FM Perfume | How do you pick your perfume?

FM Perfume | Article

How do you pick your perfume?

A couple of years ago, I caught a whiff of FM NUMBER # 199 inspired by PACO RABANNE and it smelled like destiny. And like many of my past relationships, # 199 and I went through the glorious honeymoon phase when I never left the house without a spritz or I never left my car without another spray. Now, aside from a cursory squirt from time to time, #199  sits unnoticed in my bathroom along with other perfumes, the original romance all but evaporated.

But each time the romance fades away I look forward to choosing my next perfume. Anyone who’s ever searches for perfume knows this isn’t the easiest or most pleasant task. Headache-inducing musk, patchouli and floral bouquets can quickly overwhelm even the most intrepid shopper. Not to mention perfume’s bedeviling way of smelling differently on any given arm.

To make the perfume selection as painless as possible, I’ve armed myself with four simple steps for homing in on the right scent for every skin. Being an FM addict and having my leather sample kit of FM’s complete collection, I have in the comfort of my home all of the scents inspired by the brands to try, so much fun… 

1. Know what you like: Perfumes are divided by fragrance families. Women choose from fresh, floral, citrus, woody and oriental, while men select from fresh, aromatic and woody. For those non members out there, meeting one of FM’s passionate members can help you select your favorite scent as each of the members are armed with this amazing complete kit with all samples and FM members are all proud perfume consultants!

2. Pay attention to skin chemistry: The cardinal rule of perfume shopping is to smell it on your own skin. If you smell something scrumptious on a test strip, you’d better apply it to your skin as well because your nose might notice a difference.

Fragrances also interact differently with dry or oily skin. Dry skin won’t retain perfume’s initial top notes very long, which means you might need a more complex formula that won’t escape as quickly. Oily skin, on the other hand, holds onto to the top notes longer, and can retain softer scents over time.

And speaking of top notes…

3. Wait a while: Fragrances are formulated to evaporate in layers. Top notes are the first scents you smell, which wear away after around 10 minutes and leave behind the heart notes. A few hours later, the perfume’s essence, or base notes, emerge. That’s why you should wear a scent around for a while to see exactly how its entire bouquet interacts with your skin.

4. Protect your nose: Eating spicy food, being stressed out and shopping in the morning can all distort perfumes’ scents. Also once you’ve narrowed down your fragrance family, test only a few at time to avoid olfactory overload.

Happy Perfume hunting!

FM Perfume