Perfumes don’t come cheap. And if you’re looking for one with fragrance that lasts all-day long, be prepared to shell out some more cash. To make sure you’re not wasting money on a scent you’ll rarely want to wear, perhaps because it smells too overpowering or you just don’t like the smell at all, here are some tips when shopping for a perfume.
- Go Straight to the Perfume Section
If you’re planning to do a general shopping, start first with perfumes. Your sense of smell is in its most sensitive when you’re from the fresh air, so take advantage of this. Moreover, the air in department stores are mildly scented, which can influence how you smell fragrances if you do it later.
- Test On Your Skin
Testing fragrances on your skin lets you know how a scent would turn out with your body chemistry. This is the only way to check if the fragrance won’t change on you and also if the fragrance is long lasting. However, don’t smell it right away. Wait for at least three minutes to allow some time for the scent to settle.
- Or Use Blotters
If you’re already wearing perfume and you don’t want the scents to get mixed up, sample them on blotters instead. Sprits some on a blotter and wait for 30 seconds (to let the alcohol evaporate) before smelling it.
- Wear It for Hours Before Buying It
This may seem obvious, but it’s best to wear a perfume for a couple of hours before you decide to buy it. This is also one of the reasons why tip number one exists—to give you more time to wear the fragrance. Let the scent meld into your skin and see how it transitions over the hours. Do you still enjoy the smell after three hours? Do you like the lingering smell it gives off at the end of the day?
- Ask for Samples
Even if you don’t purchase anything, it never hurts to ask for a sample. Larger beauty shops, like Sephora, usually give free samples to almost any perfume you like, while the rest only provide on selected brands.
Shopping for perfumes can be overwhelming, especially when you’re faced with hundreds of selections. However, keeping these tips in mind, as well as researching about certain scents and brands that appeal to you, can make perfume shopping a lot easier and a more fun experience.