Enjoying the beautiful fragrance of a perfume can be one of life’s most joyous
experiences. If you already have a few favorite aromas, well and good.
Most people stick to the fragrances that they already know. But what if
you are a newbie and do not know where to start? There are so many types
of fragrances out there, that it is easy to get overwhelmed by the
enormity of it all.

Know What You Like

The first thing to do when you want to choose a new perfume is to decide
on what you like and what you don’t. For example, do you like floral?
If you do, there are two kinds – single floral and floral bouquet. The
bouquet is of course a combination of a few flowers, resulting in a
rather heavy scent. On the other hand, there is the oriental aroma that
is quite ‘animalic’, and the
woody aroma dominated by woody scents of sandalwood, cedarwood, and
several others. There are a number of other classes of smells, and once
you know which category you like, it will be easier to focus on your
target scents.

Finding Your Signature Scent

The reason to choose a new perfume goes beyond the joy that the smell brings to your
senses. Your perfume is an extension of your personality. It is your
signature feature, something you want people to associate you with. That
is why it is important that you take your time when you choose new
perfumes. At best, you can try only two different scents in a day, and
smelling the two should be done hours apart from each other. By trying
more than one smell at one time, you might be blending the scents to
create a ‘new’ perfume that does not really exist.

Your Nose Might Shut Down

Your nose is designed with some smell sensors embedded in it. Unfortunately,
the sensors cannot handle many smells at any one time. If you force
them to smell beyond their capacity to do so, they might just shut off,
leaving you not smelling anything at all. It takes more than half an
hour in a no-smell environment to get the sensors working again. That is
why some shops provide coffee beans for their customers to sniff on
when they choose new perfumes. The beans are supposed to refresh the
senses so that you can try a couple more smells before they shut off.
This works fine on some people, but not on all. So depending on the
strength of your sensors, you might not be able to choose your new
perfume effectively in just one day.

The effort you take to choose new perfumes is well worth your while, because once you have
identified the most suitable perfume for yourself, you will be able to
enjoy it for many, many years to come.