Perfume Shopping Tips
“I am often confused and frustrated with the way retail fragrance counters are arranged and have all but given up the past pleasure of trying new scents on my lunch break.” Department stores with their crowded and poorly organized fragrance bars, commission driven sales personnel and lack of useful information definitely make fragrance shopping frustrating. Of course, in Lagos and other big cities there are various fragrance boutiques, where one can find a broad range of fragrances as well as passionate and well-informed staff; however, the reality for most fragrance shoppers is the department store. As much as I complain about the department store fragrance bar, I still love having lots of different fragrances to sample in one location while also checking in on the latest shoe sale. What if all one has nearby is Macy’s? It is in fact possible optimize the fragrance shopping experience. Below I will share several tips that have worked for me during my department store expeditions. Do you have tips of your own? Please feel free to share! I am always up for anything to make the fragrance shopping as efficient and pleasant as possible.

Come Prepared

Standing in front of a perfume counter filled with bottles can be an overwhelming experience—what to choose, what to smell? With only so much skin on my arms and only one nose, it is best to be prepared. Bring a pen, a notebook, some small envelopes for retaining blotters, a bottle of water. I will explain later how these things come in handy.

If you already have an idea of what you might like to try, then make a list. If I am just trying to smell the new launches, that is what I do. Jot down a list of new releases. This way, I just ask for the fragrances that interest me and often it keeps both me and the SA focused on what I actually want try.

Do Not Wear Perfume or Lotion, Even Unscented

It is best to avoid any perfume or lotion on days when you go fragrance shopping, especially if you are planning to test on your skin. Even unscented lotions will skew your perception of scent because they contain a special odor suppressing compound to mask the chemical scent of the lotion base. Therefore, spraying perfume on top of a lotion layer will not give you the proper impression of its character and staying power.

Go Straight for the Fragrance Counter

If you are planning to do general shopping at the store, start first with fragrances. Your nose is usually more sensitive when you come from the fresh air into the store. Moreover, the air in the department stores is usually quite scented, which tends to tire out the nose.

Pace Yourself: Start with 3-4 Fragrances

It is tempting just to start smelling everything in sight, but before you know it olfactory fatigue sets in and you can no longer distinguish Opium from Chanel No 5. Smell a few fragrances on a blotter, walk around the store, check out that shoe sale and come back for more smelling. Of course, with time you can develop the ability to smell lots of different scents, it is all in training your nose. However, if you are just starting to explore fragrances, do not try to smell more than 3-4 scents at a time.

Let Alcohol Evaporate Before Smelling

Whether on a blotter or on your skin, it is best to allow the alcohol to evaporate before you smell. Nothing causes olfactory fatigue more than the inhaling alcoholic fumes. Therefore, spray perfume (1-2 sprays per blotter are enough) and let it dry for a few seconds before starting to smell.

Smell in Short Inhales

Although we take smelling for granted, there is definitely a science to smelling, and it is nothing complicated! Instead of taking a deep, long inhale, smell your blotter or skin in 2-3 short, quick inhales. Take a long, calm breath before you resume smelling. This way, you will prevent the mucous membrane of your nose from getting oversaturated with scents.

Skip Coffee Beans

Coffee beans are commonly used at the fragrance counter to “reset” one’s nose as olfactory fatigue sets in. While in principle it should work, in practice you end up further overloading your smell receptors. The best tip for “resetting” a tired nose came to me when during my perfumery training during which I had to smell raw materials for literally 8 hours a day. Cover your nose with a scarf or bury your nose in the sleeve of a sweater and inhale deeply. Essentially you are filtering the air entering your nose which helps to reset your smell receptors. You can also take a sip of water; this always works for me.

Label Blotters to Smell Later

Bring a pen and label the sprayed blotters. You can bring little envelopes or a clean note book, and put labeled blotters between pages. Later, or even the next day, you can smell the blotters again to remind yourself of what you have smelled.

Comparing Scents

Just be aware that when you compare two scents, the first one you smell will tend to appear stronger than the second, because of the olfactory saturation. Take a deep, long breath, switch the order in which you smelled blotters and try again.

Do Not Let Sales Associates Spray You with Perfume

Instead, ask to spray it yourself. If you are skin testing fragrances, you can judge yourself much better where and how much perfume you would like. Spray perfume on the back of the hand and on forearms and not by the wrist if you wear a watch.

Smell Fragrance Outside the Store

The air near the fragrance counter is often so filled with scent that it is almost impossible to get a good idea of how perfumes smell. Walk around the mall, step outside—it is best to smell in fresh air in order to see how fragrance develops on your skin.

To Ascertain Sillage, Do Not Smell Too Close Up

Another trick I picked up for ascertaining sillage, the trail that perfume leaves behind, is to smell by holding your arm or a blotter a few inches away from your nose. Can you still perceive the smell? Or is it obvious only if you bury your nose in your skin? A radiant perfume with a strong sillage should definitely have enough projection when smelled at a distance.

Look at Different Concentrations

These days many fragrances are available in different concentrations—parfum, Eau de parfum, Eau de toilette (from strongest to lightest.) If you can smell different concentrations of the same perfume, it might be very helpful, as some fragrances are balanced differently depending on the concentration. For instance, I do not like the heft of the floral notes in Chanel No 19 EDP, but the EDT with its luminous, effervescent aura is amazing.

Do Not Buy Right Away

It may seem obvious, but it is best to wear the fragrance for at least a couple of hours before you decide whether it is the one for you. Most people buy perfume based on the top notes, which is why fragrance houses put the most effort into crafting an appealing initial experience. In fact, top notes last at most for 15-30min while the body of the fragrance is what you will live with for the whole day. Let fragrance meld into your skin, let it become a part of you. Do you still enjoy it two hours later? Do you feel tempted to sniff your skin throughout the day? Do you like that lingering scent in the evening ?