Problem is I'm clueless about shopping for the stuff myself (almost all of the scents I wear now were Christmas/birthday gifts - most of them from when I was about 15) so the only way I could possibly find something new on my own would be to sniff everything in sight. Which I've tried, but you can't sniff more than 3 perfumes in a Swiss shop without being swooped down on by some jangly-bangly assistant who demands to know what sort of "top notes" and "base notes" you're looking for.
Don't mind paying for advice that's pitched to my level, but mostly I suspect I just need to try on lots of perfume, see what I like and what smells good on me.
Of course if some lovely knowledgeable EFer wants to take me under his/her wing for an afternoon, I'm up for that (and lunch is on me.)
Otherwise, any suggestions... where to go, who to ask, what to sniff first?
After smelling 2-3 different perfumes in a shop, you cant really tell the difference and decide.
Get say a few perfumes and mix and wear a perfume "cocktail" and when people ask you what smell is that, just its a secret
BTW... sniffing on other people is not quite helpful if you wear your perfume on your skin rather than clothes, as same perfume may give out different smell when it mingles with your skin.
Wait, I suggest a good perfume and you take me for lunch? It's a deal!
1) Your partner should never chose your scent. It's biologically bad. If you like what they selected for you, your offspring will come out wrong. It's a scien-tif-ic fact.
2) Stick to Italian or French, avoid anything American: they use emolients in their products so the scent smells the same on everyone. What's the point of perfume, then? If you want an anodine smell, buy a can of Glade and smell of meadows. Hence, no CK Numbrain For Him and Her and the Dog.
3) Base notes are everything. Give it ten minutes on your skin and then you'll get the real smell.
4) Don't be fooled by the price. They're selling dreams in a bottle containing cheap mixtures dominated by alcohol. Cheap doesn't mean bad.
5) Helmut Lang is no longer available at Jelmoli
6) Churchill said a man should damn well smell of himself. I tend to agree.
Can we go to the Kronenhalle? I wanna cordon bleu...
The problem with smelling it on someone else is that certain perfumes react differently to the acidity on different people's skin. So some will smell completely different from one person to another.
Another consideration is that over the day, certain tones within the scent will linger, so what smells slightly over powering when you put it on may 'develop' into a beautiful smell after a few hours.
Put one scent on 1 arm and another on the other and ask people throughout the day how they smell on you and which one they prefer until you find one that really suits you.
I have to do this as I have no sense of smell!!!! I KNOW!!! So I have 4 perfumes, 2 day wear ones a going out one and my signature scent which I only wear as a "tonight's the night" signal ...hehehe....
Remember even the same parfume could smell very different on different people. So you do NOT want to rely on how it smells on other people to buy what works for you.
As far as the top, middle and base notes of the parfume - they really refer to how the parfume smells at the beginning (when you take a whiff from the bottle or just putting it on), after a little while (maybe 30 min or so when the scent develop around your own body chemistry), and the final, lasting scent that will be stick to you for the next 6-8 hours.
When I go shopping with my husband, I always spray the tester on his inner wrist (you can do a different one on each hand for comparison), then go away and just shop around for another 20 to 30 min to let it "sink in".
At this point, you should be able to smell the "middle note", give it a couple more hours or so then smell again. If you like what you smell like at this point (the base note) then this will be the one for you.
It's very confusing. There are so many to choose from. The market is completely flooded with more and more celebrities and popstars launching brands every week. I think that all this choice actually turns the consumer off. The task of choosing a perfume becomes so daunting that people avoid it altogether. Me anyway.
Try and work out what scents you like e.g, vanilla, chocolate, musk, roses, lemons, patchouli, etc. Then go a big department store like Globus and tell them what you like. They have a book that lists all their perfumes and thier scent components. They should be able to recommend something for you.
You could get one of those packs with four or five mini bottles. That way you can see what still smells nice after a few hours and what your other half likes too.
Try a couple of different brands in the shop and get the pack of the brand you like best.
I have Angel but have been banned from wearing it in the office as I am told I can be traced anywhere in the building due to it wafting after me....
Not having a sense of smell leaves me slightly at a loss to counter that, so now I stick to a lighter one, although come the weekends, I do indulge myself. I also love the Star bottle!
Just dont ask the shop assistants, if you can. Last time I went to buy something for myself and I asked the shop assistant, if she could suggest any, as the one I like is "no longer in production" and she suggested the new perfume by Versace (think it was last month) and I replied "Naah.. everybody would be wearing it"
And she looked at me as I was from outer space
@Unlce Max: Do take up these ladies on their offer, if you've never been before. Its tiring, embarassing but very "educational"
This is the reason why you can see little pots filled with coffee beans in some shops. Smelling of the beans 'neutralises' the smell of the previous perfume, so you can try more scents! It really works!
I think the perfume department in Jelmoli may have those, otherwise, you can always bring your own (or ask for some in a coffee shop?).
I second the suggestion that you try some on your skin and see how the smell evolves over time. If there is a recent is one you like, you could also ask the sales people for a sample - they give them out for free.
One spray / dab on one's décolté is enough. Angel soons turns to Tramp if too much is applied. And why do you wear it if you don't smell it? Put the money towards some blood red shoes if you wanna telegraph Everyone would enjoy that wafting past them
You've been wearing the same perfume you received as a gift at 15 and now suddenly you want to get something new? Has something happened in your life that has spurred this new interest in smelling all lovely and alluring?
Next you'll be asking for advice on shopping for lingerie.
I'll kill two birds with one stone for you. When asked what she wears to bed, Marilyn Monroe famously responded "Chanel No5".