Perfumes
Information about perfumes
The fact that types of perfumes are so numerous may be astonishing. You may easily feel lost with so many new fragrances being introduced into the world market each year. Although there is no officially confirmed division, each of the new fragrances possesses certain features which allow its categorization to one of the following groups:
Floral fragrances
These fragrances are the most popular and they also cause the least controversy as for their reception by customers. Floral fragrances are designed either around the scent of only one flower, e.g. lily in Diorissimo by Dior (1956), or around the floral bouquet, e.g. Pleasures by Estee Lauder (1995).
Fruit fragrances
These fragrances are most often defined as fresh and light scents. They use the aromas of melon, lemon, orange, tangerine, grapefruit, or orange blossom. The most popular fragrances of this type are: Tommy Girl by Tommy Hilfinger (1996) and Acqua di Gio by Giorgio Armani (1995).
Ocean fragrances
These fragrances are the newest types of fragrances based on synthetic ingredients which smell like fresh ocean waters.
Green fragrances
These fragrances are made with distinctive and fresh aromas which remind you of environmental scents, for example: woods, grass, sour apples or lavender. Now the well-known fragrance of this type is Beautiful by Estee Lauder (1986).
Oriental fragrances
These fragrances are associated with Far East. Their base is designed around exotic spices and flowers, sandalwood and resin. The first perfumes of such kind were introduced in 1925 by Guerlain under the name of Shalimar. The oriental fragrances are very strong and in the eighties when there became very popular, they became also banned by the owners of some of the big companies in their office buildings. Oriental scents are not in fashion all the time. However, those who like them are usually very fond of them. The typical example here is Obssession by Calvin Klein from 1985.
Chypre fragrances
These fragrances are the smallest yet the most unique group of perfumes. Therefore women who love this scent will always love it, and those who cannot stand it, will never wear it. The basic note here is oak moss scent which gives it very specific aroma of soil. Then others notes of ciste labdanum are added. The complementary notes are: patchouli, rose or bergamot. The examples here are: the classic Aromatic Elixir by Clinique (1972) and recent Rush by Gucci (1999).
Choose perfumes for yourselfThe division of fragrances according to hair and skin types is no longer valid mainly because of changes in our everyday diet which has become varied. Therefore, every woman may choose perfume she likes and wants to wear following her intuition, taste and personality. The only test she should do to find out if she likes the scent or not is to spray a bit of perfume on her skin.Do not decide to buy the best-known brand of perfume or the one which is “on top” at the moment. This may not be a good idea at all.To make a good choice, you should go to the perfumery early in the morning when you can smell things better. However, if you have a cold or you are tired, you should put off your visit till another day.Try perfume on clean, non-perfumed skin. During one test you should try only up to three different fragrances because your nose will not be able to recognize more scents.Do not smell the top of the bottle or its cap because the scent you smell is not the real one. You may smell an odor of alcohol instead. You should not also try perfume on the piece of paper but on your skin.When you spray perfume on your skin for the first time, wait for about thirty seconds until alcohol evaporates. Then you will be able to find out what the top notes of perfume are. The top notes are highly volatile, evaporate quickly and do not last very long. The Base notes have a profound influence on the blend. They are very long lasting (come out 20 minutes to 2 hours later) and at the same time, fix other essences.If you have already decides which perfume to choose, buy the smallest bottle of it. The expiring date of perfumes is usually up to three years from the manufacturing date. Even if you do not use your perfumes often, they may change.Different fragrances are suitable for different age groups or for different occasions. For example, for a young woman green scents are more suitable than oriental ones. But for the evening meetings or dates you should wear heavier, more sensuous types rather then light ones which, in turn, are suitable for daylight use.Fresh perfumes are refreshing in summertime while sweet and spicy fragrances can make you happy when the winter comes. How to use perfumesWe use perfumes on our skin in so-called “warm spots” where blood flows near the skin giving away the warmth of our body outside. These spots work as small fragrance pumps.They are situated on wrists, behind ears, in the inner part of elbows and knees, and on a neck near the collar-bone.Perfumes will last longer on oily rather then dry skin. Therefore, before using perfumes we may use some Vaseline or oily cream.Fragrances are more intense when it is warm. Therefore, in summertime you should either use less perfume or use the lighter fragrance.Good perfume adviceTry to keep your perfumes in dark and cold places so they can remain long-lasting. Do not splash perfumes on silk because it leaves stains. If you want to use perfumes which cause allergic reaction, try to spray it on your handbag or your hair or the parts of clothing which do not touch your skin directly. If you want to find out if you are allergic to some fragrances, spray it gently on your wrist or inner part of your elbow. If after about an hour you notice some reaction, it means that the perfumes are not for you. It is better to perfume your body before you get dressed because you can spray more of your body then and it will not leave stains on your clothes. Most perfumes are designed to last for about four hours. Some of them may last longer but they will change their scent then. Therefore it is advisable to use perfumes once or twice more during the day. Perfumes for a special occasionPerfume for an important occasion should be subtle, delicate and unique. The way we will smell depends on the ingredients of the fragrance. Let’s have a look at the main components to be able to recognize them in any composition. Beautiful fragrances are often produced from extremely smelly substances. Sensuous umbra, is e.g. the excretion of a sperm whale and when it’s fresh it reeks of fish. Dried for a few months it becomes a valuable perfume ingredient with a warm, lush and sensuous aroma.Musk is a good fixative of fragrant compositions so it is a basic component of all perfume. Natural musk has a disgusting odor of ammonium and it’s a secretion of musk-deer scent-glands. Dissolved in an alcoholic solution it turns into a sensuous animal scent found even in delicate compositions.Castoreum and tybet are similar to musk. Castoreum is a substance used by beavers to grease their fur and tybet is a secretion of a civet.-an African animal. Both ingredients give perfume a warm and sensuous note and they are much appreciated for their fixative properties . Vanilla with its balmy scent is a warm and sweet perfume componentwhereas cardamom is obtained from small grains of a slightly fruity aroma which are the base of fruity and woody scents.Aninteresting perfume component which is used in men’s perfumes is black pepper fruit oil and an extract from a field bean. Grass, moss and herbs make green notes.Weitwer - a grass root of resinous and powdery scent dominates in the men’s fragrances world but it can also be sensed in feminine ones. Provencal basil and geranium oil give flowery note. Oak moss and mace sage enhance, especially men’s compositions, with an herbal aroma.Also resins can be found in perfume. Myrrh and incense are tree resins that were used early in ancient times. The first smells like brush-wood and the other smells of a tree-root.Benzoic resin that comes from Vietnam is characterized by a deep and intense smell.Almost every fragrance contains a dose of sandalwood that makes perfume sweet, resinous and slightly musky.Flowers are also widely used perfume components. Rose and jasmine are the most frequent. Although narcissus is also becoming more and more popular with its strong pervasive and stupefying aroma that permeates the whole composition.Some other components are mimosa and bergamot. Although mimosa is delicate and elusive it has its fans. Bergamot is a small inedible orange and although it’s a citrus its oil smells worldly and is presenting almost all types of perfume where it’s in the top notes.For more extravagant people there’s a wide range of such modern and original fragrances as the smell of burnt rubber, metal and stone blended with the scent of drying laundry, hot sand and nail varnish. Compositions of black tea, smoke, resin, rubber and wood can also be found in perfume.The more reserved novelty amateurs would probably like perfume containing such delicious aromas as: chocolate, fruit and vegetables (those without thick fleshy peel e.g. apples or tomatoes).If you have decided what you want to have in your perfume you should go to a renowned perfumery where competent staff will help you find a desirable kind of perfume.
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