Perfumes not only add glamour to the whole persona, they also enhance the mood and make for great gifts as well.
We all have at some time or the other taken digs at the socialites who flit in and out of parties wearing expensive designer togs and leaving behind a waft of the most heavenly perfume casting disdainful looks at mere mortals like us. How we wish we could also don designer stuff and walk about in a cloud of pricey perfumes!
I don`t know about the designer clothes,
but good perfumes are something which all of us can afford in some form or the other. Not only do perfumes make you smell good but they also act as great mood up lifters. Perfumes come in many varieties of strength; so, before you splurge your hard-earned money, do recognize the various types of perfumes available in the market.
Perfumes get their fragrance from perfume oils which determine the strength of the perfume and its lasting power. Obviously, the higher the concentration of the perfume oil, the longer-lasting will the perfume be.
The after-shave has the lowest concentration of the perfume oil, containing about 0.5% - 2.0%, making it ideal for daily use by men to use as a salve after shaving. Then comes the eau-de-cologne with 3.0% - 5.0% of perfume oil concentration and is most commonly used after a bath during summer-time.
Both these categories are affordable for the average person and does leave a lingering fragrance even if the concentration of the perfume oil is less. Eau-de-toilette with its 5.0% - 8.0% concentration of oil is the most popular as it is obviously stronger than the eau de cologne and stays on much longer. The price, of course is much higher than the above two categories.
The next higher category is the eau de parfum which is at the second top rung of the perfume ladder containing within it a concentration of almost 8.0% - 15.0% of perfume oil. Perfumes now start becoming expensive from this category onwards and in fact, most of us can actually afford only an eau de parfum as our most expensive perfume. The fragrance is strong and the effect long-lasting. For most of us even this category of perfume is to be used carefully.
The top honors belong to `parfum` itself which is totally undiluted and contains the intense concentration of the perfume oil ranging between 15% - 30%. Even a drop of this `parfum` will be enough to leave you smelling heavenly. This is exorbitantly priced and frankly, not many of us can really afford this category of perfume unless it is a very, very special gift or indulgence.
Now, that we are set with the basic knowledge of the different categories of perfume, it is now time to select one judiciously. The important tip to bear in mind is that not all perfumes suit everyone; every individual has her own characteristic body chemistry which reacts differently to each individual perfume. So, the perfume which may smell good on someone else may just evaporate in thin air on your body.
Light floral scents suit some better than strong, intense ones and the opposite is also true. So, before purchasing perfume, always test it on the wrists and wait for sometime to allow the fragrance to develop fully before deciding on whether it suits you or not. Limit your perfume sampling to two or three fragrances at a time so as not to overwhelm the senses. Sniffing coffee beans in between each sampling will help you distinguish them better.
So, go right ahead and indulge in at least one good perfume to begin with and then you can build up your perfume wardrobe also!
