We all watched Heart Evangelista’s perfume collection video. If you’re like us, we immediately wanted to kickstart our own collection after watching. Heart shares how certain scents retain special memories and that it’s a way to make things extra memorable. It could be an emblem of your personality too, and a new way for people to remember you. Now, if finding your signature scent is something you want to tick off your to-do list, we’ve listed down four tips to get you started below.
1. Start with a list of natural scents you like
Imagine your favorite scents in the world—the smell of coffee in the morning, the sweet scent of cake for dessert, the fresh smell of laundry. List them down and note the common denominator. Are you leaning towards sweeter scents? Do you like clean, fresh fragrances? This can help guide you find the type that can be your signature scent.
2. Know the basic scent notes
Most scents are categorized in different descriptors and differentiators. There are four basic scent note categories you’ll see in stores.
Fresh. Think citrusy fruits: Oranges, lemons and lime and clean, aquatic scents.
Woody. Most woody notes are sweet and carry a depth to it when smelled. Imagine cinnamon, sandalwood, vanilla.
Floral. Your favorite flowers in a bottle—roses, gardenia, lilies.
Oriental. Powdery with a kick. Imagine cinnamon, spices, and amber.
3. Colognes, EDTs or Perfumes?
Before you head to your nearest mall to buy a bottle, make sure you’re familiar with the different types of fragrances. These variations are mostly based on the concentration of fragrance oils in the actual liquid.
Cologne. The most common of the three, colognes have a 2-3% fragrance oils and do not last as long. The diluted mix is perfect for spraying continuously throughout the day.
Eau de toilette. Less diluted than the perfume, EDTs usually have 5-15% fragrance oils and last about 3 hours maximum.
Eau de parfum. The strongest and most long-lasting of the bunch, perfumes usually have about 30% fragrance oils. You only need to spray this once and expect to smell good all day. Because of this, most perfumes are a bit steeper in price.
4. Decided on a scent? Go fragrance shopping in the morning
Now that you know what scent to shop. We recommend going to your nearest boutique in the morning. Your olfactory system is reset in the morning and is at its most accurate. perfume.com.ph also adds: “The sense of smell is very delicate. Rule of thumb, you can’t try more than 3 perfumes because your brain will have a hard time processing the scents. But if you must try several perfumes, you might want to bring in coffee beans with you. Coffee purifies the nasal filaments and helps you regain your sense of smell.”