scents are such amazing things. some can get you refreshed and make you relax. some can energize and even seduce. so what are so many women still doing waiting for special occasions to wear fragrance? any day is a perfect day to smell good!

but how to shop for scents? if you are one of the many customers who can’t seem to decide on any particular fragrance until the assistant is fossilized, here are a few guidelines i learned on how to enhance your skills in choosing perfume:

1. determine your signature scent

choose according to your personality: are you active and athletic? are you sweet and sassy? are you feminine and romantic? are you alluring and sultry? are you daring and adventurous? choose according to occasion: is it for daily wear? for weekend getaways? for formal date nights?

fragrances are divided into four groups: fresh (clean with citrus and green characteristics), floral (very feminine featuring, as the name suggests, flowers like jasmine, iris, etc.), oriental (exotic like spice and amber) and woody (warm featuring aromatic scents like cinnamon and patchouli and, of course, woodsy smells like cedar and pine).

so if you are the romantic type, most likely you’d be drawn to floral. if you are seductive, try oriental. if you like comfortable smells, then perhaps woody. if you are laid-back, go for fresh.

2. take your time testing

one thing i notice about shoppers is they feel so harried and intimidated when a gang of salespersons flock around them armed with testers that they just sniff quickly from bottles, turn then go. so here’s one of my most important tips: don’t be intimidated. countless times have i told them that i would like to shop in peace and this has worked without a hitch so far. you see, to appreciate scents, you need to test them, not just take a whiff from the bottle, so do linger around the counter as long as you can.

what i usually do is test as much as my nose and the coffee beans can handle on testing strips. then i narrow them down to three or four scents to apply on my skin (aside from the wrists, you can also use the insides of your elbows so the fragrances don’t mix). and i don’t buy on the spot. i go around the department store or even go home without locking down on a choice. this way, i can find out which one smells best after a few hours on my skin and even sniff out which one lasts the longest. once i have decided on one, i go back for the bottle. because i take time, fragrances have never caused me buyer’s remorse, ever.

3. select your formula and quantity

you also have to consider the intensity and the duration with which you mean to wear your perfume. are you the type who spritzes frequently throughout the day? do you need one that will last the entire evening for a party? here are the concentrations from highest to lowest: parfum, eau de parfum, eau de toilette, eau de cologne. there’s also solid perfume, one that is solidified in beeswax.

then determine how often you intend to wear it as this will help you decide how big a bottle you ought to get. fragrance, once opened, will normally last up to 18 months stored in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

4. don’t be afraid to experiment

try to look beyond the endorsements and that cute little bottle (honestly though, i am a sucker for attractive packaging). don’t limit yourself to mainstream brands. there are a lot of fantastic niche brands you would miss if you don’t dare yourself to step out of your comfort zone.

as for me, here are my favorite scents (and their ads that i love!):

chloe eau de parfum

marc jacobs daisy

marc jacobs lola

lacoste pour femme

lacoste inspiration

estee lauder pleasures

images from chandlerburr, impactlab, sophie’s realm, perfume 100.

she was once a designer for a collection of handbags (together with the cousin) which was once featured in the lifestyle section of the inquirer. she also makes her own jewelry, all of which look as if a professional created them. and she cooks too. i often wonder how she squeezes in all these activities during those hours she’s away from the hospital. which is even hardly ever, in the first place.

now, this is a fetish. 61 bottles and counting. and to think she has given away quite a few already.

so there is no question as to who i rely on when i need fragrance advice. here is her email regarding perfume recommendations. i hope you find it useful too:

hey tessa! syempre, hindi pwede ang simple text para ibigay ko sayo yung list ng recommended scents ko for you. kasi may explanations pa!  hehehe…
here goes:

from my personal collection:

philosophy baby grace

Philosophy Baby Grace (this i love); but do also try Amazing Grace — I’ve been wanting to get this forever but syempre when I see another perfume that I like, naoovertake sya. Also try Falling in Love — it’s sweetish, medyo berry-ish, baka di mo gusto but well, who knows.

Burberry Brit Sheer: this one comes in the pink bottle with the Burberry plaid printed on it. What first attracted me to it was the bottle. Ang cute eh. Anyway, I like this scent, one of my fail-safe scents – yun tipong “I-don’t-know-what-scent-to-wear-today” days, this is what I wear.

Burberry London: this is more floral-y than fresh, but I like that it’s very long lasting and doesn’t turn sour on me. A few sprays lang in the morning and I rarely have to re-apply during the day.

clean line of fragrances

Clean (for women) and Clean Fresh Laundry: I discovered this scent when I was in the US around 4 years ago. Saw the ad in a magazine and rubbed the sample on my wrist. It did smell very soapy pero I was intrigued! Never got the chance to try it there but was pleasantly surprised to find it available in Rustan’s some time later. The line has a basic clean, soapy note, from which the other variants take off from. I like both (the original Clean for Women and Clean Fresh Laundry). The other variants Clean Provence has a touch of lavender (hence the name) and Clean Sweet Layer is candy-ish sweet but still has that “Clean” base. Anyway, they also have stuff for guys which smell good as well.

Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue: this is a bit citrusy, but not overtly so, though. Hints lang. It is mixed with green notes and some musk in its base. I love this. It’s actually perfect for Manila weather because it doesn’t turn masangsang even if it’s really hot. It is popular, though- a lot of ladies like this so you’ll probably end up smelling like the next girl, but who cares? Hehehe. This really smells lovely.
> If you do end up liking this, a less expensive alternative is Moschino I Love Love: it smells like a D&G Light Blue dupe; Also similar-smelling is Body Shop’s Apple Blossom pero i think this is a limited edition scent eh, pero it smells so much like Light Blue.

l'eau par kenzo pour femme

L’eau Par Kenzo: I think I used up 2 bottles of this in college! It’s fresh, with just a hint of sweetness — there is also that green note to it, which i think is mint…or something…basta I loved this in college. Kaya I was so happy my mom got this for me recently when she went on one of her trips abroad.

Victoria’s Secret Dream Angels “Heavenly”: This one naman is fresh, powdery. A lot of people compliment me when I wear this. I saw a bottle of this on Samantha Jones’ dresser in one Sex and the City episode. Trivia lang. Haha.

bulgar omnia amethyste

Bvlgari Omnia Amethyste; Bvlgari Pour Femme; Bvlgari The Vert; Bvlgari au The Blanc:
** Actually Omnia Amethyst lang yung meron ako; the others my mom has/or had; I love all of these especially yung Pour Femme and Eau Fraiche; Basta siguro spend more time at the Bvlgari counter and try them ksi generally Bvlgari has some really great perfumes.
** they also have Petit et Mamans for babies (hint hint for baby girl haha sosyal na bata)

L’Occitane The Vert (Green Tea): I think I finished a bottle of this back in Med School. As with the name of course, green tea talaga sya. It’s one of the better green tea scents along with Elizabeth Arden Green Tea and Bvlgari. The scent doesn’t change even if it’s mainit, I think it even smells better as the day progresses.
** Speaking of L’Occitane, they have a new scent called Cherry Blossom (ops, wait before you say “I don’t like fruit scents”) which is not really a cloying, sickeningly sweet cherry scent. It’s a really pretty fragrance–very girly girl. I actually do not have this yet but I am raring to get one. It has two variants, one is Summer, and the other is Spring (I forgot which one I like, pero it’s the lighter one of the two).

For some lower end ones….

Bath and Body Works Sheer Freesia
Bath and Body Works Freshwater Cucumber
Bath and Body Works Sea Island Cotton
Nina Fragrances (theninaaffair.multiply.com) – My Secret Potion (this smells like Escada Sexy Graffitti); I finished a whole bottle of this since I loved this one, mura pa. P480 i think. They sell this also at True Love in Galleria.

Feeling ko madami pa ko gusto i-add pero baka maloka ka na. Ito na muna. Btw, remember my free perfume from Guerlain, yung My Insolence? I sprayed some on my wrist and it smells sooooooooo good. Baka type mo din, FYI.

This is Nine, the scent junkie, signing off. Mwah!

then a few minutes later, she appends the email with:

Symepre may P.S. pa!

jennifer lopez still

J.Lo Still and J.Lo Glow: I owned and finished a bottle of Glow and gave my mom Still as a bday present before. I love them both but I think Still smells better. Don’t be turned off that these are “celebrity scents” pero these two are just too good to pass up.

Nine C. C., MD

of these recommendations, i am most intrigued by the clean line of fragrances and l’eau par kenzo. if anyone else has tried these, please drop us a line and tell us all about it.