Tuesday, February 09, 2010

3 Things I Learned at the Fragrance Counter

So I frequent the fragrance department as much as the makeup counter.  Here are a few things I learned (and/or was reminded of) my last few trips there.  Some may think these things are trivial, some may find them helpful (like me! LOL).  Read on!
1.  There are different types of roses with different fragrances.
I used to hate floral smells, but I realized there were plenty of florals that I love (fruity florals are typical of the younger set).  D&G Rose The One has become my signature!  I was told that Rose The One is made with a pink rose and is softer than that of a red, but a bit more punchy than a white rose which is even softer.  Trust that the different fragrances don't stop there!  Reference Base Notes' Rose Fragrance discussion. Wowzers.  An Alba Queen of Denmark anyone?  Check out the meanings of rose colors!

2. Almond vs. Vanilla
Umm, my research came up with nada.. but it reminded me to not assume all warm, sweet, slightly creamy smells are vanilla, but could be almond,etc.  Almond and vanilla are so close under my allergic nose (ensenuating my warped sense of smell)!  I'm currently trying to train my nose to know the difference/find a difference.  I know almonds are nutty, but that's not a popular note in a fragrance

3. Like a fragrance, but not on your skin?
Spray it in your clothes!  You get the fragrance, but not the interaction with your body chemistry.

What are some tips that you have learned that helped you to explore the wprld of fragrance?

6 comments:

Milan said...

Good tips! Never thought of this before...I just spray at will until I find something I like! LMAO!

MochaMakeupLover said...

I LOOOOOVE D&G's The One!

G. said...

Oooh, I'm so glad to hear that we have this in common too. I am a fragrance junkie, no doubt. The last time I counted I had over 100 bottles of perfume (yes, it's a sickness!). lol. And one thing I've learned at the fragrance counter is that it's best to try and narrow it down to two scents that you want to try at a time. I sniff the bottles, and try them on tester cards, but in the end I choose two that I want to give a "test-run" during each visit. Then I spritz each scent on my wrists (one scent per wrist) and I leave. I either walk around the mall for an hour or go home and wait an hour, and THEN I sniff my wrists and see how they smell. This gives the fragrance enough time to mingle with your body chemistry and *really* let you know how the fragrance is going to work for you. Sometimes the fragrance can smell 180 degrees opposite of what it smelled like in the bottle, or even *better* than it did in the bottle. So I guess my tip is that you need to wear it on your skin for a while before you make an impulse purchase! Hope that helps, and I love this post! :) xo

Unknown said...

There are so many types of roses: Damask rose, Bulgarian rose,... I used to hate rose-scented perfumes but I love them now. Have you tried Rose the One? It's lovely!

yummy411 said...

@ milan: thanks!

@ mochamakeuplover: i do too! but i've definitely fallen for Rose the One more.. L'eau the one is nice too.

@ recessionista: i'm with you. after many years of looking for a fragrance for an occassion or season, etc... that's exactly what i do, save the skin for my final one or two that i really want to sample with my chemistry, get to those basenotes. in the store, yes i too, have a handful of cards and i have to write on them which they are.. lol! the counter sees me about 3 or 4 times before i actually buy something, unless i go to sephora where they are nice enough to give samples! what's your fave fragrance now?

@ dao: yes! i mentioned in the post that that's my favorite right now! also, the basenotes forum is chock full of info on the different roses and their varieties.

G. said...

We are two of a kind, I tell you! :) Right now I am really loving--believe it or not--a drugstore fragrance! I am *obsessed* with the original Halle by Halle Berry. I think I remember that you didn't like this one? Am I right? I dunno...there's just something about it that's totally comforting for me. I cannot get enough! lol. And during the winter I always go back to Diesel Plus Plus Feminine (a soft, milky, fruity-floral musk with a powdery basenote--almost like a grown-up version of J&J baby products) and I JUST saw that it's on sale at Scentiments.com right now for $19.99 and they're offering free shipping...so I think I'm going to stock up. Boy, it never ends, does it? lol. But just in case you didn't know, scentiments is offering free shipping on all scents this week--they have GREAT deals right now. Sorry to enable, but I can't keep that one to myself. xo