Do you want to buy new perfume but are really unsure where to start? These tips should help you choose the perfect fragrance for you.
Buying perfume is a very personal thing and what you like on someone else, might not be the right one for you. We have all made the mistake in the past where we love the smell of perfume, so we rush out to buy it. Sometimes spending a lot of money on it. But then the smell is different on you and you suddenly don’t like it.
That’s because the perfume is reacting differently to your skin than it did to your friends. So you will smell totally different when you wear it. Your chosen perfume doesn’t need to be too expensive either, you can enjoy a cheap perfume as much as an expensive one.
Perfume Groups
Perfume always comes under different groups when it is made. So if it is primarily made of flowers, it is a floral perfume. If it is primarily a citrus smell, then it is a citrus perfume. You might find that some perfumes suit your skin, whilst others react with it and don’t smell too nice.
Floral perfume has hints of rose, jasmine, gardenias and suits people of all ages. Perfumes with floral notes are Coco Mademoiselle, Marc Jacobs Daisy, Prada Candy Floral, Gucci Guilty Pour Femme.
Citrus perfume has hints of lemon, lime, tangerine. This is great for a younger person but can be worked by women of all ages. CKone, D&G Light Blue, Chanel Eau Fresh, Vilhelm’s Black Citrus Eau De Parfum are great citrus Fragrances.
Woody perfume has hints of sandalwood and cedar. Although this suits the older lady, there are no rules to say a younger lady cannot wear it. Some good woody perfumes are Tom Ford Oud Wood Parfum, YSL Opium, Penhaligon’s London Lothair and Marc Jacobs Perfect.
Oriental perfume has hints of spices to make the perfume smell muskier. This is quite a sophisticated perfume and has been around for a long time. Versace Oud Oriental, Zara Woman Oriental, YSL Black Opium are all good examples of oriental perfumes
Gourmand Perfume is a sweet perfume with hints of candy, cakes and caramels. These perfumes are extremely popular for younger women. Some great gourmand perfumes are D&G The Only One, The Britney Spears Range, Thierry Mugler Angel Muse and Lancome La Vie Est Belle.
There are so many other perfume groups, you could go on forever. Floral and oriental are often mixed to create Floriental fragrances. You really just need to find your fragrance family and then there is a huge range of perfumes for you to choose from
Keeping Within Your Budget
As we said earlier, your favourite perfume doesn’t need to be expensive. It can be a dupe that a drug store sells or it can be bought from Duty-free. Here are some tips to make sure you get the best price for fragrance.
Shop Around
Your perfume might be £20 in-store, but the same shop could have it online with 10% off. Although you will pay postage with online orders, most stores offer free collection from stores. In-store you are more likely to get a free gift with your perfume as they want to get rid of them. Some shops also offer coupons if you spend a certain amount in-store.
Sales
Sales don’t just happen after Christmas, they happen all year round. In fact, the summer is an excellent time to check out the sales as stores prepare to get rid of the old stock, ready for Christmas. Have a regular look online for shops like Boots, Superdrug, John Lewis and keep an eye on prices and what’s in the sale section. If you see something in the sale, buy it now.
Special Offers
Look out for special offers. Some stores have weekly offers where they focus on a few perfumes and they slash the price. Keeping an eye on social media is always good too. If someone spots a bargain, they usually share it on Facebook.
Keep Checking Websites
Keep checking perfume shop websites, they often compete against each other to be the lowest priced. Also there are special discounts when you order online, you might get 10% off for signing up to a website. Sometimes companies online slash prices off their old stock and you need to get there quickly. So make sure you check the websites very often.
Save up Gift Cards
If there is a bottle of perfume that you really want, save up gift cards that you get for Christmas and birthdays. Then you can buy a bottle of perfume and it won’t actually cost you anything.
Always Look For The Bigger Bottle
Although it is expensive to buy a bigger bottle, it is actually cheaper to buy a larger bottle in the long run. You might pay £49 for 50mls of perfume, but 100mls will be £69. So if you were to buy 2 of the 50ml, you would be paying nearly £100 instead of £69. You really do save in the long run. Also, you will see that the larger bottles go on offer more often than smaller bottles of perfume.