From finding a scent, choosing between a perfume or an eau de toillete, to learning whether you should layer, there are many choices to consider when shopping for a fragrance.
But choosing a signature scent doesn’t have to be difficult. Jan Moran, the creator of the Sephora Fragrance Finder by Scentsa, a touch-screen technology that helps shoppers find and learn about perfume, offers the following tips:
– Know your scents. Scents are typically grouped into five categories — floral, fresh, spicy and warm, woody and earthy, and brisk aromatics. Different scent groups appeal to different personalities.
For example, fresh scents, which include citrus, aquatic and fruit aromas, speak to a sunny personality, while woody and earthy fragrances can seem soothing and calm. Sephora’s Scentsa offers a “Discover Your Signature Scent Style Quiz,” which can help you determine what scents will best appeal to you.
“With more than 500 new fragrances launched each year, you really have to be educated to find a scent that works for you,” says Moran. “Scentsa’s touch-screen application features current information on more than 6,000 fragrances, so it helps customers find confidence when shopping.”
– Try fragrance wardrobing. Once you know what scents you like, change your perfume for different occasions, moods and climates. Choose rich scents during the winter and lighter fragrances for summer. Relax with vanilla and lavender, energize with rose and tuberose.
– Choose a fragrance strength. Perfume is the most intense form of fragrance, followed by eau de parfum, eau de toilette and eau de cologne. Intensity, however, does not mean that the scent will be bold and strong, only that it will last longer on your skin.
– Apply fragrance at your pulse points. Your pulse points are behind your ears, at your throat and the nape of the neck, in the decolletage (collar), on your wrists, in the crook of your elbow, behind your knees and on your ankles. Spray fragrance for a more even application.
– Store your fragrance correctly. For maximum shelf life, store fragrances in a cool, dry place with the cap tightly secured. Keep fragrances away from direct sunlight.
