When first starting out with perfumes, is there any suggested fragrance I should buy?

As a start, don’t purchase a fragrance or perfume purely because it’s been developed by, or endorsed by your favourite celebrity, or because some magazine has named it the ‘best perfume of the century’. If you are new to fragrances and buying perfumes, start off by going to the various perfume counters at your local mall, and request samples of products that you may be interested in trying. Wear the sample perfume products for a few days, making notes of their aromas, any likes or dislikes, whether they were longwearing or not, and how other’s reacted to them. Receiving compliments when wearing a particular fragrance is a great way to know what suits you, and what others love to smell on you.

Once you have tested the samples, go back to the perfume counter and try a few tester sprays of the larger bottles, identifying too if you prefer something more floral and softer, or a heavier musk or earthy scent. If you discuss this with the assistant at the perfect counter, they will be in a position to help you select a fragrance or provide a few perfumes that match your preferences, for you to choose from. One could also elect to utilise the scent strips, which are provided, and look like small pieces of blotting paper. Some are pre-soaked with the various fragrances, whereas others allow you to spritz a few drops from your favourite fragrances, which then allow you time to decide on which you prefer. Although, one must bear in mind that the aromas that emanate from the strips will be different when applied to your skin. The reaction to body chemistry is very different to when applied to blotting paper. Use the strips only as a reminder to yourself, of what the base notes were of the perfumes, that you had already tried on your skin, but were still toying with purchasing.