Beauty Tips and Tricks

Why Perfume is packaged with Other Complimentary Products

When was the last time you bought or received a perfume or other fragrance in a stand-alone bottle or package? It has probably been a while, hasn’t it? Do you wonder why that is? Stop and really think about why you don’t go out and buy just the bottle of perfume or cologne by itself or why any fragrance gift comes packaged with other products. Is buying a stand-alone package too expensive? Or maybe, it is because they don’t sell it in a bottle or package that suits your needs; it could be either too small of a package or one that is just too large that you are sure you will never finish the fragrance.

No matter what the reason is, more and more perfumes and fragrances are packaged with complimentary products. The reason for this type of packaging is all about money. There are so many perfumes and fragrances out on the market these days that retailers try and fight for your business by offering complimentary products as part of your perfume or fragrance package. Think about the major holidays where perfumes and fragrances are given as gifts –Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas. You will see various print ads as well as television commercial touting a certain fragrance with complimentary products and even “free” gifts with a purchase.

It is all a matter of psychology for the customer and greed for the retailer. People see all these complimentary products for just the price of the perfume or fragrance and they jump on it. In their minds, they are getting a great deal on some really cool products without having to pay extra for it. For retailers, they see those complimentary products as a marketing tool to hook you in as a customer, hopefully a repeat customer. And guess what? It works. Think about it. You buy or receive a perfume or fragrance as part of a gift basket that has complimentary products included. You absolutely love the scent and greatly enjoy the perfume and lotions and bath gel or whatever else is a part of the gift basket. Now you are hooked. So what happens when you run out of a particular product in that gift basket? You go out buy another product! The perfume retailer has now made you into a repeat customer.

So what exactly are these complimentary products to your perfume or fragrances? These could be any number of products. The most popular items that accompany your perfume are body lotions and fragrance powder in a matching scent to your perfume. Other complimentary products could include bubble bath, shower gel, bar soaps, aromatherapy oils and even candles and incense. These products are touted as giving you a totally scented experience with your favorite perfume or fragrance.

Obviously, these complimentary products make a lot of scents and sense from both a business and personal standpoint. Personally, people want to enjoy the scent of their perfume or fragrance all day. What better way to do that than through the layering of scented products? Washing with shower gel provides a wonderful light base for your scent. From there, an after bath body lotion can keep your skin soft and it also provides a wonderful base for a fragrant powder of perfume application. Through product layering, you can extend the length of your scent.

From a business standpoint, these complimentary products pay off in increased market share and profits. It is actually a clever move to build up a repeat business as well as allow customers to try their products without denting their pocketbook. Through some creative packaging, these gift sets that feature your perfume with complimentary products can sometimes be collector’s items and well sought after. Perhaps the perfume manufacturer created a limited edition perfume bottle that is available only through the purchase of a gift set. This boosts the popularity of the product and almost guarantees a sell-out.

As long as there are thousands of perfumes and fragrances to choose from, there will always be those gift sets with complimentary products. Take advantage of those products and enjoy trying out products that you normally might not have bought. Who knows? Thanks to that creative marketing ploy of complimentary products, you may just find a new favorite.

How to Choose Your Signature Perfume or Fragrance

The choice of one’s perfume says a lot about one’s personality, lifestyle and way of thinking. And it also makes quite an impact on other people as well. Long after you leave a room you want your fragrance to linger on, as if in remembrance of you and your strong presence. It was famous perfumer Jean Guerlain who said, “Perfume is the most intense form of memory.” A fragrance is so many things. It is art, it is emotion, it is romance, it is energy, it is intimacy and it is empowerment. Perfume tells a story all its own. For all of these reasons choosing a signature fragrance or perfume is so very essential to a woman’s sense of self. Today’s fragrance market is booming with over 20,000 fragrances for perfume lovers to choose from. So how does one decide on a signature fragrance? Read on …

The first thing you need to do is decide on what specific mood it is you are attempting to create. Once you decide on that then you have completed the first important step. Fragrances can be broken down into three loosely based groups. These groups include classic, delicate and sensual.

If you are not sure exactly what fragrance you are seeking then go for a classic scent. Classic scents are the tried-and-true, old standbys of perfumes. But there is nothing dull or boring about these authentic fragrances! Classic perfumes are like the classic black dress or pair of pearl earrings that should be staples of any woman’s wardrobe. A classic fragrance matches everything. It is perfect with every outfit, every pair of shoes, for every season of the year and for every occasion, whether it be business, social or casual. Chanel No. 5 is one of the classiest and most timeless scents around. This perfume combines ming, rose and jasmine and is a favorite of women all across the globe- from Canada to the United States and from Europe to Asia and everywhere in between. Chanel No. 5 is truly a sophisticated and elegant choice for a classic scent. Another classic fragrance worth considering is Oscar which contains just the right blend of Bulgarian rose, amber, jasmine and mirth. This is a grown up perfume that is ideal for black tie galas.

The second group is the delicate fragrances and as their name suggests, these are very soft and feminine and hard not to fall in love with! Two of the most popular delicate fragrances on the market today are L’Air Du Temps and Premier Jour. L’Air Du Temps first appeared on the scene in 1948 and creator Nina Ricci made a hit with her delicate scent that consists of carnation and gardenia and smaller but no less important ingredients jasmine, rose and sandalwood. This perfume has often been described as being a “garden of delights.” Another well-known fragrance of Nina Ricci’s is called Premier Jour and this very ultra modern fragrance of the 21st century is based on a note of sugared almond and is very pleasing to the senses.

The third group is the sensual group and it is very bold, self confident and passionate. Sensual calls to mind two signature fragrances right away, Opium and Chance by Chanel. Opium first appeared on the fragrance front in 1977 and it has been exceptionally popular ever since. This perfume is thought to be sultry and magical with its blend of carnation, jasmine, lily of the valley, mandarin, amber and vanilla. One of Chanel’s latest fragrances, Chance, is spirited not to mention edgy, and boosts a feeling of enthusiasm and optimism. This perfume is sure to delight any woman with its sensual pleasures. The scent is made up of citrus notes, jasmine, pink pepper and white musk.

When shopping for your signature perfume you should remember that your choice of fragrance should complement everything about you, from your looks to your personality to your specific lifestyle. How a perfume smells on somebody has a lot to do with his or her body chemistry, as body chemistry is a very individual entity. The same scent on one woman will smell differently on another. That is why it is so essential to make a determination about perfume based on how it smells on your skin, not on someone else’s. Be aware that fragrances after they are applied to the skin change their smell slightly so be patient and give it time to decide if it is suitable for you and especially if you want to make it your signature fragrance. A signature fragrance is very unique- make yours speak for you!

Fu-Fu Fever – Fragrance Figures into Many Products

Fragrances are all around. If you take the time to examine the environment around you, you may well notice that they are, in fact, a part of most everything you do. The world has gone fragrance mad, and there is no sign of slowing down. Where are fragrances showing up now? It is hard to know exactly where to begin, but consider some of the more popular places that we don’t always acknowledge.

Consider cars. We have become so obsessed with fragrances and aromatherapy, that a vehicle seems almost incomplete without some sort of scent to it. It might be scented oil drizzled into the rugs of the car to make it smell new, like strawberry, or with a hint of vanilla after an oil change. It may also be a scented piece hung from the rear view mirror in the front seat. There is such an obsession with fragrance now that it is not enough to simply rid the car of bad odors, but it must also get its own new fragrance to replace that odor. Combine that with the bath soaps and perfume scents you bring each time you get into your car and it becomes a chamber of scents, odors, and fragrances; it is a fragrance cocktail.

Bath products are another. There was a time, believe it or not, when soap really just smelled like soap. Not only are soaps scented now with fragrances and perfumes, but even the type of soap you use will determine the scent. There are bath oils, body lotions, and bar soaps just to get you started. Each has its own set of fragrances and perfumes included in it. If that is not enough, there is your shampoo which may be one fragrance while your conditioner is another. Once you have cleaned your body with a scented soap or body wash and washed your hair with a scented shampoo and conditioner, you can still wash your face with a face wash that has its own fragrance. The hard part is not finding fragrances in bath products, but in trying to make sure they all compliment each other sufficiently.

To find the next fragrance product, you will have to go no further than the bath mat as you step out of your perfumed shower experience. Lotions have become an absolute hub of fragrance. The idea of lotions and fragrance, in fact, has become so big that they are now often used instead of actual perfume or cologne. Lotions can be purchased with pretty much any scent that is available for aromatherapy now; you need only walk down the aisle containing lotion at your local convenience store to see just how many there are.

Then there are candles. It may seem obvious that candles would be fragrance induced, but they have become so to such a degree that it is difficult to even know how many there are. You may buy them yourself or get them as gifts, but the problem comes in making sure you only burn candles that compliment each other. Like with any time you use a scent, it is really just important that you pay attention to what it is that each fragrance induces as far as a reaction. Work with themes and don’t just start lighting candles of varying scents without paying attention to what goes together.

Fragrance is everywhere. By the time you get up in the morning and take your shower with scented soap, wash your hair with scented shampoo and treat it wish scented conditioner, and treat your skin with a fragranced lotion you are already well on your way to fragrance saturation. However, then you might crawl into your car for work where there is vanilla, pine, or new car fragrance either sprayed or being wafted through the car via a hanging decorative fragrance emitter of some sort. That doesn’t even take into account the candles that are likely all over your home that you have purchased and gotten as gifts, each with its own fragrance to add to the cocktail of fragrance in your and everyone else’s lives. Since we know fragrance is everywhere, it is important to at least make sure they all compliment one another. Take a few extra moments in your day to ensure that what you wear, what you clean with, and what you burn all have some relation in terms of theme or compliment and you will be in control of this fragrance rich society in which we live.

Easy Tips to Find Your Fragrance Online

The World Wide Web opened up so many opportunities for retailers to really expand their position in the marketplace. In fact, some retailers only have “storefronts” on the internet. This means that the retailer is not spending money on overhead, salary for extra employees or even rent expenses. These web retailers often will pass those costs savings on to their internet customers. Therefore, you can often find great prices for items you want on the internet.

For those of you who enjoy buying and wearing perfume, but hate jockeying for position at the fragrance counters at department stores, buying your fragrance online makes sense. There is no more fighting traffic to drive to the store or playing chicken in the parking lot with other cars trying to get a parking place. You don’t have to deal with rude people or indifferent salespeople either. All the customer service you need is at your fingertips, thanks to your computer keyboard and the internet.

Of course, with the convenience of shopping online anytime day or night, there are some things to consider before embarking on your quest to purchase a fragrance on the internet. First of all, when you shop online, there are drawbacks. You cannot hold or inspect the item in person. Many people don’t feel comfortable not having that level of control in their purchase. When you are browsing through online stores to look for a fragrance, keep in mind that you will only be able to see what the product is packaged in and read a brief description of the scent. If you have no clue what you are going to buy, purchasing a fragrance online is not our best option.

There is one way around this dilemma. Go to the department store’s fragrance counter. Yep, you have to negotiate traffic and parking lots to test some fragrances. Make your one-time trip to the department store and test various fragrances. Narrow down to your favorite choices and ask to take a few perfume samples home. For a few days, try the different scents and choose your favorite that you want to purchase. Once you have made a decision, then you can make an order online for your fragrance.

Once you do have a specific fragrance you are looking for, it is time to find the best perfume website to purchase your scent. This is probably the hardest part of the process. Why, you may ask? The reason is that practically anyone with an understanding of the internet can throw a website together and claim they are an online store. It is up to you to ensure that the web retailer is legitimate, especially since you will likely have to part with a credit card number to pay for the purchase.

So how do you know a web retailer is legitimate? There are several ways to discover that information. First, ask your friends and co-workers if they have ever purchased fragrances online and what their experiences were. Another way is to look on the ordering page of the web retailer’s website and look for the Better Business Bureau logo. This nonprofit organization that safeguards consumers against bogus companies also has some governing power on the internet. When businesses are members of the Better Business Bureau, they have to go through financial inspections and provide various accounting information. Of course, not all legitimate web retailers are members of the Better Business Bureau. However, you can still you the Better Business Bureau as a resource. Check up on the company you are interested in buying from and see if there have been any negative reports on them.

Cash on Delivery (COD) is a rare choice these days, but smaller web retailers who have yet to establish a real internet presence may offer this option to you. With COD, you are not out any money until you receive the product via the mail or parcel delivery service. This choice may offer you that peace of mind you need when purchasing online. One final way to feel comfortable buying your fragrance online is to visit the perfume manufacturer’s website. Buying straight from the source virtually certifies that you will not be gypped on the sale. Prices for your fragrance may be a little higher with this option, but you can consciously know your purchase is guaranteed. It takes a little effort, but your pocketbook will thank you when you purchase through the internet.

Introducing Seasonal Scents into your Beauty Regime

Just as the change of seasons brings with it changes in fashion, skincare, and makeup colors so too does it have an influence on perfume choices. It’s smart and can be fun to introduce seasonal scents into your beauty regime. As the temperature changes with the seasons so should the scent you choose to wear. Let’s take a closer look at seasonal scents.

The blustery cold of winter causes the molecules in scents to be less volatile which simply means that a quick spritz will go the furthest during this season. During the long windy and snow filled days of winter look for a scent that is heavy, spicy, aromatic and contains ginger and sandalwood. The need to reapply a fragrance of this sort is often not necessary during the wintertime. When it comes to fragrance, think heady, wild, exotic, voluptuous, passionate and oh so sensual for the winter months. The best fragrances for the cold climate are the oriental fragrances that contain amber, rich vanilla wisps and strong notes of musk. Choosing a fragrance with sweet woody notes such as rosewood intermingled with smoky incense is also a good bet for chilly weather temperatures as it has a lasting effect. Three excellent choices for winter fragrances include the timeless Chanel No. 5 (which is made from aldehydes of ylang ylang, woody vetiver and jasmine), Cinnabar by Estee Lauder and Opium by Yves Saint Laurent.

Spring is the season of renewal and new life. Flowers are blossoming, grass is growing and the air is alive with new beginnings. Spring is considered to be the season of “garden delights” and for this reason we naturally are drawn to scents that are both sweet and fresh. Reach for floral scents in the springtime that make you come alive. Delicate and dewy scents that contain honeysuckle, freesia, lilac, violet and wild rose are springtime winners as are heady and lush fragrances that contain the ingredients gardenia, jasmine, jonquil and lily. For the season of colorful pastels some fragrance suggestions are Wisteria by Chantecaille which contains a soft, elegant combination of freesia, orange blossom and dewy green accents; Mimosa pour Moi which is delicately floral but with a touch of the exotic in the form of blackcurrant, green notes and violet; Dolce

Scents of Smell Can Be Psychological

The fragrance market did more than ten billion dollars in sales last year. They managed to make such a record profit for a number of reasons. First, we like to smell good. We are convinced that unless we buy scented products in every aspect of our lives, we will not fit in with the societal norms. More than that, though, fragrances work on levels that we cannot even consciously process. They have odd effects on the mind. Women have scents that make them feel attractive; make them feel like themselves, or one that they see as having a positive effect on others. Fragrances are a powerful stimulant to the mind as the memories locked away in our subconscious levels. Fragrances can help wake us up or soothe us to sleep. Scientific studies show there is a close relationship between the scent and the emotional side of our brains.

People with particular characteristics can be matched with certain fragrance categories. Our sense of smell depends, more than any one of our other five senses, on a connection with those other sensory preceptors. As a result, our choice in fragrances is determined by both our psychological and emotional needs. Fragrance can give us the chance to emphasize our moods and feelings. It can even help us to project new moods and feelings in our minds. Our moods constantly evolve, but at the core, we tend to have a dominance that comes through in things like our choice of fragrance. For example, active women who are generally optimistic about life and its prospects like fresh or spring-like scents. Things like hyacinth, lily of the valley, and freesia are common with this group of people. Young women, or those who remain young in spirit long after their bodies have aged, and those who tend to enjoy solitude and peace enjoy scents with a heavy sweetness like oriental perfumes. Women who like order and security in their lives tend to enjoy perfumes that contain both earthy and sweet notes like floral oriental perfumes. Women who are extroverted by nature, that is to say those who enjoy spontaneity, activity, and change enjoy fresher floral fragrances with hints of fruits like pineapple, raspberry, black currant, and peach. Mature women who are grounded in the ways of the world typically use perfumes that have a powdery flower scent to them. Women who are both emotionally stable and extroverted like fragrances that would combine something like oak moss with bergamot.

One set of research suggests that there are seven basic fragrance categories, each of which matches certain moods. The first category is aldehyic-floral scents. These tend to project a classical, elegant, or cultured mood. Women who fit into this category tend to be wealthy and powerful. They do not consider themselves slaves to fashion, and they are free to explore society as they see it. They enjoy both elegance and exclusivity from others who they do not perceive to fit in their social circles. They are usually appreciative of culture in any form. The second category is floriental scents. These offer romantic, dream-based scents that are often idealistic in nature. Women who fit within this category are usually very emotionally sensitive. They do not see life from a rational point of view, and they rarely have a sober outlook on the world as a whole. They allow their feelings to control them. Their moods dictate the course of their lives. They use their emotions to guide them from one place to the next.

Oriental scents are the third category. These offer introspection, sensitivity, and reflection as their base moods. Women who tend to enjoy these fragrances have a deep understanding of themselves. They connect with their spiritual side on a much deeper level. They have intense relationships everywhere they go. They despise anything they see as superficial from relationships to mundane daily duties. They are their own best company, and they are typically at peace with themselves. The fourth category is powdery-aldehydic scents. These scents offer an independent, unconventional, and unfettered mood. Women who like scents in this category are both highly individualized and seriously artistic. They use only themselves as a guide to their own lives. They demand to be free and unattached on all levels of life. The fifth category is fruity-floral scents. These project a carefree, playful, and cheerful mood. Women who enjoy these fragrances are open to change. They are curious and love life for all of its new experiences. The sixth category is fresh green floral scents. These project a dynamic, active, and extroverted mood. Women who enjoy these scents like risks. They show initiative on all levels of life. The final scent category is chypre scents. These fragrances project professional, pragmatic, and self-assured moods. Women who prefer these scents are practical and uncomplicated. They accept responsibility in all facets of their lives.

Fragrances can reveal many things about who we are. They can give us a connection, on a very different level, to a number of different things.

Perfumed Beauty Products: Too Much of a Good Thing?

These days, it is all about whether you have any scents or not, at least in the beauty products arena. Something that is pleasing to your sense of smell can be great, but when does it become too much of a good thing? Luckily, it is in the nose of the beholder. Each person’s preference regarding scents and aromas is different and because there are a plethora of products on the beauty market these days, you can pick and choose whatever you want.

Beauty creams, powders, lotions, bar soaps, bubble bath, shower gel, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants and body sprays all have fragrances infused in them. Sure, you can get them without any smell if you have allergy problems, but for the most part, many of these products have some sort of scent. Thanks to the popularity of retail stores that specialize in bath and body items, these scented products are in demand.

Obviously many people like these perfumed beauty products, otherwise we would not be assaulted every so often by someone who, it seems, bathed in a certain scent. You may wonder, “Do they even know they smell really strong?” This is an instance where you can have too much of a good thing. They either truly have no idea that their smell is overpowering or perhaps they thought that the scents would dissipate after a length of time. Normally, that would be the case. However, it is possible to be overwhelming when using one scent in a variety of products.

Perhaps your favorite scent for your beauty products is vanilla. Washing your hair with a vanilla shampoo and conditioner would only give your tresses a light scent that would fade within the day. But what if you decided to use the shower gel or bar soap for your bath? The vanilla scent would stay on your skin for a while and be subtle. There are no worries about overpowering smells there. But then, let’s add a facial cream and body lotion scented in vanilla. Lotions are thicker and absorb into the skin to keep it feeling soft and supple. The scent also tends to linger a bit longer than the shower gels or bar soap. Still, all in all, this would not be overpowering, noticeable yes, but not overpowering.

Now, let’s add a dusting of vanilla scented body powder as well as a body spray. This is the point where the usually warm, comfortable smells of vanilla can start to overpower. As you can tell, each scented beauty product on its own, does not have the power to be overwhelming to the people around you, nor does adding a few of the same scented products to your beauty regime. It’s adding them all together that tips the balance from lightly scented to heavily unbearable.

Another reason that scented products can be overwhelming is that these scents are everywhere. Dryer sheets, laundry detergents, potpourri, cleaning products, linen sprays … it is no wonder that more and more people hit that olfactory sensory overload. Another thing that comes into play is a heavy hand at the helm of the sprayer. Some people just do not have a sensitive enough nose to detect when they have put on too much fragrance. Unfortunately, these people do not seem to notice it on themselves, but the people around them definitely can tell.

If you do happen to notice that the aroma wafting from you is a wee bit strong, there are a few things you can do to tone it down. First of all, you can use an unscented baby wipe and gently glide it down on the parts of your body that has the most fragrance. Usually dabbing the pulse points with the wipe will cut down on the overpowering scent. However, if you sprayed cologne or perfume all over your body, including the hair, you need to take a little more drastic measures. Dissolve some baking soda in a little water and mix it in a sprayer bottle. Lightly mist this mixture into the air, and then walk into the cloud and let it settle onto your body and hair. This will absorb some of the overwhelming smell from your fragrance.

When in doubt about whether or not you are an overwhelming odorous presence, ask a friend for guidance. Don’t use every scented product known to man in your beauty regime. You only need a few to really make your presence known without overpowering everyone around you. Remember, less is more!

Five Tops Places to Purchase your Perfumes

Whether it is the vending machine in a truck stop bathroom, the department store, or the counter at your local drug store, perfumes are available everywhere. If we pay no regard to quality or price, perfume is something that can be bought most anywhere we go. With the large range in places to buy perfume and the quality of what they carry, it can be difficult to figure out where the best places to buy perfume are. There are five places to consider, however.

First of all, like with many products, you should consider the internet. Now the obvious drawback to buying perfume on line is that you cannot smell it before you buy it. If you are going to buy online it is a good idea to already know what you want. Also, you should probably avoid knock off scents to avoid ending up with a bad fake that not only doesn’t smell like the perfume it is supposed to, but maybe even smells bad. The upside, though, is that if you know what you want, it is often times much cheaper to buy online than it is to buy in a retail store of some sort.

The second place to consider buying perfume is in what might be the most obvious of places: the department store. Most department stores, or big box stores, have a fragrance department. You have surely seen them before: glass counters with perfume boxes and bottles all along the top, inside, and along the shelves behind them. The advantage here is that you can experience the perfume not only as a free scent, but also on you. Sales people will offer up the scents to try as you walk the area. Since every perfume reacts to every person differently and hence creating a new smell for each person, it is important that you are able to try the perfume on you if at all possible,

Third, you can try discount stores. Yes, that’s right, give a discount store a chance. There is often a fragrance counter manned by an employee who can help you test out and smell the various scents. Again, being able to experience the perfume is a key to making a good decision. The prices at a discount store are often much below the department store, but they will likely not have quite the selection or access to the higher end perfume manufacturers. The discounters are worth stopping in, though, just in case you can end up with a great deal on your favorite fragrance.

Fourth, you can go specialty store and try a fragrance shop. Higher end malls and shopping areas will often have a fragrance shop. This is a store dedicated completely to perfume, cologne, and even body lotions. They sometimes are more expensive, but can sometimes get you access to great knock offs, or competitive pricing on the top scents. Perhaps the biggest advantage is that they will likely know the scents and how they work better than anyone at any other store. In addition, you will be able to smell and try on a wider variety of fragrances than you might if you went with a discount or department store purchase.

A fifth idea for tracking down your favorite perfume is to check out some of the designer stores. Why would you look in a designer store? Well, many of them, like Nike and Abercrombe actually make their own fragrances for purchase. Taking a few minutes to wander in and out of those places will give you access to some lesser known but fabulous scents and fragrances. Make sure you try them on, though; you don’t want any surprises when you put on the perfume for the first time.

You could buy perfume just about anywhere. It is in drug stores, bathroom vending machines, and even the occasional convenience outlet. However, where you buy your perfume is an important decision and one that should not be taken lightly. Should you buy cheaper online, test out the department store fragrance department, try a discount store fragrance counter, or simply try out a specialty store? The truth is that it doesn’t matter as long as you know where you are going how you want your fragrance to function.

How Media Molds the Fragrance Market

How did you acquire your current fragrance? Did you just happen to wander around the fragrance counter of a department store or did you receive some perfume as a gift? Chances are good that you probably saw an ad somewhere for your fragrance. And there is also a good probability that because of that ad you saw, you remembered it enough to check it out the next time you were at the mall. See how the media works? Thanks to some advertising via various forms of media, you remembered the perfume, checked it out, and purchased it. Sure, you might have stumbled onto it on your own or someone could have recommended it by word of mouth. It was the ad, however, that reeled you in.

We are bombarded by advertisements through various forms of media every day. From large layouts in magazines or newspapers to thirty second spots on television to sexy sounding commercials on the radio to billboards up and down the highways, we cannot help but see these marketing ads and assimilate it into our brains. How much do these advertisements play a part in shaping our likes and dislikes? Even if we have not tried a product, many of us will form an opinion, usually based on word of mouth from another person or from the advertisements we see every day.

Think about your current fragrance. You obviously bought it because you liked the smell, but how did you come to discover it in the first place? The answer is in the advertisements. The media, in all forms, guide unsuspecting consumers through mazes of information and expectations. The media controls what we see, how we see it and when we see it. Retailers spend big bucks on market research and knowing who to target with certain advertisements. They also use demographics to determine when their target audience is most likely watching television as well as the particular shows.

Celebrity spokespeople are also big draws when it comes to advertising, especially in the fragrance market. Sometimes, the personality or public image of a celebrity embodies what the perfume manufacturers want to portray to the public. So if a perfume is created with teenagers in mind and the scent is a light floral, the celebrity spokesperson is likely to be someone that the teenage demographic will relate to. They could be a popular actress in teen movies, a singer or even a teenage athlete that many people look up to or identify with.

Whether someone likes a fragrance or not depends heavily on the olfactory senses obviously. However, the scents also depend greatly on memory. Maybe the hint of roses brings back a happy day playing in grandma’s garden or a clean linen scent reminds you of a peaceful time in a country cottage. Our memories play a powerful part in choosing a new fragrance. And if advertisements in the television or print mediums can invoke those same memories without smelling the fragrance first, the media will have done its job.

Think about a time when you were watching television or reading a magazine. At some point in time, there was probably an instance where you wished you could transport yourself to a particular scene. You could have seen a picture of a white sandy beach with crystal blue waters lapping at the shore with a balmy ocean breeze gently blowing the palm trees. Or it could have been a green, open meadow with bursts of color from the abundance of wildflowers blooming. For many people, viewing the ocean scene invokes the memories of salty air and tropical, laid back days. The meadow, on the other hand, invokes an energetic, vibrant beauty. By just portraying these scenes in fragrance advertisements, the media is, in essence, translating what the particular scents will be once you try them in the stores.

The power of advertising is staggering and the media plays a huge part in our perceptions of world events and products on the market. When the media plays in the fragrance market, they can only do so much to influence people’s perceptions of a particular product. They will have done their job if their advertisements got you as far as the department stores or wherever their fragrances are sold. Once you walk in those store doors however, the power is all yours.

How to Shop for a New Fragrance

Choosing a new scent for you or for someone else is almost like science. There is a lot of experimenting and trial and error. Luckily, you know what you like and dislike. That’s the easy part. The hard part is wading through the fragrance counter in a department store with all of your olfactory senses intact.

The key to testing various perfumes and fragrances is to actually apply a scent onto your skin. Choose a pulse point and apply the fragrance. Your next step is to leave the area immediately or walk the mall for about twenty minutes. You want the fragrance to have enough time to react with your body chemistry as well as mellow out, especially if you like the scent from the start. Sometimes, the top note of a fragrance is appealing, but as the scent starts to react with your body chemistry, the middle and base notes of the fragrance could change dramatically. If after that length of time you still like the smell, then you have a potential new fragrance.

It is important to note that you should never try more than two or three fragrances at a time. Make sure and apply the test scents on different pulse points that are not close to each other. You do not want the scents to co-mingle because then you could not make a sound decision on which one you like.

So how do you choose a fragrance for another person? How do you know what they are going to like? This is really a tough call, especially if that person doesn’t really wear a lot of fragrances anyway. One choice you have is to play detective. Ask their significant other or figure a way to find out what scent they are currently wearing. Once you have that answer, you have two options.

The first option is to just buy some complimentary products in the same fragrance or buy a gift set. These sets usually come with cologne, lotion and sometimes, body powder or shower gel. Your second option is to tell the salesperson at the fragrance counter what your friend wears and ask for recommendations that are within the same scent family. By knowing what the person uses already, you have gained valuable insight into what fragrance family they like whether it be floral, spicy, woodsy, oriental or more.

Ok, so what do you do when the person offers no clues to their fragrance preferences? This is where their personality traits come into play. Who they are can help define their signature scent. There are so many scents and fragrance families, this insight into their personality can be the deal breaker in finding a fragrance just for them.

Is your friend a girly girl who embraces her femininity? If so, scents from the fruit or floral families just might make sense. What if she is one hot mama? Sexiness and confidence need a bold scent that plays up those traits. Spicy or oriental fragrances that contain musk or cinnamon are good bets. The peace and love “earthy” type of person is down home and no nonsense. She probably loves the great outdoors and wears earth tones or the color green. For this type of personality, the earthiness could be played up with a woody or mossy scent. Variations of musk and sandalwood are possibilities too. And how about the person who believes in true love and happy endings? She has a presence in a crowd and is confident in love. She’s giddy and optimistic. This romantic gal needs a dynamic, flirty scent laced with various floral notes along with a fresh citrus or light oriental finish.

Of course, you might make a minor miscalculation when choosing a new fragrance for you or someone else. Before you buy, ask about any return policies. Many places do not accept returned merchandise unless the product has been unopened. Do not rely on those little pieces of paper that salespeople spray perfumes on. This does not give a true representation of what the scent will be like. When in doubt, ask for perfume or scent samples. These are just the right size for one or two applications and can give you great insight into the right choice of fragrances for you or a friend.