Scents and Sensibility

Beauty

Scents and Sensibility

Bored of your usual perfume? Signature scents are all very well, but sometimes it’s good to try something new…

Sampling a perfume

If you don’t know where to start, sniff a few bottles to see which ones you want to sample. Ideally, spray the perfume on the inside of your wrist, rather than on a strip of cardboard. Over the next few hours, keep sniffing your wrist to see how the fragrance is developing. Perfume is made up of top, middle and base notes. They’re designed to complement each other, but the fragrance will gradually change as the lighter top notes evaporate, so you want to make sure you like the perfume throughout its journey. As well as deciding whether you like the scent, consider how it makes you feel. Some fragrances are uplifting, while other are more calming.

Fragrance types

Perfumes are broadly categorised into different families, the most popular of which are floral, oriental, woody and fresh (also called green). Floral scents tend to be slightly sweet and let flowers such as rose, jasmine and lily take the starring role. Oriental fragrances are spicier, with warm, sensual notes. Woody fragrances are warm and musky, with notes such as sandalwood, bark and leather, while fresh fragrances contain citrus or grassy notes to create a clean, light and invigorating perfume. You’ll also find combinations – such as floral oriental.

Perfume or eau de toilette?

The higher the concentration of fragrance, the longer it will last. Perfumes/ parfums have the highest concentration, so one spritz should last pretty much all day. However, not all fragrances are made into an actual parfum as it’s just so expensive. Eau de parfum isn’t quite as concentrated, but it should still last a good few hours. Eau de toilette is lighter and will need reapplying every few hours. Eau de cologne will need reapplying frequently. So, if you’re looking for a day perfume, go for the highest concentration that you can afford. (Do apply it sparingly if you work in a crowded environment or take public transport, however, as perfume can give some people headaches.) If you just want a fragrance to wear for an occasional evening out, you can get away with a lower concentration.

A few to try…

While gardenia takes the leading role in Gucci’s Flora Gorgeous Gardenia, the jasmine, pear blossom and brown sugar add depth and intrigue (£105 for 100ml Eau de Parfum from Boots). Nuxe’s Prodigieux® le Parfum is summer in a bottle. Orange blossom and magnolia adds sweetness, but they’re warmed and tempered by vanilla (£45 for 50ml, uk.nuxe.com). Love Jo Malone but can’t justify the price tag? Check out the legendary perfumier’s collaboration with Zara. She’s been working with the retailer for a couple of years now and you can try eight of her perfumes at home with the £15.99 sample Discover Set.