Aromatherapy
The art of smelling a perfume
To smell and experience a perfume is a sensuous art in itself - the secrets of perfume unfold dramatically if you let it tell you its story.
Here we give you an introduction to how you smell and experience all the layers in your first meeting with a new perfume – with the utmost respect for the integrity of the perfume.
The first meeting with a new fragrance
When you smell a new perfume for the first time, always use a scent blotter rather than smelling the atomizer or the lid of the perfume. Scent blotters are the white cardboard strips intended for smelling perfume fragrances.
Spray the perfume two or three times in a downward motion towards the scent blotter. Give the fragrance time to absorb on the porous paper, before lifting the scent blotter to your nose.
Discover the perfumes composition of fragrance notes
Without touching your nose, move the blotter from left to right. Close your eyes and experience the perfumes top-, middle- and base notes.
Your first experience is a representation of the top notes. The top of the perfume is the most volatile, you sense it only in the beginning, so enjoy the first impression of the perfume, it only lasts for a short while.
The next layers unfolding is the perfumes middle notes, also called the “heart”. This is the center. A longer lasting fragrance with more depth.
Finally, after a while, you will sense the base notes. This is what eventually will linger on your skin, of course in a beautiful merge still with elements from the top and middle.
Take your time to really smell the perfume. And continue smelling - from one side to the other.
You can also wave the scent strip under your nose. Close your eyes and inhale through the nose.
If your nose is excited it is time to try the fragrance on your skin.
Try the perfume on the skin
Spray the fragrance onto your wrist. Do not rub or in any other way interfere with the fragrance. Wait 20-30 seconds for the fragrance to blend with the warmth of your skin. Now, inhale through your nose from one side to the other. Close your eyes and search for the top, the middle and the base. Your nose, connected with the limbic system, will tell you if you have found a fragrance that exhilarates your senses.
The waiting game
A fragrance is like a bouquet of flowers that needs to unfold.
If you have time, let the fragrance sit on your skin for approx. 10 minutes to fully develop and evolve. No two people has the same body chemistry and in the patient waiting game, you will meet you and the fragrances true, harmonious identity.
