Getting perfume for yourself can be difficult especially when you want to switch fragrances. Buying for someone else is even worse and we can spend hours in a perfume job sniffing at different samples, trying to pick something out until our sense of smell gives out. A lot of time, we walk out the store unsatisfied with our purchase, or just not that much into it (it always smells different once you are out of the store). Following these tips before going perfume shopping, might help.
- Know your perfumes. the most common types are Perfume, EDPs (eau de parfum), EDCs (eau de cologne) and EDTs (eau de toilette). The most concentrated is perfume, which means it’s the most long lasting. This is followed by EDPs and then EDTs. A lot of people go for EDPs because they are more cost friendly than perfume, and still long lasting. But please stay away from EDTs, there is no difference between them and body sprays. (EDC is the lightest and therefore not worthy of note).
- When you are shopping, sniff on coffee beans in between the scents you are trying out. Most good perfume shops offer them to you, but since you are in Lagos and have to beg for good customer service, don’t forget to ask for them. If they don’t have it handy you can pop in and out of the store for fresh air. I know it’s stress but this keeps all the scents from blending into one uniform one when you are shopping.
- Don’t test on your skin, although this seems like a good idea. The best part of your body to test perfume on is your wrists and the inner part of your elbow and seeing as you only have two of each of those, it becomes a problem when you are trying on several scents. Use little strips of paper instead (they are usually provided). When using those, wait a bit after spritzing some perfume on, in order for it to dry, that’s when you can get a true sense of the perfume’s actual scent.