How to Choose a Perfume

"Perfume: any smell that is used to drown a worse one" -- Elbert Hubbard


For some reason I’ve always been super-sensitive to how people smell. I tend to link emotions and memories to smells very easily, but I think we all do.

My cousin worked in a perfume shop for a couple of years, and earlier this year when I visited her she showed me how to chose the perfect perfume. There’s a lot more to it than you’d imagine.

Here’s what she taught me:

1. Go to a proper perfume shop and talk to the assistants - no matter how tarty they look, they probably know their stuff.
2. Decide whether you want a perfume, ‘eau de parfum’ or an ‘eau de toilette’. Perfumes are the strongest and generally only used in the evening. Eau de parfum is the second strongest, and eau de toilette is a lighter, less concentrated (and consequently, cheaper) scent which is what most people wear on a daily basis.
3. Tell the assistant what smells you like, and try some of their recommendations.
4. Spray testers on the sample pieces of paper they give you, when you find one you like, ask to try similar ones.
5. Sniff coffee beans between testing the perfumes – it clears your nose - like the nose equivilent of a sorbet - most shops will have some for you.
6. When you have narrowed it down to two choices, spray one on each of your forearms.
7. Do not touch the perfume or rub it into your skin, this will bruise the scent.
8. Leave them for half an hour or so – this lets it settle, as most perfumes will change their smell depending on your skin.
9. Chose the one you like best, obviously.
   

With the perfume you wear daily, it’s generally said that if you can’t smell your own perfume then it suits you.

Now hopefully you’ll all stop smelling like a goblin’s jockstrap. Everyone's a winner. Especially the goblins.