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Step 2: Identify Perfume Strength – All perfumes, regardless of the brand, consist of three major ingredients: essential oils, alcohol and water. However, perfumes come in different strengths. Although majority of us refer to every fragrance bottle as a perfume, not all are. When buying perfume, you can choose from parfum, eau de perfume, eau de toilette, and eau de cologne. They differ in the content of alcohol and essential oil. Thus, the next time you’re buying perfume, consider its strength.
- Parfum (extrait) has the highest concentration of essential oils (22-30%). It also has top quality alcohol and a minimal amount of water. Because of high essential oils concentration, parfum lasts the longest and is thus the most expensive.
- Eau de Parfum, most commonly referred to as a perfume, has about 15-20% of essential oils. This is a more affordable option, however prices vary depending on the brand. It can last up to six hours and because it can change depending on the natural body scent, it does not smell the same on everyone.
- Eau de Toilette (toilet water) contains low 4-10% of essential oils and does not last for more than 4 hours.
- Eau de Cologne also known as aftershave has the lowest concentration of essential oils (2-5%) and ususlly does not last for more than 2 hours.
Step 3: Identify The Type – When buying perfume consider the type. You can choose between citrus, floral, fruity, green, oceanic, oriental, spicy, or woody fragrance. Every name type speaks for itself and you can assume the major notes of each. Which one you’ll choose depends on your personal preferences.
Step 4: Consider The Season – So, you’ve set your budget and have decided to buy a fruity eau de perfum, but it’s winter now. Fruity fragrance is not really suitable for cold weather. What you need is an oriental one. Just like you swap your bikini and summer dresses for warm boots and winter pants, refresh your fragrance collection as well. Light and refreshing scents are ideal for summer, while richer and stronger perfumes will warm up your winter days. So when buying perfume, consider the season.
Step 5: Lifestyle And Personality – This is probably the most important factor to consider when buying perfume. Your perfume should always match your lifestyle. It should also highlight your personality. For example, if your are an optimist, go for a powdery fragrances. If you are determined, get a woody perfume and if you are a romantic soul, splurge on a quality floral fragrance.
Selecting the right perfume is more important than you think. It does take some practicing and sampling, but all the hard work will pay off in the end. You will be showered by compliments from your friends, so-workers and even complete strangers and isn’t that the whole point of perfumes.