A Guide to Testing, Choosing and Wearing Fragrances – Part 1

What are top, middle and base notes?

These are the main characteristics that define a fragrance and unfold on your skin as a fragrance develops.

Top notes: are the initial burst of scent that hits your nose immediately after applying it. They are present during the alcohol evaporation process in the first 5-15 minutes. These are usually the lighter and more volatile notes and are usually florals, fruits, citrus or green scents. They fade quickly but are a great introduction to the character of the perfume.

Middle notes: or heart notes are the main signature notes that define the character of the fragrance. They are apparent as the top notes fade out and give the fragrance depth and roundedness. These are usually florals that may or may not be accompanied by warm, oriental spiciness (depending on the type of fragrance). These can last for over an hour or two depending on the concentration of the fragrance.

Base notes: Base notes are the most stable and long-lasting notes. They can appear from 15 to 30 minutes after first application and can last for hours and hours and hours. This part of the fragrance is the deepest, warmest and richest. Base note essences are usually woody, earthy, resinous and musky (and very sexy).

How to test a perfume

It does not matter if I intend to buy a perfume from an online retailer or not, I will still use high-street perfume concessions as a means to test perfumes before buying them.

Test a perfume in the same strength that you intend to buy it in (i.e. EDP, EDT etc). Sounds obvious, but you may not realise that you are sampling an EDP that will smell slightly different to an EDT. So keep it consistent.

The best way to test a perfume is to apply it on your skin. If this is not possible then a paper test-strip is the next best thing.

If testing on skin, lightly spray it on your wrist (being careful not to rub them together) and then go off and do some other tasks or activity to give it plenty of time to dry-down whilst occasionally sniffing it to appreciate the different layers as it unfolds, opens out and eventually dries-down. Some sources state that you need to give a fragrance 15-30 minutes to be able to "understand" and appreciate it. However, in my opinion I would say that you really need about 2-3 hours to get a really good idea of its characteristics and nuances.

If testing a fragrance on a paper test-strip bear in mind that it will not smell exactly the same as it will on skin and it will dry-down in a different manner (more simple evaporation than anything else). Let it settle on the test-strip for a few minutes – then gently waft it towards your nose. Revisit it again a few times and then again in 30-60 minutes. Paper test-strips give you a reasonable idea of a perfume's characteristics but are not definitive and in some cases perfumes simply do not smell as good as they do on skin. If you are not certain about a fragrance then do test it on your skin before dismissing it.

Avoiding olfactory 'overload'

When buying and choosing a fragrance, it can be very easy to get overwhelmed with the large choices available to you.

Your nose will very easily get overloaded and you may well end up forking out in excess of £30 on something that won't smell much better (to you) than a plug-in air-freshener. Not a good investment!

Here are some tips on keeping your nose in fine fettle and buying a scrummy fragrance to boot!

• Don't try more than three or four fragrances in one day
• Give a little time between each one to "rest" your nose by getting a bit of fresh air
• Have a peppermint tea or a strong filter coffee whilst having a break
• Smell your clothing (free of perfume) to regain an awareness of your own plain natural scent

If your nose has lost its "edge" then stop testing and go and read some good articles and reviews and try again the following day.

In Part 2 we will help you to choose new fragrances to add to your collection, offer advice on how to apply perfume for best effect as well as how to prevent your perfumes from spoiling.

About the author
Debbie Cave works in Quality Assurance for a large home improvement retailer. She lives in Hampshire with her partner and dog. Amongst numerous interests and hobbies, Debbie has held a lifelong love of fine fragrance and hopes to be able to share some of that passion with Perfume Fairy readers.