Celebrities are constantly launching new signature perfumes - Beyoncé, Sarah Jessica Parker and Reese Witherspoon are just a few of the more recent entrants - after lengthy consultations with chemists and perfumers.
But how do the rest of us find a personal fragrance without the support of a team of scientists?
The key to fragrance bliss is finding scents that express different sides of you, according to perfume experts.
"We're not one person," says Marian Bendeth, a global fragrance expert and owner of fragrance consulting company Sixth Scents. "Consider each fragrance you wear like slivers of your personality."
Beauty and skin care expert Monica Rotariu says every woman should have a fragrance wardrobe, just as she has one for clothing.
"What fragrance you choose should depend on where you're going and what you're wearing," Rotariu says.
Bendeth says fragrance is very much like fashion. "There are different fragrances for different occasions. There is something for every mood."
If you're looking for a new fragrance to experiment with or a scent to commit to long term, Bendeth advises approaching your search like you're heading to a party full of new people. "You'll have an affinity for one over the other," she says. "You'll have a knee-jerk reaction."
The proper way to test a perfume is to apply it to clean skin, preferably on the inside of your wrists, and allow it to evolve. The scent you smell initially won't be the one you end up with.
One of the most important factors to consider is how the scent makes you feel, Bendeth says. "Where does it take you? It can be fantasy- or reality- based. Perhaps it reminds you of a trip you took or it helps you escape. Fragrance can be a mood elevator."
According to perfume critic Chandler Burr, author of The Perfect Scent, the best way to find your fragrance is through trial and error.
He suggests taking home samples of perfumes. Live with them and allow time to properly test them.
"There's nothing wrong with one on the left wrist and another on the right," Burr says. "Smell them at different times of the day. See how far they go and whether they fall apart or keep on sailing smoothly. It's work. It's worth it."
If a person is looking for a mainstream scent, Burr says there's been a surge in Oudh perfumes in the past decade that feature woody notes.
More recently, there has been a comeback for "green notes," characterized by hints of leaves and grass, and a resurgence of lotus and tea scents, says Paris-based fragrance historian Octavian Coifan, founder of fragrance blog 1000 Fragrances.
Forgotten and unusual florals, such as magnolia, mock orange and acacia have also been rediscovered, he says.
But choosing a perfume based on what is considered the "latest and greatest" is not the best way to find what's right for you, says Bendeth.
"The designer, the classification, what it costs, it doesn't matter," she says. "It's all to do with self esteem and how it smells on you. It should make you feel like a million dollars."
With so many fragrances to choose from, there is something for each side of a person's personality.
"I advise women to build their fragrant wardrobe around eight perfumes that represent the eight facets of her personality," says Coifan. "One of those perfumes I call 'the heresy' - that unexpected fragrance you'll wear like an elixir."
If you suffer from sensitive skin and have a tough time handling one fragrance, let alone eight, there are still ways to express yourself through perfumes.
"If you are sensitive to fragrance, then be sure to avoid spraying perfume directly onto your skin," says Rotariu. Instead, dot a silk ribbon or scarf with your chosen fragrance and wear it in your purse or pocket. Alternatively, there are many scented body sprays that are milder than perfumes.
When personal fragrance can be deemed intrusive, it's always important to consider where you're going when deciding what perfume to wear and how much to apply.
Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Finding+perfume+that+expresses+real/2954689/story.html#ixzz0myZRX7bJ
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