I hope you are having a wonderful day. Today I’m going to discuss a very important and interesting topic as I’m subjected to wonderful compliments by my love that “you smell awesome”, which made sleep wonderful.
I want you to experience these positive vibes from people and yourself. So that’s the reason we are discussing perfumes or fragrances so that you can get the perfect fragrance or perfume.
Table of Contents
Why fragrances?
See now fragrances are a very important and integral part of my life, as it is an emotional journey where you can bring back memories, create memories and it also has the potential to say others, who you are! What you are! by creating a picture of you and your personality.
It is so simple we all style right! for being comfortable, wanting to impress or attract someone, being appropriate for an occasion, job, culture, or wearing clothes that you for being confident, temperature aspects. That’s exactly why you need fragrances as it covers all this.
There are different fragrances based on seasons, clothing, and timing.
What are fragrances?
Fragrances are complex combinations of man-made and natural substances or raw substances in solvents to preserve and give a distinctive smell to the customers.
In simply saying perfume oils are dissolved in solvents, nowhere the concentration of fragrances varies as strong fragrances contain a high concentration of perfume oils.
At last fragrances, all depends on the skin and how long they last after wearing on skin. Remember every skin is not the same, so choose wisely.
First of all, we must understand fragrances fall into four different families. Now every perfume has a note that characterizes what that fragrance is. Now that note describes where it belongs, it might be from flowers family citrus family, woody family, or family.
And the fragrances are further divided into subcategories but firstly you have to know what fragrances you like and where you fall in those four family groups.
Here is the classification of fragrances by a British fragrance expert “Micheal Edward”.
What are the different types of notes?
They are three different types of notes that explain the scent of a fragrance. Which are
- Top or front notes
- Middle notes
- Base notes
Top notes
This explains the smell after application. When you wear the perfume, the first application on your skin, the scent you smell at first that’s called the top note.
This is their fate decider for perfume brands as they need to impress us in that very first impression.
This lasts about 15 minutes to 2 hours. Top notes contain light floral scents, citrus, fruity scents, powdery scents, marines and aquatics, and spices such as cinnamon.
Middle notes
These notes are seen after their top notes. Usually when the top notes get evaporated these middle notes tend to develop the fragrance. This lasts about 3-5 hours after the application.
This contains heavier floral scents such as jasmine, or green scents such as grass or stone. Spice scents such as cinnamon and clove can appear here, along with fruity scents as well.
Base notes
These are the last notes, these usually take over after evaporation of mid notes which means 5-6 hours after application.
This depends upon the concentration of the fragrance, and the base note is different as it contains sandalwood, moss, vetiver, vanilla, tar, leather, smoke, tobacco, and animal musk. This is bolder as it lasts about 6-8 hours a few times a day long.
So a good perfume goes through different layers as time proceed which are termed as non-linear perfumes that change their smell as the time moves like my scent gives the fragrance of citrus while coming to lunch it gives lavender and last in eve it smells like musky leather. Whereas if you smell the same for the day-long then it’s a linear perfume that is worth just for a trial.
What are Perfume, Toilette, and Cologne? How do they differ?
Till here we get to know about the family groups and notes. Now let’s know about the terminology that’s inked on bottles like extra parfum, Eau de parfum, Eau de toilette, Eau de cologne. Now, these categories are nothing the concentration of fragrances.
As the Eau fraiche is less concentrated than the Eau de colange as the cycle goes till extra parfum.
Freshwater (Eau Fraiche)
Eau Frachie is the least concentrated than others. This can be termed as freshwater which lasts about 1-2 hours. Which I don’t recommend as it’s a waste of money in my perspective if you are out for something.
Cologne (Eau de cologne)
It is originated from Cologne, Germany made by an Italian perfume maker in memory of the spring fragrance of Italy. Cologne contains a mixture of citrus oils. Now there are many modern takes on the Eau de cologne diluting the citrus spirit as atelier cologne with some high concentrations which are not wrong. This lasts about 2-3 hours after the application.
Now, this is also used as an aftershave after Gillette introducing it as aftershave which nowadays is a more diluted version of cologne.
Toilette (Eau de toilette)
It may seem weird as we translate it, which says toilet water. But this appropriately refers to grooming water. In the past when sanitation and bathing were not popular as now in past, what people did is, they filled cloth with heavy fragrances for a long time named toile. Every morning after sleep they used to rub it on to kill the body odor. This lasts about 4-5 hours.
Now, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t bathe as I already said.
Perfume (Eau de perfum)
Perfume is derived from Latin which describes “to smoke through”. This contains a higher concentration when compared to cologne, toilette. Even though they are for both men and women, we see a lot of these used by women and that’s the reason they cost more. This lasts about 5-8 hours.
Perfume (Perfum Extrait)
This is the intense version of perfumes, which last for a long time about 8-12 hours, and also for 24 hours. I prefer it if you use to apply it gently.
How many to have and when to use those fragrances?
See if you are new to the game and want to build yourself a collection that is a minimalistic fragrance wardrobe then go for three fragrances.
That firstly go for an inoffensive fresh scent that keeps you fresh and clean which broader in all sets, excluding citrus, fruity to musky and soapy sets that would make you a candidate for fragrances that you can use in warm situations, casual meets, and job purposes.
Next are darker scents that you can use in winter, romantic situations, and even for formal occasions. These scents have warmer notes like woody, spicy that could be sweet, ambery, and resinous at times as well.
The first two are for multitaskers, but this third one is for true passion as it is a wild card to use on occasions where you want to impress someone, wanting to be more confident so that you can grab attention.
Now, this might differ in life’s but we all face it at a time. This is the one that could be anything that is intense as fresh or darker scents, but the only thing is you must be feeling satisfied and feel special when you use it for those special occasions.
But speaking starting with three fragrances is something amazing, at last trying and exploring yourself is something speechless.
How to choose and preserve the fragrance?
I refer to wear the perfume to go for a movie or shopping by giving a time of 5 hours so that you can know to get a clear picture of the perfume or fragrance that you are going to buy.
After buying place it somewhere cool and so that the fragrance of molecules doesn’t get the weak fragrance.
How to wear fragrances?
First focus on dry and heat areas of the body such as the neck, armpits shoulders, back of ears, and wrists so that the heat makes the skin breathe by which the applied fragrances enhance their scent.
Don’t splash and also don’t spray while walking which resulting in wasting.
So simply spray from 2-3 inches far by starting lightly and gently on the chest, dry, and heat areas as spoken in above.
And even don’t rub, as most people spray on wrists and rub it which kills and dilutes the power of fragrance as molecules in contact to the skin get disturbs.
Even don’t spray on cloths as on silk it may subject to strains.
At last use it when needed, once again saying little is enough.
Conclusion
Fragrances connect you beyond emotions as the smell is a powerful sense that has been in your past as memories and will be in the future.
Find the fragrance with which you feel comfortable and express your taste, style with no words, and which has not been seen virtually.
