echoing a lot of what has already been saidā¦
1. Try on a ton of perfumes. Sephora, department stores, etc have testers. Donāt spray it onto the paper, spray it on your skin and pay attention to how it fades or stays through the day.
2. Think about what you like. Both in general and on you! As you try perfumes you will start to figure out that some notes work and some donāt. I love citrus smells in my house but not on my skin, for example. Gardenia smells awful on me and now I can avoid all those perfumes! Think too about other scents you already like to wearā maybe in hair care or deodorant for example. Looking at the notes in my fave old spice deodorant helped me pick my first perfume!
3. think about the effect you want to have. Do you want the scent to show up when you walk in the room? Do you want it to be a more intimate smell? are there people In your life or workplace with sensitivity youāll want to pay attention to? Some scents are more piercing, and some have higher sillage Which will make them more noticeable.
4. Dip into social media but donāt take it too seriously. There are tons of perfume tiktokers with huge collections and lots of advice. This can be helpful but ultimately, fragrance is so individualized and you canāt smell it on you nor do most of us have influencer budgets for enormous fragrance collections (also, itās just not practical imo).
5. If you can afford it, consider buying a discovery set from an independent or niche perfume house. This is a good way to try a bunch of scents and support smaller businesses! if you are interested in more designer mainstream scents, there are a ton of discounted name brand perfumes at tj maxx/marshalls type places, or you can get a rollerball/travel size at sephora to see if a perfume is one you will like wearing daily.
most importantly, have fun with it!! Enjoy!!
