Scent Sommelier

To determine whether I’ll like a certain fragrance, I find it’s best to do a few things while I’m shopping at my favorite fragrance boutique (or sprawling emporium, either will do).

• First, I take a quick whiff. If I feel like my nostrils are being paid a visit by Terminix, I need explore no further.
• Next, if I still like the fragrance, I linger longer. This is key: I breathe the fragrance deeply for 15–30 seconds. This allows me to smell the mid and bass notes and get an idea for whether I’ll like this perfume or bath gel or whatever it is once I’m actually using it. Here’s where I can smell if it’s an artful blending.
• Last, I take perfume or lotion for a test drive by putting some on my wrist and smelling it while I walk around the store. Five minutes later, any alcohol added has had a chance to evaporate and the fragrance has blended with my skin’s natural smell, and I’ll know if I’d like to wear it all day.

There are a few fragrances I’ve loved for years and I think I will always love them. That said, it’s a good idea to switch things up now and then because variety is the spice of life and I like spice. Adding a new perfume to my fragrance wardrobe is like having an extra jacket in my closet—sometimes a leather jacket just works. You should also change fragrances if you have a change in diet or medication that causes your skin to smell differently and causes your fragrance to lose its harmony with your skin’s natural scent. A new fragrance might blend better.

The most important reason to switch fragrances? When you find you have to add more in order to smell it at all. It’s like if you listen to music with headphones and get used to the volume, so you have to turn it up a little more each day until you’re suddenly at a dangerous level. If your perfume seems to be less effective, it’s probably because you’re so used to it that you can’t detect it, and you’ll need to be aware of this so that you don’t overdose. Switching perfume will give you a chance to appreciate it again and will ensure that you don’t offend those around you.