing beats Escentric Molecules’ Molecule 01.It is based around a single note called Iso E Super, which job is to softly enhance the wearer’s natural pheromones, making her more mysteriously alluring to people who happens to take a whiff of her scent.
• Kilian offers a scent called Straight to Heaven, which scent is built with strong tones of patchouli, rum, and spice. There is also cedar and it nicely stands out, giving it that signature woody vibe, adding bounce to the wearer’s steps all at the same time.
• If you want something that features an ideal balance of passion and peace, then L’Instant de Guerlain by Guerlain is what you are looking for. The top is of anise and jasmine, a heart of patchouli, cedar, Indian sandalwood, Lapsang tea, cocoa beans, and lavender, finished with a base of hibiscus seeds and musk.
We all know that our everyday routines can get tiring sometimes.
Seeing the same things, and doing the same things every day.
You might want to go to on a vacation but you’re low on budget, or you’ve already used up all those vacation leaves.
The next best thing: travelling even when in place.
How?
Simple: perfumes.
Scents, aside from giving you the power to remember a certain place, can also give you the feelings of being in a different place without even having to leave work or the place where you’re at, much like a book does.
If you want to take that vacation now, here’s what you should try:
• Maison Margiela is notorious for making perfumes that can take you places just by its scent. Their best yet is probably By The Fireplace. It is a replica of the scent of burning wood and chestnut in the year 1971, in Chamonix, France. It doesn’t only transport you to a place, but even back in time!
• If the beach is more like your thing, then Calypso St. Barth’s Casablanca is what you’re looking for. Its combination of coconut and sandalwood instantly transport you into an exotic white sand beach, even when in fact you’re under the harsh white lighting of your office.
• Now if you’re neither the fireplace nor the beach kinda gal, then you might like Derek Lam’s 10 Crosby Rain Day. If you haven’t guessed yet by its name, it is a Paris rainfall in a bottle. The scent includes vetiver Haiti and neroli Tunisia to give you that smell of city streets under the rain.
According to Danielle Fleming, a fragrance expert and founder of Note Fragrances, when you put on a fragrance that you connect to positively, it can instantly make you feel confident.
Now we all have different opinions on fragrances that we feel connected to, which is why a perfume that can make someone feel confident, might not have the same effect on another person.
However, the mentioned expertstill gave some suggestions for the kind of person that you are, so you might feel connected to these:
• If you’re an introvert, of course you would not want that much attention to yourself, so a perfume that isn’t too strong, but would still give you that confidence boost, would be just right for you. One of these scents is Splash Cucumber by Marc Jacobs, as it is fresh, and clean.
• On the other hand, if you’re an extrovert, feeling confident equates to pushing some boundaries just a little bit by choosing scents from floral oriental and gourmand notes. Example of this is the classic Mugler’s Alien, with its floral-woody-amber scent that borders on sensuality and spirituality.
• Another one to lift your spirits is Chanel’s Chanel No. 19. It is a floral, woody, and green fragrance that is a unique blend of sophistication. It’s top notes are green notes and bergamot. The heart is rose and iris, while the base is vetiver, oakmoss, and leather.
In the previous chapter, we’ve given you suggestions for the perfect perfume for a romantic date.
But what if it’s your second date and you’re feeling especially carnal this time?
You want to up the level of that meetingto something sexier?
You can definitely do that!
And the answer, quite literally, is just right under your nose.
To be even more irresistible to your date, the key ingredients to the perfume that you’re looking for are vanilla and musk.
Vanilla is this special scent that targets the brain’s reward part, so when someone smells it, they feel rewarded.
As for musk, it is the scent that carries pheromones that attract potential mates that even though sexy is subjective, that man will not be able to resist you on your night date wearing a perfume that has this note.
Neat, isn’t it?
Here are some selections you can try to give that date a little something extra *wink*:
• 1981 is the most alluring and sensual scent from Guess’ collection, making the wearer instantly sexy with its clean top notes, fruity-floral heart, and woody-musky base.
• Tom Ford debuted Atelier d’Orient Shanghai Lily in 2013 and it instantly has become an anthem for women who want to feel sexy. It is a blend of floral notes, spicy notes, vetiver, cashmere wood, incense, and of course vanilla.
• Believed to have been created in the 1920’s at the Kiehl Apothecary’s vat labeled “Love Oil,” Kiehl’s Musk Essence Oil is your perfect fix for musk. Since it is essentially made with its name sake, it possesses the seductive powers that you need for extra boost.
If you love classic perfumes but would like to feel younger, we have bad news for you.
Unfortunately, the thing about classic perfumes is that it is a classic. Meaning, our grandmothers, or mothers, have worn it for years, making us associate it with their ages.
So the key to finding the right perfume to make you feel ageless is choosing one that isn’t already a classic.
A company in New York, Harvey Prince Co., has even conducted an experiment in 2018 to prove this.
The clinical test included 75 men with ages between 20 and 60 years. These men were instructed to smell women who wear a particular scent, such as vanilla, rose, patchouli, blueberry, apple, and other aromas and they would guess how old the woman is.
In conclusion, they found out that men associated the scent of a rose and/or lavender to their grandmother. Meanwhile, grapefruit and mango turned out to remind them of young women.
So keeping these in mind, here’s a selection to get you started on choosing the right one for you:
• The company who conducted the research mentioned above, Harvey Prince,has come up with a perfume in result of it, and they call it Ageless Fantasy. Its blend of mango and pineapple in the beginning, heart of jasmine and cherry blossom, and base notes of sensual musk turns back the time and make the wearer feel 8 years younger.
• Bvlgari’s Green Tea perfume capitalizes on the mix of Italian bergamot, Tunisian bitter orange, Spanish orange blossom, Ceylon cardamom, Jamaican pepper, Russian coriander, Bulgarian rose, Egyptian jasmine, green tea, and smoked wood. It would instantly make the wearer feel younger!
• For a floral and tangy mix of mandarin, orange, lily, orange blossom, rose, and wood notes, Issey Miyake’s I’Eau D’Issey Florale is the one for you. It’s citrus scent is also proven to deduce a couple of years to the wearer’s age.
Feel like these selections are not enough for you? We’ll also teach you how to choose based on the seasons! Just keep on reading.
– This perfume conglomerate have bagged 20 honors from the Fragrance Foundation since 2001, which includes Fragrance of the Year, Best Packaging of the Year, and a couple of Consumer’s Choice Awards. With these, it is safe to say that their perfumes are top notch.
-This brand’s Polo and Lauran collection is an icon in the perfume industry, and rightfully so because a lot of people loved it. If you asked anyone if they knew of Ralph Lauren Safari, chances are they know about it, that’s how iconic Ralph Lauren’s fragrances are.
– Chanel have created an impressive perfume portfolio ever since the debut of their first ever scent, Chanel No. 5, in 1921 which remains as the world’s most iconic perfume even in the present. A lot of people’s go to scent is still one from this house.
-Once described as “the only true nose in all America,” Estee Lauder was a revolution in her time. It was even said that she changed the course of fragrance history. Even though their first perfume ever (that doubles as bath oil), Youth Dew remains to be this house’s worldwide bestseller.
– Jo Malone is one of the early people who advocated layering of perfumes. Her perfume line are mostly unisex and often focused on just a single note or a combination of two or three essences, making it perfect for combining with other scents in the collection to create a unique on the skin. They are also great for just wearing at once.
-Although Marc Jacobs have only started offering perfumes in 2001, they have already collected quite a following. Their most famous line might just be their colognes that emphasized on just one note, such as Cotton, Cucumber, Fig, or their most famous Daisy.
– Famous for her bridal gowns, Vera Wang’s perfumes are also revolving around a bridal theme, evident in her scents like Sheer Veil and Bouquet. Her most successful scent to date is Princess, which inspired a series of popular flankers.
– This house is known for its elaborately designed perfume bottles, complete with almost vintage decals and ribbons. Their market is mostly young women who are still in the sweet and flowery perfume phase, but they also offer a couple of mature scents.
– Avon, if you didn’t know, is an old perfume house, its first name being The California Perfume Company established in 1886. Their debut line was their Little Dot Set which is now a limited edition, but stillremains to be a staple in the perfume industry.
– Killian Hennessy came from the family of cognac-makers, but he has made a reputation on perfumes by his own. Most of his company’s perfumes are unisex, and focuses on sustainability and ecology through the use of refillable and reusable packaging. The formulas for each perfume are also open for everyone in their official website.
The names above barely skim the top of the huge perfume industry iceberg, but those are some of the good places to start if you want to search your signature scent by brand.
Summer is the season for being carefree.
No matter what your age is, once summer rolls around you’re almost always sure to be craving that adventure, and the smell of saltwater, i.e. the beach.
However, along with this season is sweating more than usual.
Luckily, both wanderlust and sweatiness can be fixed by a bottle of perfume!
Here are some options for you:
• We might have already mentioned above, but Marc Jacob’s Daisy is also great in reminding you of running through a field of daisies on a bright summer day. It is a mix of daisy, driftwood, and crystallized cloudberries like summer in a bottle.
• Atelier Colognehas successfully captured the warm summer beaches of California in its Clementine California scent. The mix of citrusy note with hints of juniper and mandarin gives it that perfect tropical vibe for intense fresh feeling.
• Chloé’s Nomade perfume is a mix of freesia, marble plum, and oakmoss designed to embody a free-spirited woman. It is not your usual floral so you can wear it all summer while going on adventures.
Autumn, or fall as known to some, has a lot of symbolic meaning.
For most, however, it is the perfect time for self-reflection, awareness, and mindfulness. Also a chance to finish that reading list you’ve made in the summer.
And there is no better way to help you get into that self-discovery and book-immersion zone than a nice spritz of a scent.
Which is why you should try some of these:
• Mugler’s Aura is contained in a bottle in the shape of a heart, reflecting life, luck, hope, and intuition. Its scent is a combination of tiger liana plant, bourbon vanilla absolute, and wolfwood for that intense smokiness.
• Fan di Fendi Blossom by Fendi is just the right amount of floral, sweet, fruity, and fresh. It is finished by a just a little hint of musk for that perfect balance to remind you of fall.
• Another cozy bottle of perfume is Carolina Herrera’s Gold Incense EDP. Spearheaded by boswellia incense, cedarwood, vanilla, and notes of marigold, it feels like wearing a comfy sweater. And, oh, the bottle is of gold!
Winter is the opposite of summer, both in its type of climate and in the kind of perfumes that you would want to wear during these times.
If summer is all about going out there and being carefree, winter is all about staying indoors while being warm and cozy—and perfumes just happen to be perfect for that.
Spritz one of these on your skin, and you would be cozier than a cashmere sweater:
• Michael Kors’ Sexy Ruby is a juicy scent with combinations of raspberry and apricot notes. It has a musky undertone as well because it has jasmine sambac and cashmere (which sounds like cheating! But we’re totally not complaining) woods.
• If you want to be reminded of the smell of fireplace, then you should try Byredo’s Super Cedar because it is filled with notes of rose petals, vetiver, musk, and of course cedarwood.
• Atelier Cologne has once again successfully caged a season in a bottle with their Café Tuberosa scent. Think coffee, tuberose flower, spicy cardamom, and velvety vanilla for all the comfy feel that you need.
Out of all the four seasons, spring is the most fitting face for a new beginning.
This is when previously lifeless things come back to being.
Quite possibly, it also signifies the blooming of a woman and her self-awareness.
And what better to celebrate that with than a fitting scent?
Choose from here:
• Since this is spring we’re talking about, expect that we’d suggest the floral scent of Mon Guerlain’s Florale Guerlain. It’s feminine and floral, with rich jasmine and sensual vanilla that is finished by delicate peony and lavender.
• Bloom is also another good choice for spring—and no, it is not Troye Sivan’s new song. It is by Gucci and it promotes being classic, pretty, inclusive, alluring, and sophisticated—which it successfully makes the wearer feel.
• Inspired by the World War I front-line nurses, known as Roses, who saved lives in the deserted border between two opposing armies, Byredo’s Rose of No Man’s Landi just as complicated. It has top notes of pink roses and Turkish rose petals.The heart is raspberry blossom and Turkish rose absolute, while the base is papyrus and white amber.
At this point, you might have already found the perfume for you, and the next step would be to choose the bottle size, which we will elaborate later on.
Now if you still haven’t decided on a signature perfume, we still have one way to help you.
• Kenzo Flower by Kenzo perfectly captures what poppies could possibly smell like if it has a smell. The Asian bestseller is a mix of parma violet, wild hawthorn, cassis, and rose.
• Oud is a luxury raw material for perfume makingall over the world. It is so rare because it is a dark, scented resin that is a reaction of the Southeast Asian agar tree to a particular type of mold. And it is even said that only very, very old agar trees contract this type of mold, making it even rarer. That didn’t stop Tom Ford from making a collection out of it, though, calling them Oud Wood and Tobacco Oud. Take it carefully, though, because it is an acquired taste.
• African Aromatics specializes in creating scents that is based on African countries. Their African Dawn opens with fresh herbal notes, a heart of Comorian ylangylang, Egyptian jasmine and Moroccan rose, mixed with coriander, cinnamon, cloves, and buchu.
• Inspired by the African amber, which is a valued gemstone, wearing Prada’s L ‘Eau Ambree is like wearing the said stone like an accessory to beautify you. The perfume have captured the essence of the stone, mixed with citruses and rose.
• There are not a lot of Australian perfumeries around, but there are a some very promising indie brands like One Seed, who makes their perfumes 100% natural, 80% organic, vegan. And definitely cruelty-free. Their Freedom has been dubbed as the “best organic beauty dupe for Chanel No 5.”
• Another indie perfume house is Soh Perfumes. Their flagship is Baptiste which opens with floral of iris, geranium, and roses. It then dives into a woody and amber pool, making it perfect for wearing all day and night.
• 30% of perfumes all over the world is still being manufactured in Europe, so it is safe to say that there could be a lot of choices from here. Definitely a great choice is Versace’s Bright Crystal, which is inspired by the founder’s favorite floral fragrances—yuzu, pomegranate, peony, magnolia, lotus flower, and vegetal amber.
• A little less famous option is Cacharel’s Amor Amor. It is fizzy, bubbly, and uncomplicated yet distinctive. The orange top note in this perfume is so good that it’s often used as a base for other citrus fragrances.
• Like mentioned above, the rare raw material oud can also be found in the Middle East. This is why Creed’s Royal Princess Oud is probably the most famous perfume for the Arabian women.
• If oud is not your thing, there are also other options for attars. Attars are perfume oils made from flower petals, and sometimes it has exotic woods as well. Amouage’s Tribute is an attarthat doesn’t have oud, but instead a unique hand-harvested silver frankincense mixed with traditional base of patchouli, leather, cedar, and vetiver.
This are a very short examples, to be honest, of what you can find once you dive deeper into a lot smaller regions when looking for a unique scent.
The beauty of looking into the indie perfume industry is that you’ll find a lot of mysterious ingredient in their perfumes that other huge and established companies would never dare to try.
Perfumes are sometimes like wine: they can be an acquired taste.
So like those indie companies, be bold and dare to try out a scent that not a lot of people would instantly love!
Since perfumes are manufactured in different bottle sizes, they are usually measured in milliliters (ml) or US fluid ounces (US fl. oz. with or without the period).
However, it gets confusing, because there is also UK fl. oz. which is a little bit different than its US counterpart.
Different in a way that a 3.4 US floz is 100.55 in ml, but a 3.4 UK floz is only 96.60 in ml.
Sometimes the labels are just written as floz and that is confusing as well. But, if you’re purchasing from North America, it is safe to assume that it meant US fl oz.
Here are the common bottle sizes of perfumes:
• 0.05 floz (1.5ml) are usually sample vials for when you don’t want to commit to a certain fragrance just yet or when purchasing samples online. They also sometimes come in 2, 2.5, and 3 ml bottles.
• 0.17 floz (5ml)are the kind of bottles that would fit in your purse when you’re up and about.
• 0.5 FL OZ (15ml) is the usual size of tall and thin bottles. They also fit nicely in your pouch, as well as 8ml and 10ml bottles which are also common.
• 0.8 FL OZ (25ml)
• 1 FL OZ (30ml) is the usual go-to size.
• 1.4 FL OZ (40ml)
• 1.7 FL OZ (50ml) is another go-to size.
• 2 FL OZ (60ml)
• 2.5 FL OZ (75ml)
• 2.7 FL OZ (80ml)
• 3 FL OZ (90ml)
• 3.4 FL OZ (100ml) is one of the most common bottle sizes as well.
• 4.2 FL OZ (125ml)
With all those sizes indicated above, you might be wondering now which is the perfect bottle size to buy.
Of course, it all depends in the situation.
If you’re trying a new scent, a sample size would be best—30ml or less.
If you would like to always have a handy bottle in your purse at all times, a 5ml or 15ml bottle would be great.
If you absolutely lovedanew scent (provided you’ve given it enough time to really figure that out) or you’re just repurchasing an old perfume that you already love, then you can go ahead and buy the biggest size you can afford because it is generally cheaper than buying a couple of smaller ones.
Even if you don’t finish off that huge bottle immediately, it would not evaporate all on its own as long as you keep it in a cool dry place.
However, if you’re in the department store and happen to find a perfume that you love, it still isn’t safe to buy a huge bottle of it. Chances are, you’ve tried other scents, and as the time passes by they get mixed up in your olfactory.
Also, the scent of a perfume changes over time, as discussed in chapter one,so you should give a scent a few hours to know if it’s really going to work for you.
If you buy a huge bottle of that and realize that you don’t like it anymore the next time that you wear it, then it would just go to waste.
Another instance that you might come across is international or domestic flights.
Of course, you wouldn’t want to travel anywhere else without your trusty bottle of perfumes.
For this case, a 100ml (3.4 floz) bottle would be perfect, and because it is such a handy size you can carry more than just one perfume and it would not weigh down your bags. Of course, you would still need to check with your airline about this since it differs by airline.
Other famous brands even capitalize on this, as they offer their fragrances in 3 x 15ml travel sets.
But what if you want a huge bottle of your beloved perfume and would want to carry it everywhere but it just wouldn’t fit on your purse?
You have two options: spoil yourself and buy a huge bottle to keep in your dresser and buy a small travel-sized pack to keep in your purse, or buy a huge bottle to keep in your dresser and get an extra smaller bottle for decanting.
The process for decanting is quite complicated, however, so make sure that you won’t lose any important essences when doing it.
Excellent research work enjoyed the work
Glad to heard that. Thank you