How to select your perfume well

We all want to smell nice and worn right a perfume can be the ultimate seduction or an absolute turn-off. Vibhuti Jaitly gives tips on how to select your fragrances and how to make its effect last longer.

A perfume is a mixture of essential oils mixed with alcohol, aroma compounds and solvents. The concentration of these ingredients decide the longevity of the perfume. Scent of a human being is unique because of the unique body chemistry and ph balance. Notes of a perfume interact with the human scent and create an individual scent of a person.

Perfumes can be broadly categorised into the following categories:

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1. Eau de toilette(EdT): They contain approximately 4-8% aromatic compounds . The longevity is not that strong.

2. Eau de parfume (EdP): They are more concentrated than EdTs, they approximately contain 8-15% aromatic compounds and are a bit expensive.

3. Perfume extract or simply known as perfume: They contain 15-30% of the compound. They are the strongest, long lasting and also the most expensive of the lot.

All the perfumes have three notes – the top note, which evaporates first and quickly but provides the first impression, middle note which emerges just prior to when the top note fades away. and the base, which is the actual scent. The base and the middle note is the main theme of the perfume.

Do’s and don’ts
Apply the perfume on the pulse points such as wrists, throat, behind the earlobes and from a distance of at least 4-5 inches. Don’t rub your wrists together after spraying the perfume as it reduces the effect of the perfume. Application on the pulse points increases the longevity of the perfume.

One round of application on the pulse point is sufficient unless you perspire a lot. Subtleness is the key to application.

Never mix different perfumes at the same time - the mixture will leave you smelling horrible.

Don’t wear a perfume like a uniform. Try different fragrances for the day, occasions and for that matter different seasons. Be experimental!

Focus on your favourite smell while choosing, it can be fruity, floral, citrus,woody, spicy, aquatic, gourmand (scents with edible qualities such as vanilla, coffee)

Some perfumes are suitable for a certain age group, don’t hesitate and ask from the person selling the perfume.

A fragrance will smell different after a few minutes of application, don’t rush into buying any fragrance, let it settle down for a while and then decide. After all you don’t want to splurge on a fragrance you are allergic to.