Trying different perfumes effectively involves understanding where and how to apply them, allowing the fragrance to evolve, and using specific techniques to assess their full character. The most common and recommended way to sample perfumes is by applying them directly to your skin, particularly your pulse points.
Choosing the Right Spot for Testing
Selecting the appropriate skin area is crucial for an accurate assessment of a perfume's scent and how it interacts with your body chemistry.
- Wrists: The wrists are the most commonly chosen spot for fragrance testing. These pulse points emit heat, which helps the perfume diffuse and develop its scent more quickly and accurately.
- Back of Hands: For convenience's sake, you may spray perfumes on the back of your hands. However, it's important to remember that the perfume will take longer to diffuse here compared to the warmer pulse points.
Crucial Testing Technique: After the fragrance dries naturally on the skin, inhale the top notes without touching your nose to the spot. This allows you to experience the initial impression without overwhelming your sense of smell or altering the fragrance's development.
Step-by-Step Guide to Testing Perfumes
Follow these steps to get the most accurate impression of a perfume:
- Prepare Your Skin: Ensure your skin is clean and free of any competing scents, lotions, or natural body odor.
- Spray Correctly: Hold the perfume bottle a few inches away from your chosen skin area (wrist or back of hand) and spray once or twice. Avoid over-spraying.
- Allow to Dry Naturally: Do not rub the perfume into your skin. Let it air dry completely. Rubbing can crush the delicate fragrance molecules and alter the scent's intended development.
- Inhale Top Notes: Once the fragrance dries naturally on your skin, gently bring your wrist or hand close to your nose (without touching it) and inhale the initial scent, also known as the top notes.
- Allow for Middle Note Development: Wait about 15-30 minutes for the top notes to fade and the middle notes (or heart notes) to emerge. These notes form the core of the fragrance.
- Experience Base Notes: After several hours (or even longer), the base notes will become prominent. These are the longest-lasting notes and provide the depth and longevity of the perfume.
- Assess Longevity: Pay attention to how long the perfume lasts on your skin. A good perfume will typically evolve over several hours.
Essential Tips for Effective Perfume Testing
To ensure you make an informed decision when trying different perfumes, consider these practical insights:
- Limit Your Tests: Test no more than two or three perfumes at a time, ideally on different arms or distinct spots. This prevents olfactory fatigue and confusion between scents.
- Use Coffee Beans: Many perfume counters offer coffee beans. Inhaling the scent of coffee beans can help reset your sense of smell between different fragrances, allowing you to appreciate each one distinctly.
- Don't Rub: As mentioned, rubbing breaks down the fragrance molecules and can change how the perfume smells and lasts.
- Consider the Dry Down: The initial spray (top notes) can be very different from the scent after it has settled (middle and base notes). Always give a perfume time to dry down and fully develop on your skin before making a judgment.
- Test at Different Times: Your body chemistry can change throughout the day or due to diet and hormones, affecting how a perfume smells on you.
- Take Samples Home: If possible, ask for samples. This allows you to test the perfume in different environments and over a full day without the pressure of a store. Understanding Fragrance Families can also guide your sample selection.
Understanding Perfume Notes
Every perfume is composed of a blend of different scents, or "notes," which unfold over time. Knowing these stages helps you evaluate a perfume's full profile:
| Note Type | Description | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Top Notes | The initial impression; light, fresh, and often citrusy or herbal. | 5-15 minutes |
| Middle Notes | The "heart" of the fragrance, emerging after the top notes; typically floral, spicy, or green. | 20-60 minutes |
| Base Notes | The deepest, richest, and longest-lasting notes; often woody, musky, or resinous. | Several hours |
Best Practices for Perfume Shopping
When you're out trying perfumes, setting yourself up for success can enhance the experience:
- Go When You're Not Rushed: Take your time. Perfume testing is an experience that shouldn't be rushed.
- Wear Unscented Products: On the day you plan to test perfumes, use unscented body wash, lotion, and deodorant to avoid any interference.
- Don't Overwhelm Your Nose: If you've smelled too many perfumes and your nose feels fatigued, take a break outside or smell plain skin before continuing.
- Ask for perfume samples: Don't hesitate to ask for small vials of perfumes you like. This is the best way to live with a scent before committing to a full bottle.
