How To Choosing a perfume For Your Personality.

The nature of perfume is manifested gradually in several stages. Terms of top note, middle note and lower note indicate the phase of fragrance bouquet disclosure.

The top note (initial, parent) creates a first spontaneous impression of perfume. If we continue musical analogy, it is something like an overture. Despite the fact that life of the upper note is short (after 15 minutes volatile components are already evaporated), creators of perfumes impose a very important task on it: to interest, entertain and fascinate a client. Most often they use fresh citrus flavors for this purpose (lemon, citron, bergamot, orange).

Middle note (variants of names - middle, heart) - is the “core of perfume”, it is revealed following the initial note and determines the type of smell. It can be felt 10-20 minutes after applying perfume on the body. During 1-2 hours the smell of middle notes is felt the best way, and then the intensity starts fading. As a rule, here they apply floral, woody or spicy components.

The bottom note (title - basic, background, course, the mother) is felt in the final stages of perfume evaporation and provides the smell’s strength and resilience. This is a “final” of a fragrant opera, which lasts 10-15 hours. This is the scent that remains on clothes and hair, when the middle component of perfume evaporates. The lower note is created by volatility components, such as sandalwood, musk, patchouli, vanilla.

Structure of perfumes
Composition of the whole perfumery is the same. It is made from concentrate (fragrance), alcohol and water, the difference is only in proportions. Of course, fragrance is the most persistent and expensive.

The terms Parfume or Extrait indicate this is fragrance containing 20-30% of composition dissolved in 90o alcohol. In fragrance composition they use most expensive and valuable natural essential oils and synthetic fragrances. Eau de Parfum - Eau water, or Parfume de Toilette - toiletries (daytime) perfumes have concentrations of 15-20% in 90o alcohol. Eau de Toilette - eau de toilette, which contains typically 6-12% fragrance in 85o alcohol. Eau de Cologne - cologne - 3-5% in 70-80o alcohol (a designation usually refers to men fragrances). L’Eau Fraiche, Eau de Sport - refreshing water or sports water (almost always with citrus flavor: lemon, mandarin, etc.), 1-3% in 70-80o alcohol. They manufacture also refreshing water that contains no alcohol. Most fragrances are not only liquids, or aerosols, but also the entire perfume series, which usually include means for body care, including deodorants, lotions, creams and bath line (gel, oil, foam bath, shower, shampoo , soap).

Perfume classification
There are different classifications of perfumes: French, German, American and many others. In addition, some perfume companies have their own varieties of fragrant families. Here is, for example, French Society of Perfumes classification.

Citrus. “Citrus” contain essential oils derived by squeezing of fruits peel - lemon, bergamot, orange, grapefruit, etc.
This family groups together perfumes, which principal note is a flower: rose, jasmine, violet, lilac, lily of the valley, narcissus, tuberose, etc.
Fern. This name has no relation to the smell of ferns, contains a chord of lavender, wood, oak moss, coumarin, bergamot, and other notes.
Chypre. The name of this family comes from perfume of the same name, which combines perfumes, based primarily on chords of oak moss, labdanum, patchouli, bergamot, etc.
Wood. This family includes perfumes with warm shades, such as sandalwood and patchouli, sometimes dry, like cedar, and vetiver. Men’s compositions, along with wood, may contain lavender and citrus notes.
Amber. The name “perfume amber”, which is also called “oriental perfume”, unites compositions with soft, powder, vanilla and pronounced animal notes.
Leather. Peculiar family united perfume with dry notes, which attempted to reproduce a characteristic leather smell (smoke, burnt wood, tobacco) with “parent” florals.

German perfumers use a simplified classification. They name only four aromatic types: chypre, ferny, floral and oriental.
Psychologists classify perfumes with a completely different point of view: they are interested in the effect the smell has on consciousness. Perhaps, potential buyers will find such system more attractive and useful. Dr. C. Jellinek suggests one version of this classification. He identifies four faces of woman’s nature: elegance, sportiness, naturalness and seductiveness. In his opinion, perfumes can be divided only in two scales: “warmth-cold” and “romance-independence”.

Perhaps, all attempts to classify scents are rather subjective and sketchy. As it became clear from recent researches, “aromatic” preferences are caused by different life experiences, the nature of man, his social position. Like or dislike the smell - this is the only criterion of his perception.

How to apply perfume:

– Perfume should be applied to “fragrant” points - earlobes, elbows, wrists, back of the neck under the hair, cavities between the collarbone, below the knees;
– When applying perfume on fabric, keep in mind that wool, fur and velvet well keep the smell of perfume, but silk almost won’t (in addition, silk products can get stains);
– When using perfume, you should choose an appropriate scent line and other perfume means - soap, deodorant, shampoo);
– Odors must be combined with age, temperament, hair color and, of course, time and place of action - day and evening perfumes;
– From time to time, perfume should be changed, because our sense of smell becomes accustomed to the same smell, and we stop “hearing” it.