Mother’s Day is May 11, which is coming whether you’re ready for it or not.
For many of us, even avid and intrepid shoppers, Mother’s Day presents a special challenge. That is why perfume is a favorite gift. It’s luxurious, flattering, and most women love it (and rarely buy it for themselves).
But navigating the perfume counter can be a challenge for newcomers and those who don’t know much about fragrances can find themselves completely intimidated.
Here’s how you can own a perfume counter, even if you’ve never shopped for perfume before. We’ve rounded up seven quick and easy things you need to know to avoid it.
1. Fragrance never sells. It’s never cheap. It hasn’t been on sale since Marie Antoinette advised the peasants to eat cake, and it probably won’t be on sale in our lifetimes. It is important to configure the search correctly.
2. The people at the perfume counter can tempt you with carefully packaged gift sets that combine fragrance and shower gel or spray cologne and lotion. They will assure you that this is the deal of the year. Don’t laugh, it’s true. This is as close as the fragrance industry is going to offer you to a bargain.
Related:World Best Perfume For Women
3. Perfume comes in several “grades” from the most potent (perfume) to the least potent (cologne) and in between (eau-de-perfume and toilet water). However, there are no official standards in the perfume industry so this classification is a bit fuzzy. You’re pretty safe buying “eau-de-parfum” (pronounced ooh-duh-per-fam, sorry there’s no English word) because it’s high quality, very strong, luxurious, and what most perfumes are. like If your mom likes a light touch, you can go for eau de toilette or cologne but be aware that they wear off quickly.
4. Your skin won’t smell the way perfume smells fresh out of the bottle. It’s designed to contain “top notes” or deceptively small scent molecules that begin to resonate from the bottle when you first take a whiff. These ethereal top notes dissipate in a flash. Four minutes is pretty standard. What you really smell at long range are the “heart notes”. For this reason, sniffing a bunch of perfume bottles isn’t really that useful.
5. There are many rough groups of scent families. The big ones to know about are Floral, Fruity, Oriental (Spicy), Woody (which replaces the old family name of “chypres” that no one could ever pronounce), And fresh. Orientals like the spicy smell but don’t think “hot”. Think vanilla, cinnamon, cloves. Wood smells include “green” scents that have nothing to do with being environmentally friendly. These include things named after plants and trees (which aroma mavens call “botanicals”), and moss. A brand new trend sweeping the fragrance world is a group of fragrances called “Fresh”. It smells very light, almost like soap or fresh air. As a rule of thumb: Orientals and florals are considered “more mature” and stronger. A fruity floral and fresh scent is rejuvenating. The woody scent is exquisite.
6. Things to tell the perfume counter person about your mom to help you pick the scent: known perfume preferences, general taste and dress (is your mom sporty? young? dramatic? business type? soccer mom?). , and whether or not she follows fashion. If she is in fashion, ask the salesperson to direct you to the latest arrivals at the perfume counter. Believe it or not, the perfume industry is more volatile than the shoe industry, and new perfumes hit the market more often than news about the Democratic primaries.
7. Try something new. It’s tempting to go for your mom’s favorite scent (the one sitting half-unused on her dresser) or older scents you know she likes. Perfume is more fun when there’s a little exploration involved. Most grown women perfumes like cats. The type of woman who likes a cat usually likes the whole range of cats, maybe even all cats. The same is the case with perfume. Perfume People love all kinds of perfumes.
But it all boils down to one last moment: you have to make a decision. Contrary to your instincts, smelling every scent won’t help you much and, unless the perfume counter is really understanding, compassionate and low-key, asking for help won’t be a solution either. You just have to choose. Choose a fragrance family, find a deal (usually a gift set), and choose your favorite. It’s hard to go too wrong.
