Choosing the Right Perfume for You

I can't imagine there being women who don't use perfume at all. But there you have it, there are those who wear perfume, and those who don't. I've always been one of the ones that do. I remember sitting in my mother's room, watching with rapt attention as she carefully applied a drop of Ombre Rose behind each ear. Another one of her favorites was Magie Noir. She also sometimes wore Emeraude, Chanel No 5, and Ciara. Come to think of it, I'd say she favored rich, heady chypres that reeked of sophistication and presence. Although I snuck a drop or two out of her prized perfume bottles at times to dab on my own wrists, now that I'm a grown woman I don't favor the strong scents that my mother does. I'm more of a light green floral type of girl.

When deciding on what perfume to buy, just remember there's more to it then just choosing a perfume because you like the fragrance on someone else. Perfume will interact differently with each individual's body chemistry. But aside from that, in order to choose the right perfume, it helps to understand the different categories that are used to group fragrances. Let's take a look, shall we?

Floral: Flower scents are the main attraction here. My favorite floral fragrance happens to be a very affordable find released by Coty in the 1990's called L'effleur. Other great florals include Calvin Klein's Eternity, Tea Rose, and Jessica McClintock, to name a few.

Fruity: This category is for you if you love fruity smells. Go for the crisp apple of Donna Karan's Be Delicious, or blend your own scent with the delightful oils from The Body Shop. They have great fruity perfumes like Strawberry, Peach and Satsuma that can be worn alone or mixed together.

Oriental: The buzzword here is "Spicy". Think rich, pungent and sensual. Opium is an example of an classic Oriental fragrance. I also like Estee Lauder Youth Dew, another tried and true choice.

Citrus: Clinique Happy is probably the best example I can think of for a fragrance that's primarily citrus in nature. Citrus fragrances are cheerful and light, and contain notes like lemon, grapefruit, lime and tangerine.

Green: Green fragrances are reminiscent of fresh-cut grass, rolling meadows and fresh, earthy leaves. I would say that the Demeter fragrance company makes my favorite green fragrance, a gorgeous concoction they call Greenhouse. Other great greens include Calyx and Chanel No. 19.

Chypre: Chypres are warm and woodsy. If you want a fragrance with presence, try such chypres as Chanel No. 5, Ciara, Miss Dior, and Ivoire.

Marine: This category of fragrances invokes the crisp, beachy scent of ocean water. CK One and Calvin Klein Escape both contain marine elements. The marine category is fairly new to the world of perfume, therefore there aren't as many marine scents to choose from as there would be in say, the floral category.

You don't have to limit yourself to these main categories though. Often you can get fragrances, which are the different categories in combination. For example, there are fruity florals, green florals, florientals, and other combinations. The best advice I can give is to sample as many perfumes as it takes until you finally sniff the perfect one. It's out there somewhere!

Copyright 2006 Frances Coleman - All Rights Reserved

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