Fragrance can bought bought in different strengths. Real perfume is the strongest and longest-lasting. Toilet water comes next in terms of strength. And lastly there is cologne, which is weakest by virtue of the fact that it has a lot of alcohol in it. You will pay the price according to the scent's strength, perfume being the most costly.
Choices for fragrances vary from woman to woman and scents even smell differently on different people, depending on the chemistry of their skin. Try a few out at your local department store cosmetics counter. But only try up to three at a time, and give yourself a few minutes between each sample. The olfactory glands get overloaded quickly with too many fragrances, making it hard to distinguish between them.
For a first venture into perfume you may want to stick with classic, floral fragrances. All the below have passed the test of time.
Fracas is a beautiful and popular scent, developed by Robert Piguet in Paris in 1948. A floral with powdery notes, it is a classic and the price matches its great appeal. It is known to be a favorite of both Madonna and Princess Caroline of Manaco. It is expensive and can be found in better department stores.
Chloe, on the other hand, can be bought in many drugstores such as CVS, in a toilet water formula for less money, and has a lovely and romantic flowery scent as well. Developed by the house of Lagerfeld, it comes in a pretty bottle and a pink box and therefore makes a perfect gift, as well as an attractive accessory on your dressing table.
White Shoulders by Evyan is another popular, flowery classic from the 1940s that can be purchased in drug stores. You will want to sample it first to see if it smells good on your particular skin type. It contains notes of gardenia and jasmine.
When you apply fragrance, don't just spray it on your wrists - pulse points - which you may have been taught to do as a little girl. Spray it on your throat and neckline, and into your hair. Hair is porous and retains fragrance, and when a woman leans forward in conversation or to be kissed the scent will waft around her.
But don't just save fragrance for dates! Some women like to have a special perfume for evening and another, everyday, daytime scent.
Scented soaps are a less expensive way to indulge in fragrance - a bar of a designer fragrance can be bought for about $10 and perfumes the skin all day after a bath or shower.
Take a break from fragrance once in a while - sometimes the scent of skin lathered with a drugstore soap can be a real treat. There are many men who say their favorite way for a woman to smell is for the woman to have freshly shampooed hair and the scent of soap on her skin, without any special perfume. Dove White Beauty Bar for Deep Moisture is a good, inexpensive soap that has a pleasant, mild, powdery fragrance and also moisturizes your skin.
Enjoy fragrance but don't overdo it! Even the best of scents can be overpowering in an elevator if a woman uses too heavy a hand. Try samples in stores to find a scent you like and stick with it - make it your signature. When the compliments start coming your way, you will know you have found the right fragrance.
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Many people stick with one signature scent all year long. Finding the appropriate summertime fragrance, however, will give you a chance to make the right sunshiney sensory statement. |
While the particular scents of perfumes vary, the common perfume ingredients are largely the same across the board. |
