Julian Rouas Paris

Today, it seems every celebrity has a perfume scent with their name attached to it. From Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely, to Britney Spears' and Beyonce Knowles' lines of fragrance to the classics of Chanel and Dior, there are hundreds of bottles to choose from. But how do you find the right one?

First answer, of course, is ignore the brand name or label. Just because Jennifer Lopez says you won't end up smelling like a skunk doesn't mean you won't. Choose a smell based on how it smells on your skin, and your personal tastes.

There are several basic themes which perfume manufacturers stick to: Chypre, citrus, floral, and ambers. Chypre scents have a woody, mossy, floral base to them. Citrus scents incorporate orange, lemon, tangerine, and grapefruit, much like Calvin Kline's CK One. Floral smells just as it sounds, like flowers. An example of a floral scent would be Chance by Chanel. Ambers have a delightful mix of musk, vanilla, spice, and animal scents, such as Obsession.

Once you've decided on a category of perfume to try, go to your nearest perfume counter. Try a few scents out on paper before deciding on one to put to the test. Apply to the back of your hand, and then wait an hour. If you do apply the perfume to your wrist, avoid rubbing your wrists together. This can crush the delicate buds of scent and distort the sampling. It isn't how a perfume smells in the bottle or immediately after application, it's how it reacts with your skin chemistry much later that can make or break a scent as one for you.

The reason behind this is perfumes have four layers. The first layer, or top note, is the first scent you get after applying the perfume. It's the most noticeable, but is also the one the fades the quickest. The next layer, or middle note, is the next apparent component to the perfume. It appears several minutes after applying the perfume, and can stay up to an hour before disappearing. The third layer, or base note, appears usually after a half hour and is the layer that stays on your skin throughout the day. And the final layer is one most overlook, the natural scent of your skin. Just like everyone's DNA is different, everyone has a unique skin chemistry that can affect the outcome of a perfume.

Keep this guide in mind next time you are perfume shopping, and you are sure to find a scent that's right for you!



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