Perfume is an invisible accessory, but can also be the loudest. It is an element of fashion that can make a bigger statement than most when walking into a room. Some may consider perfume to be the ‘finishing touch’ to an outfit; the last thing you put before leaving for a night out or a date with that special someone. However, when you have a passion for fragrances, it becomes more of a foundation. Before truly getting into scents, I thought perfumes to be superficial. But after delving into the different aspects that come together in making a stand-out perfume, it became clear it was not as straightforward.
One compliment that I love hearing above all else is that I smell good. Not only does it speak to your ability to look after yourself, but in those times when I didn’t feel my best, smelling good, made me feel like I had my life somewhat together. I guess that speaks to the ability for your perfume to tell a story. The ability to make you feel confident when walking into a room.
We’ve established the ability that perfume has, but how do you go about deciding your signature scent? Your signature scent can be decided by answering two questions, what is your perfume story, and which perfume note is the most important to you?
Perfume Story and Impression
Finding your signature perfume starts with deciding what message or statement you want to convey to a room. What feelings do you want people to have? Do you want a fragrance that lingers, and leaves a trail? Or do you want to send a message that is softer and warmer?
Earlier in the year, I attended a workshop hosted by Yougi on creating fragrances with essential oils. Before creating our fragrances we were prompted to establish a story.
A story that would then act as a foundation to the essential oils we would incorporate to make our fragrances. For example, if you wanted your perfume to remind you of a cosy, and warm winter night in front of the fireplace then gravitating towards more rounded and warmer scents, such as vanilla and sandalwood, would make sense. However, if you wanted your perfume to remind you of a spring day in the middle of a field, surrounded by flowers in bloom, then floral notes, such as lavender or ylang ylang would be a great starting point.
Personally, I like my perfumes to be warm and inviting, so I naturally love vanilla-based fragrances, with accompanying notes, such as coconut, patchouli, and tonka bean. Hence, I will always stand by fragrances such as, La Vie est Belle by Lancome and Scandal by Jean Paul Gaultier. Alongside, vanilla-based fragrances, staying on theme with warmth and comfort, I also love woody fragrances with notes like sandalwood and cedarwood. Woody perfumes alike are Beauty by Calvin Klein and Eros Pour Femme by Versace.
The impression that you want your fragrances to give goes hand in hand with the story you want your perfume to tell. More often than not, I prefer my fragrances to make a commotion. Almost to announce my arrival before I do, however I also recognise that such fragrances are not appropriate for all occasions. So every now and then, I do lean more towards more subtle scents.
In summary, ask yourself/use these prompts to decide your next fragrance:
- what story/scene do you want your fragrance to tell?
- what impression do you want your perfume to present to a room?
Perfume Notes
Perfume notes are essentially the different layers of scents that you smell in a fragrance. These notes are defined by how quickly they evaporate, and how long they last. The top notes are the first scents that you smell when a perfume is sprayed and are the first to evaporate. Classic top notes are bergamot and blood orange. Typically, when we sample different fragrances, our attention is driven by the top notes as they are what we smell first.
However, when choosing your signature scent, heart and base notes are primarily where you should drive your focus. Classic heart and base notes range from notes like lavender, and neroli to vanilla, and patchouli. Essentially, these are the true scent and body of a fragrance, as they are the last scents to evaporate. These notes you would typically smell hours after the initial application, hence if impression is the first thing you think about when purchasing fragrances, heart and base notes are important.
Read more about perfume notes here!
The rule of three
Signature scents are not only created through buying new perfume. They can also be produced by layering your existing perfumes. By layering, you can create one overall scent that not only is unique but has many different layers to it. Time and time again, I find that I get the most compliments when I layer my fragrances, as opposed to wearing a single scent.
All in all, finding your signature scent is about looking at the perception that you want to put across. Once you have established that, then everything else falls into place. It gives you direction as to what notes you want your scent to include, as well as which scents you want to last longer than others. At the end of the day, finding your scent should be fun and experimentative. Play around with different traits of yourself and how you want that to be portrayed by your perfume when you walk into a room.
