Perfume should be chosen exclusive as exclusive you think you are to someone or yourself. Shop for perfume when you have time to browse, relax and enjoy what is essentially a luxurious experience. Take a hint from perfumes you already like. Chances are your favorites will fall into two or three of the perfumes that families. You can then find other perfumes that you like from the same family.
Experts also suggest that you avoid shopping at the end of your menstrual cycle when your sense of smell is weakest- it’s strongest from the beginning of the cycle to some where midway. Once you have found a perfume that suits you it is important to know how to apply it. Perfumes should be stored out of direct sunlight or they will lose their potency. For this dab the scent on the warm pulse points of your body on the wrists behind the ears behind the knees and on the skin in between your breasts. It is no use applying it under the arms as he effect wears out by soon. Don’t expect any scent to last longer than four hours. So do carry your scent bottle in your bag to use during the day.
Pick a signature scent, preferably a modern floral they suit everyone and stick with it. It’s the nicest way to be identified. Layer your fragrance, with deo, talc. Eau de cologne and perfume all belonging to the same family. Tuck little cottonwool balls sprayed with scent into your handbag, down your cleavage, in your lingerie drawer. The pulse spots to spray perfume on remain the nape of the neck, the hollow of the collarbone, at the temples, behind the ears, on the wrist, in the crook of the elbows, the cleavage, the navel, in the hollows of the knees, on the anklebone.
Don’t store unused perfume for too long, the top notes settle and the fragrance changes. Fragrances do not have an eternal shelf life so use them before you lose them. Once you open a bottle of scent, use it often and use it lavishly [but with a light hand, please]. Spray scent directly onto skin, never onto your clothes or hankies where it will leave a stain. Keep heavy perfumes for the night and stick to eau de toilettes during the day. But remember if you wear the same fragrance every day you will become very used to the scent. Don’t confuse this for requiring extra perfumes; you could end up overdosing on it.
Keep a flacon of scent in your fridge for a cool, fragrance pick me up during the dog days buying perfumes.
And don’t wear one perfume when you are shopping for another. At a store, Try the tester scents on widely separated pulse points, say the wrist and crook of the elbow of each arm. Smell the top note and then wait 20 minutes to let the body notes develop. Fragrances in the harsh sun can cause your skin to break out, form a rash and even discolour the skin. So wear those perfumes meant for those conditions.
If you decide you like a perfume, then buy the eau de toilette form first and wear it for a few days before investing in the far more expensive perfume form of the brand you think suits you best. Perfume designed for both men and women can be great to wear if you want to smell terrific without standing out. Keep your very sexy and intense fragrances for when you are not at work.
THE WRITER IS A FASHION DESIGNER AND CHOREOGRAPHER AND CAN BE CONTACTED AT dkreativepeople@gmail.com, www.prasanttghosh.org