Three Simple Steps To Find Your Signature Perfume

Finding a signature perfume can be an overwhelming journey. Between the hundreds of perfume options and shop assistants who follow you too eagerly around the store till you leave with a bottle of something you actually despise, you might have even given up on it. I was in the same boat not too long ago. I tried about a hundred different perfumes trying to find my signature scent, and now I have a small collection I absolutely love. Along the way, I picked up some tips for how to go about perfume shopping. Read on for my three simple steps to find your signature perfume.

WHAT IS A SIGNATURE PERFUME AND WHY DO I NEED ONE?

For me, finding my signature scent was a big part of my style journey and how I defined myself. I’d always loved when someone I knew had such a distinctive scent that I could tell when they were in a room, or I knew immediately if a clothing item belonged to them. I wanted to find a scent that matched my fashion tastes and my personality so well that it became a necessary part of who I was.

Clearly, I was putting no pressure on the whole thing. I learned along the way that while for some, one signature scent is their goal, it’s also fine to have a few you enjoy and can keep for different seasons and occasions. Keep reading for my tips on how I found my current rotation.

THREE MOST IMPORTANT STEPS TO FIND YOUR SIGNATURE PERFUME

1.

The first step is understanding notes and paying attention to which ones work for you. When perfumers talk about notes, they’re referring to the different elements that make up a perfume. Typically, they fall into the categories of the top notes, mid notes, and base notes- they work in a sort of pyramid. The top notes are the what you smell when you first spray the fragrance- these are usually linen scents, citrus, and herbs; and they disappear after the first few minutes. The mid notes form the body of the perfume and last for bit longer than the top. These can be florals, herbs, or spices that kick in once the top notes have faded. The base notes are usually the heavier scents, woods and gourmand elements, and these last the longest on the skin and interact the most with your body chemistry.

I find that for me, it has been most helpful to take note of which base notes I like and which ones don’t dry well on my skin. I found, for instance, that perfumes with a patchouli base note typically dried down like body odor on me, and perfumes with floral base notes dried down to a sickly sweet finish. Instead, I generally liked perfumes with white floral top notes and bergamot and citrus mid notes so I stuck with those. Keep track of which notes you enjoy and look out for them when you go perfume shopping.

2.

Decide if you want an Eau de Toilette or an Eau de Parfum. These are typically written as EDT and EDP when you are purchasing a perfume online. The Eau de Toilette has a lower perfume concentration so these tend to smell lighter, last a shorter time on the skin, and also cost less than an EDP. I find that in the warmer months, it can be easier to wear an EDT because they don’t feel suffocating when you are out in the heat. On the other hand, I typically go for an EDP for the colder months when I really want my perfume to sit and envelope my body. Heat also tends to speed up reaction with your body chemistry and can cause perfumes to smell a little rancid, so always test a perfume in the heat before you buy it If you intend to wear it year round. [I have a pink rose perfume that smells divine in the winter, but in the height of summer is almost disgusting, so definitely try scents out in different temperatures] An Eau de Parfum is about 20-30 percent pure perfume essence so these last the longest on the skin and are also the most expensive iterations of a fragrance that you can get.

3.

Armed with your knowledge of notes and which kind of perfume concentration you want, the third and final step is going out and trying some fragrances. I don’t advise skipping out on this part. Perfumes smell different on everyone and it’s important to know how a scent will dry down on your own skin before you make the investment.

Perfumes are expensive, and a signature perfume will ideally last you your whole life– take your time and do the due diligence to pick the right one, or the right rotation of perfumes, for you. Much like with shopping for makeup, you never want to smell a fragrance and immediately purchase it in store. Most perfume shops have so many people going in and testing the fragrances that it’s easy for scents to blend in.

Give yourself a spritz on your wrist (don’t touch your wrists together as it disintegrates the perfume faster) and go back outside. You want to give the perfume time to completely dry down so the top notes die away, you get a sense of how the mid notes last, and you see how the base notes interact with your skin. Then, if you like how each of these pieces smell on you, and you fall in love with the idea of all of your clothes smelling like that– you go back to the shop and pick up your new signature perfume.

SHOP MY PERFUME COLLECTION

This final step might take a few days or weeks, but it is worth it for when you find that perfect signature scent. I hope this post helps you as you go fragrance shopping, and leave me a comment about which perfumes you love. I am always down to test some new ones.

Love,

Amoafoa.