How I Pick Out Fragrance

I LOOOOVE fragrance. Over the years though I’ve taken a liking to scents that are a little on the pricey side (I made a case for them here). A really good fragrance can make a $2 outfit feel like COUTURE for me, dahling. But if you’re not so sure how to go about finding a fragrance you’ll love, I’m spilling how I find mine.

So let’s start with some basics.

Fragrance Categories

Fragrances come in a number of categories which include Floral, Woody, Oriental, and Fresh. And then those categories come in sub-categories: i.e. Woody Oriental, Soft Floral, Citrus, etc, etc. I tend to gravitate toward Woody and Oriental scents and also love some Gourmands. My least favorites are Florals and Fresh scents—I think there might be like one or two fragrances from those categories that I’ve ever liked. You can read more about scent families and categories here and here.

Wanna know the differecnes between eau de parfum vs eau de toilette vs perfume? There’s a pretty straightforward explanation here.

It’s likely that most of your best fragrances will come from the same categories. So if you can narrow down the categories you like, you can make your search that much easier.

I also tend to find new fragrances I want to try based on what I smell on other people (I’ve done this with scents I’ve smelled on ThisThatBeauty)—note that this just gives me an idea to go try the scent for myself. Because of body chemistries, a fragrance can smell very different on you than it does on someone else. Or I’ll browse online by the categories I tend to like.

How I store some of my fragrances—I got the spice rack idea from Pinterest! See more makeup storage ideas like this on my Youtube.

My next step is to hit the department stores or fragrance boutiques. This can be a process that could require several trips over a few weeks or even months for me. I’ll sniff around to see what catches my nose and if I come across something I think I might really like, I’ll ask for a sample or a scent card to take home. I tend to like pretty pricey perfumes so I have to make sure that what I get is something that I’m really going to love. DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR SAMPLES. I’ve fragrance shopped at places like Saks, Bergdorfs, Neimans, etc. and have always asked for samples without issue. Don’t let a snooty salesperson try to intimidate you. But at the same time, don’t go asking for like ten samples at a time…lol. That might be considered petty theft.

Sometimes when I’m browsing, in addition to testing it on my pulse points, I’ll also spray a little of a scent on my scarf so it “lives” with me for a bit. If I’m in love with having that fragrance lingering on my scarf then I might go back to buy it.

Some of my latest fragrance likes: NEW Houbigant Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret which will be sold on NeimanMarcus.com and Neiman Marcus stores in April (sent to me by the brand) and samples of Perris Monte Carlo Santal Du Pacifique and Bois D’Oud

I always take my time when looking for fragrance because I can get tired of some of them fairly quickly and I CANNOT have that happen with something I spent $200+ on. You can see my past fragrance posts and reviews here.

Now while I do have fragrances that are on the pricier side sent to me for free by virtue of me writing about beauty for a living (I’m not going to love everything sent to me), I also have forked over my own cash for a few bottles. I treat buying a new fragrance almost like how one might buy a car…lol. Take your time, don’t rush and make sure you really LOVE what you’re getting. Same thing with all fragrances—it could be a $40 set and my opinion still remains the same with the process: TAKE YOUR TIME.

Do you love fragrance, too? What are some of your favorites? Have more questions? Talk to me in the comments!