How To Find Your Signature Scent in 7 Easy Steps

Harnessing the power of fragrance is an excellent way to make yourself memorable in a rather subtle manner. The perfume you choose to wear can reveal more about you than you think. Not only can it speak volumes about your personality, but it also hints at the person you want to wish to become.A signature scent eventually becomes deeply entrenched in the way someone remembers you. If you choose to wear the same perfume around the same group of people on the daily, they will subconsciously relate the fragrance to you whenever they catch a whiff of it.

Skin Chemistry

If you are not sure about getting a signature scent for yourself, think of it this way. Once you find a perfume that represents you and never lets you down, it is only fair that you associate it with your memories on an intimate level. Perfume enthusiasts are familiar with the idea that no fragrance smells exactly the same on two different people. In fact, your skin chemistry reacts with each fragrance to create a rendition that is unique to you. Your signature scent will be one that meshes beautifully with your skin chemistry, and fills you with positive emotions. As you go along in life, your signature scent will become the secret-keeper that you treasure. That said, how do you find a perfume that suits you?

Choosing a Signature Fragrance

While the idea of a signature fragrance is no doubt wonderful, it can be difficult to choose a signature fragrance and stick to it. To begin with, there are thousands of perfumes on the shelves for you to experiment with before you settle on one particular bottle. In order to alleviate the pressure, remind yourself that your signature fragrance can be anything you want it to be. If you want to have three to four signature perfumes so you can rotate among them periodically, that is completely okay. You may also categorize your signature perfumes based on the season, time of day, or occasion.The primary idea is to build an intentional, minimalistic perfume wardrobe that will take the headache of choosing a perfume every morning out of the equation, but will let you enjoy perfumery at its finest because you will only wear your absolute favorites.If you feel intimidated at the prospect of exploring the plethora of perfume bottles and brands to find your signature scent, we are here to help.Drop a message in our chat box on this page, and our perfumers are happy to advice and help you find your signature scent!

1. Understand Fragrance Families

If you want to make the right choice, you have to know what it is that you want. Once you familiarize yourself with the common notes and accords in perfumes, it is time to narrow down your choices by the fragrance families that you like. Fresh, woody, oriental, and floral are the four major olfactory families that you need to be aware of. Knowing the notes you gravitate towards is really helpful because many perfumes boast overlapping families. While florals tend to be more feminine and sweet, spicy fragrances are usually warm and sultry. Fresh, light, citrusy perfumes are highly reliable, while woody perfumes are seen as earthy and more masculine. Quite often, you will find perfumes to be olfactory cocktails, but that is the fun of the art. Once you spot the unique combination you like, it will no longer seem as complicated. Perfumes are often distinguished by their top, middle, and base notes. For more info on this, you may visit our page about the Perfume Pyramid.

2. Choose your Ideal Perfume Concentration

Once you have decided on the type of fragrance that you want in your signature perfume, it is time to figure out the most suitable concentration based on your needs. If you are happy with very light concentrations that may last only for an hour or so, you can opt for Eau Fraiche or Fragrance Mists. Eau de Cologne has anywhere between 2-4% perfume oil concentration and can last for up to two hours, while Eau de Toilette, with its 5-15% concentration, can easily last three to four hours. If you want your signature fragrance to be non-negotiably long-lasting so as to last you the entire day, you should only opt for Eau de Parfum that has 15-20% oil concentration or Pure Parfum/Extrait de Parfum with 20-40% concentration. You should also take into account whether the sillage of a perfume is important to you since it can vary from accord to accord and concentration to concentration. The sillage is what helps a fragrance radiate off your body and charm the people around you.

3. Check Trends, Don’t Forget the Classics

You might think that the classic signature perfumes are overword, and that is a valid point. However, as mentioned above, perfumes to react differently based on skin chemistry. This means that an iconic cult perfume might even succeed in setting you apart from the crowd if the fit is right. Checking the current perfume trends should definitely be on your to-do list but do not ignore the gems that have been captivating people for decades now.

4. Order Sampler Packs

If you want to try a bunch of perfumes without even stepping out of your house and experience them fully so you can make an informed decision, sampler packs are the way. Usually a set of 2ml-5ml bottles, they are available from various retailers and are often grouped by brands or fragrance families. The primary advantage of having perfume samplers is you can spritz them on for the day and witness the entire fragrance very closely since there will be an intermixing of scents involved. You can narrow down the list and order 10 ml samplers of your top choices, before splurging on your final choice. At Beautinow, we also offer monthly curated perfume sample boxes so you can try out many different niche perfumes at a small price.

5. Visit a Perfume Store with an Open Mind, But Don’t Buy Yet

In case you have not had a lot of success with ordering perfume samplers online, it might be time for you to go the traditional route and head to a perfume store where the options are endless. However, that has its own caveats because it is very easy to get overwhelmed and try ten perfumes in one day, which will essentially not help you at all because you won’t be able to experience any of them properly.Instead, adopt a methodical approach. Even if you could not find the one for you among the sampler packs, they will have given you a clearer idea of the brands and accord combinations you prefer. Use them as the starting point when trying out perfumes in the store. After smelling 7-10 perfumes using the strips, apply only your top three choices directly on the skin and label them for your convenience. Walk out of the store and go about your day so you can get a clear idea about their dry-downs after a few hours. If this trip was unsuccessful, look forward to the next one. Once you’ve identified your ideal niche perfume, you can browse the Beautinow website, and find your potential signature scent at a better price.

6. Spend Time with the Perfume before Giving it Signature Status

Perhaps this is a no-brainer, but we cannot stress it enough how important it is to spend time with a perfume before dubbing it as your signature perfume. There is absolutely no hurry to find the elusive, perfect signature scent; it may take you a few months of fragrance exploration to get there. Enjoy the journey, and do not rush it if you want to ensure that you are happy with your final choice. Perfumes evolve, so you need to wear them as you go about your day to give them a chance to reveal their true identity.

7. The Signature Perfume Must Convey Your Mood or Personality

This could be the first step when testing a perfume, or the last. We feel that the latter might be more beneficial in terms of analysis. The primary task of your signature perfume is to convey your mood and personality the way you intend, so failure in that regard in a deal-breaker. It has to make you feel a rush of joy and confidence every time you spritz it on. However, it is only after you experience a perfume and live with it that you will know the answer to this question.

Conclusion

Your apparel and grooming habits can often be the gateway to your personality. If you want to make a strong first impression, you might want to pay special attention to how you present yourself. A signature scent, can help in this aspect. That said, do not let the choice of your signature perfume be affected by anything other than your own wishes and desires. Wear whatever makes you comfortable and happy in your own skin; you only have to please yourself. We hope you’ll find the one!