It might seem old-fashioned, but Rescu. reckons a woman just isn’t grown-up without a signature scent. One that makes everybody know immediately when she’s nearby.
Stylishly Yours, Jennifer Thorpe
It’s an old-fashioned idea, perhaps, but it’s psychologically powerful – human memory is very scent-oriented, and chances are your family, friends and lovers will associate that scent with you all your life.
So how do you settle on one that will carry you through? Here are RESCU’s top tips.
Experiment. Life’s too short to be stuck with a mediocre scent. These days there are so many on the market, with so many different notes, that you have a virtually endless realm of possibility. Don’t buy big when you’re still not sure – go with small sample vials, or simply wear a sample spritz on you for a day.
Learn the language of scent. Notes comprise a perfume – top notes, middle notes and lower notes. If you’re a true connoisseur, you’ll be able to identify precise smells in a medley, but remember to ask questions to identify a particular note you like. Then you can seek it out in other forms – for instance, finding perfumes with sandalwood bases.
Use the power of coffee beans. Smelling perfume after perfume will get overwhelming. The best palette-cleanser there is? A small cup full of coffee beans. Many perfume stores have this around, but take some along if you don’t think there’ll be any.
Explore bespoke scents. It’s now possible – at a certain expense – for women to mix their own scents, arranging the notes themselves, or simply adopting one ‘pure’ note – amber, for instance, or jasmine. Simple scents are very fashionable, particularly since mixing your own can go badly wrong.
Don’t neglect men’s scents. The Olsen twins have both admitted that they prefer the musky, deeper scents available on the men’s cologne market to the florals of ladies’ perfume. It all depends on your taste and body chemistry, but don’t dismiss them out of hand.
Use a time test. Some perfumes smell sour on one skin and gorgeous on another. It’s all a matter of how your body reacts to it. It’s crucial, if you’re seriously thinking of buying a perfume, to wear it for a prolonged period to see how your sweat and body chemistry react. If it smells odd at a certain point, it’s not for you.
Image: Perfume vials from a private collection.
