“A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.”
- Coco Chanel
In 1954, when Marilyn Monroe was asked what she wore to sleep, the ever sensuous and seductive starlet simply said, “Five drops of Chanel No. 5.” After that, Marilyn Monroe became the poster girl of the perfume that has consistently ranked as one of the top selling perfumes worldwide. Chanel No. 5 is affectionately called “le monstre” because of its huge success—according to a French government report, a bottle of Chanel No. 5 is sold every 30 seconds and the iconic perfume generates around $100 million in revenue every year.
In general, applying perfume is a daily ritual for a lot of women. Wearing a certain one – like Chanel No. 5 – religiously, results in it becoming a part of a woman’s identity. This is because perfume is used to express one’s tastes—it is something that is at once intimate and enjoyed by the wearer, and shared with the people around her. Thousands of women love Chanel No 5, but everyone is unique and so it doesn’t appeal to everyone’s tastes. Below is what you need to know when choosing the perfect scent for you.
Making perfect scents
The composition of a perfume is very important and concocted by experts known as perfumers. Although the ingredients and odorants used in perfumes are generally disclosed on packaging, the exact measures used by the perfumer are always kept a secret. Even connoisseurs of perfume, who are very adroit at identifying components and origins of scents, are unable to provide a guide for remaking scents. However, all perfumes contain water, scents and alcohol. And the most common floral essences used in perfume are rose and jasmine.
Choosing a scent
The scent of a perfume is described as having three sets of notes, namely, top note, middle note and base note. Top notes are made up of tiny molecules that evaporate. They are the first scents that the nose picks up after perfume has been applied. Middle notes are the scents that emanate from the skin just before the top notes fade, and just before the base notes are perceived. Middle notes and base notes form the main body of a scent. The base notes bring a certain depth and solidity to a perfume, and are generally only perceived half an hour after application.
The best way to choose a scent is to spray it on your skin, leave the store, and wait half an hour to see if you still like the scent. This is because it’s important that you give yourself enough time to perceive the different notes as the fragrance evaporates on your skin. You should also avoid sniffing too many fragrances in one go. At the very most, try five and then clean your palette by sniffing coffee beans to refresh your sense of smell.
What’s in a scent?
As you will have noticed when looking at the fragrances in stores, there are several products that can be bought in the perfume category and, a lot of the time, the same fragrance can come in different variations. This is because they are named according to their concentration of the essences or aromatic oils they contain. Eau de cologne has 2-5% aromatic compounds; eau de toilette has 5-8% aromatic compounds; eau de parfum has 8-15% aromatic compounds; and perfume has 15% or more.
Putting it on
Coco Chanel was quoted saying, “Where should one use perfume? Wherever one wants to be kissed.” However, in general, the pulse points where the heart beat is apparent are best for making it last longer. Why? Because pulse points (wrists, behind the ear, crook of the arm and knee, base of the throat) are closest to your blood vessels. In other words, the skin around these areas are where the body gives off more heat and where blood vessels can act like little fragrance pumps.
It’s also a good idea to spray perfume around one’s ankles, and on top of that, use either an unscented lotion, or one that matches your fragrance.
The Real Supermum
USA [email protected]
