Dear ladies and gentlemen, perfumes, once exclusive to nobles, can now be seen at home of anyone who wants to keep a perfect image. Today, two of our etiquette experts, Miona and Guillaume will share with you their stories with perfumes, offering some useful tips that they have concluded from their daily usage.
Guillaume’s first perfume
This morning I found this empty bottle of perfume. It is the first and one of my favourite, so I keep it as a remark of the beginning of my fragrant journey.
It is Kachgar from Isabel Derroisne. I still remember the moment i tried it: the opening note, an enchanting mixture of woodiness and amber led by refreshing bergamot; after a while, what left on the skin is the warmth of burning sandalwood, the sweetness of mandarin orange and a subtle smoothness of vanilla…
Describe a perfume
Perfume Families
Considering the using occasions would be mostly business events or open class, the perfumes that I choose to wear are mostly Eau de Toilette. For an event of around 3 hours, an Eau de Toilette can provide enough lasting time with a just right strength of aroma.
Concentration
A perfume is basically a solution of fragrant essence as solute and ethyl alcohol as solvent. The way we call a perfume differs according to the concentration of essence, let me introduce you their differences:
Eau Fraiche: essence < 3%
Eau de Cologne: essence 2%~5%
Eau de Toilette: essence 4%~10%
Eau de Parfum: essence 8%~15%
Extrait: essence 15%~25%
Perfume for formal occasions
Sensitivity level of olfactory receptor cells can differ among people. In formal occasions, it is better to avoid perfumes with too strong or unorthodox aroma.
Givenchy Gentleman
Let’s take example of Gentlemen Eau de Toilette of Givenchy, a perfume that I like to use. The major impression of top notes is cardamom, but its spiciness goes in company with fruity scents. The heart is iris, giving soft and sweet aroma; leather and patchouli are there in the base, but both very controlled. In a word, it is well balanced, nothing too strong, easy for people to accept.
Trying a perfume
Now, perfume has become a part of my life style. I always like to spend some time on looking for next nice perfumes. Trying perfumes is one of my favourite activities when I go shopping.
It is not elegant to spray a large amount of perfume on yourself. Usually people use fragrance blotters. However, the aromatic chemicals indeed give the best scent on human skin.
What I do when trying is to take a lower concentration perfume, spray once on my wrist. Around 5 minutes later, I will try another one on the other wrist or inside elbow. I stop after trying 3 different perfumes so that my sense of smell is still sharp.
What other perfumes does Guillaume use? What is his secret of matching outfit with perfumes? More stories about Guillaume and his perfumes coming soon…
Miona: perfume lover must-knows
Like many ladies, rather than keeping a same rigid image all the time, I change my styles and I have a collection of perfumes to go with different occasions and outfits.
My Collection
When I dress up nicely for an important date or event, I would like my perfume to make the perfect even better. I like to keep a pleasant and female style, so most of my perfumes are of floral notes, Versace Crystal Bright and Burberry Weekend are the two that i use the most often.
Take the perfume with you
I have a small perfume atomizer, which can be filled with perfume from large bottles. It is convenient to carry so that I can put on in restroom whenever needed.
I also like to buy roll on perfumes. They can be easily put into a purse to take with me anywhere.
Where to apply
When the event is long, in order the aroma can last longer and give its best smell, I usually use some Eau de Parfum on the inside of wrists, inside of elbows, behind my knees and a little bit behind my ears.
Spray on body parts where you can feel the pulse.
When you are already dressed up but still want to wear some perfume, don’t directly spray on your cloth! Essential oil in the perfume can leave a stain on white shirt or even dark cloths of smooth materials like silk.
Better not spray to cloths
Alternative Ways
When I feel stressed out, I take a hot bath or go out to a SPA. Since I already have some aroma from lotion or essential oil, I will spray some Eau de Toilette on my hair or on the pillow. I enjoy this feeling of lying in bed surrounded by fragrance.
For perfumes that I haven’t been using for a while, I spray them on curtains or on furniture.
With so many perfumes, how does Miona keep them? What’s her personal etiquette tips about perfume using occasion? Find out in our next perfume article!
Dear ladies and gentlement, what was your first perfume? What is your favourite one? Please share with us!
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