Explain perfume to me.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

So, I've always enjoyed walking past someone and suddenly smelling their (not overpowering) perfume scent.  It sort of gives an extra polish in my mind, and almost causes a double-take, like walking by someone who is particularly attractive.  I've noticed this more since moving to Europe... I think perfume/cologne are just more popular here.  

 

I don't like the overpowering sort, or people that have gone swimming in their otherwise inoffensive scent before going out.  That's way too much and a major turn off.  

 

But I haven't worn perfume myself because I don't know that I have a discerning enough nose to choose something for myself, and I'm lazy and know I would forget to put it on and it would be a waste of money.  

 

Well, yesterday, while at the store, I got a whiff of Hallie by Hallie Berry and I just loved it.  And next thing I knew, I was walking out of the store with a bottle of it in my grocery bag.  

 

Now what?  How much do I put on to smell nice but not overwhelming?  How does perfume work in terms of all the other smells a person is "wearing"- I mean, I think my deodorant has some sort of "clean" smell, my toothpaste is minty... even my sunscreen/lotion has a smell... Doesn't that mess up the whole perfume smell?  

 

And then apparently some perfumes work better with some body chemistries than others?  How do I know if this stuff makes me smell like a skunk?  And don't suggest my DH, he's useless at this sort of appraisal.  He's just happy if I've brushed my hair in the last week or so.  

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

And while we're on the topic of smelling stuff, I've got a bottle of some essential oil blend from Whole Foods that I brought back last time I was in CA.  Which is hilarious, because I don't have a diffuser.  But I do want to get a diffuser because I love the smell of this blend (it's called Mental Focus, by Now brand).  And all that makes me think:  If I'm wearing perfume, and diffusing something in the house, will people just be utterly overwhelmed if they come over?  LOL.  

 

And can I wear my essential oil blend as a perfume as well?  It's a very fresh, sharp scent, I think it's mint and eucalyptus and maybe some other stuff.  

[SemiSweet]

Is the perfume in a spray type bottle or a pour type? I prefer spray, I'll often walk through a mist and call it good. If it's a pour, I just dab a tiny bit below my ear and on my wrist. Even though your deodorant and toothpaste have a scent, they probably aren't very strong, but if I'm wearing perfume, I usually try to stay with unscented lotion. As far as chemistry, you'll know if you don't like it on yourself. That's why I always sample perfume for an entire day before I buy, I've tried a few that smelled very nice in the bottle but I really didn't like on me, and one that gave me a nasty headache.

 

The essential oil can be worn but needs to be diluted if it isn't already, many blends are.

 

I wear perfume and diffuse oil in my house, the oil scent doesn't travel very far, so I don't think it smells overwhelming but it could be that I'm used to it.

[tm919]

When I wear perfume I do the walkthrough or just wrists then rub on the neck things.

 

It really is amazing how different perfume can smell on different people! My mom smells amazing in Obsession, I smell AWFUL in it. A good deal is the sephora perfume samplers, that way you can wear it a few days to try it out. Samplers are also nice because after a while of wearing one thing, you can't smell it well, then it tempts you to overapply because you are sure you haven't put any on.

 

[purpleowl]

Just please don't put it on before going into a place where people can't easily move away from you if they're allergic/sensitive to the scent. Airplanes, movie theaters, church services, etc.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Just please don't put it on before going into a place where people can't easily move away from you if they're allergic/sensitive to the scent. Airplanes, movie theaters, church services, etc.

 

I'm actually quite sensitive to this, as my mom gets instant migraines from all perfumes.  

[Guest]

Even with a spray I will try to do a small (not a full spray) somewhere like my cleavage, or some suggest between your upper thighs. You want to put it somewhere that your body will warm it up and it sort of just naturally emits from the you but it needs to be warm to do so. That's how I was taught to wear perfume rather than wrists and neck- and was told it prevents the whole "this person bathed in perfume" sort of reaction. It should be subtle.

 

My experience is also if it doesn't mix well with you, you will know. You won't like the way you smell and that's the sign. I love perfume and although some are clearly the "best" companions for my chemistry, I have only had one that was a true fail. It smelled like bengay on me. But even then it seemed I was the only one that noticed. I think most of the reeky perfumes are more from cheap manufactures and overspray rather than bad chemistry, but that's just my opinion.

[Scarlett]

Oh how I love perfume.

 

My current congregation has a no scent room and about 20 people sit in there....some travel an extra distance because we have this room. So although it isn't required most of us just don't wear perfume.

 

Is it my imagination or do more people have sensitivities these days?

[purpleowl]

I'm actually quite sensitive to this, as my mom gets instant migraines from all perfumes.

Thank you. I think many people who aren't sensitive to fragrances just don't think about it, so when you asked about how to wear perfume I figured I would point out that the setting matters, too.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Oh how I love perfume.

 

My current congregation has a no scent room and about 20 people sit in there....some travel an extra distance because we have this room. So although it isn't required most of us just don't wear perfume.

 

Is it my imagination or do more people have sensitivities these days?

 

I think a lot of people are more aware of their own sensitivities these days, and that it's more acceptable to look for accommodation to them. My mom was sensitive perfume 30 years ago, but back then there was no way to look for ways around it. She just had to suck it up and deal with the headaches, burning sinuses, etc. 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I think a lot of people are more aware of their own sensitivities these days, and that it's more acceptable to look for accommodation to them. My mom was sensitive perfume 30 years ago, but back then there was no way to look for ways around it. She just had to suck it up and deal with the headaches, burning sinuses, etc. 

 

I tend to agree.  I think we as a society have increased our awareness of "reasonable accommodation" for people with sensitivities and allergies.  For a long time, people with a given problem or medical condition were expected to find their own way around it.  Now, we see accommodation as a reasonable expectation of society, for the greater good type thing.

 

Food allergies, on the other hand...  yes, I think they've increased dramatically!  But our ability to detect them has also increased.  How many "sickly" children were really just experiencing malnourishment and negative reactions due to undiagnosed celiac, lactose intolerance, milk allergy, etc, etc? 

[Guest]

One guideline I heard a long time ago was that if anyone can smell your perfume more than 18" away, you're wearing too much.  It's supposed to be an intimate thing, not a broadcast thing.  :0)

 

 

[Alicia64]

I just heard a neat tip: put Vaseline on your wrist and spray your wrist with perfume and rub on other wrist.

 

The Vaseline keeps the perfume scent going longer.

 

Alley

[Guest]

One guideline I heard a long time ago was that if anyone can smell your perfume more than 18" away, you're wearing too much. It's supposed to be an intimate thing, not a broadcast thing. :0)

That's the guideline I use and the sillage of fragrances can vary wildly - so I'm a lot more conservative putting on Le Baiser du Dragon than, say, Apres L'ondee.

 

Perfume shouldn't be any stronger than a normal soap or clothes detergent smell, and it's easy to apply too much. I'm somewhat fragrance sensitive myself (migraines and nausea) but I love it, and discovered adding some to my knees or abdomen doesn't bother me like having it near my face. It's just less potent and also further away from anyone sitting near me.

 

But yeah, a dab on a cotton ball applied somewhere or half a spray on my stomach is my limit, even as a perfume lover. Enough I can enjoy it and someone very close to me can get a slight waft, but nothing invasive or inescapable. And on places like planes or stuffy small rooms I tend to forgo it entirely, unlike in a big restaurant or at home where I have more space and less chance of trapping someone even less tolerant than myself :)

Edited August 20, 2016 by Arctic Mama

[KrissiK]

I used to love perfume until I got allergies to scents. And now I don't wear it. As other posters have mentioned, I would spray some in the air and the walk through the mist. That seemed to get the right amount on.

[Slache]

:lol: First world problems!