Hello lovelies! So as some of you may or may not know but I actually work in a perfume shop part-time for about a year now and have actually become an expert (self-proclaimed of course) on the do’s and don’ts of perfume. Before working at the shop, I actually didn’t know much about perfume other than those Victoria’s Secret body splashes and luckily have learned so much since then. So here are the basics…
First and foremost, there are actually different formulas of perfume out there and these are the most popular:
1.) Perfume or Perfume Extract – The most expensive type of fragrance you can buy and contains anywhere from 15% to 40% perfume concentrate. The higher the perfume concentration, the longer it will last so obviously this is the highest you can get and generally lasts for 6-7 hours.
2.) Eau De Parfum or EDP – Second heaviest, found in all perfume shops, and is the one that customers ask for the most because they know it lasts for a good amount of time (5 to 6 hours). Contains 7% to 15% perfume concentration and is still quite expensive but not as much as Extract Perfume.
3.) Eau De Toilette or EDT – I usually hate saying this one outloud because most people get confused and think I’m saying toilet *rolls eyes*. This one contains 1% to 6% perfume concentration and I recommend this one for people who get headaches easily from perfume as it’s lighter and lasts for 2-3 hours at most. It’s also more affordable and lasts longer than body splash.
4.) Body Splash or Body Spray – I’m sure you’re all familiar with this one since it seems to be the most popular with teenagers. Personally I think it’s a waste of money because the scent doesn’t last long (sometimes it feels like a few minutes) and you have to keep reapplying throughout the day. I would only recommend this for the gym or traveling on a plane…
Tips for choosing a new perfume:
-When choosing a new perfume I recommend not testing more than three perfumes at a time since the human nose can only smell a certain amount of fragrances before it gets stuffed up. Most perfume stores have coffee beans on the counters to help clear the scent palette of the nose to avoid this from happening.
-Most perfume counters will give you test strips and that’s what I give to customers but if a scent has really interested you then I recommend spraying it on your wrist because scent tends to change and smell slightly different on an individual and overtime can settle or even smell heavier on your skin due to body chemistry.
-Come back a few hours later or the next day to smell the perfume again and to know for sure if you really want to buy it. I’ve had so many customers want to return a fragrance because they didn’t like it the next day or it “just didn’t smell the same”.
-Buy a small bottle or a small rollerball (Sephora has such a wide variety!) when choosing a new fragrance since in a few months you might get sick of the scent or not like it as much and this way you could save money and not feel as guilty for it being a waste.
That’s it for now, I tried keeping it short and simple but if you guys are interested in learning more then I’d be glad to make more posts about perfume! Until next time, lovelies!
-Ruya
