Of all of our five senses smell is the most primal. Babies are able to pick out their mothers when they are just hours old. A person’s smell is intricately attached to human memory, profoundly affecting out ability to recall past experiences. Think FIRST LOVE or that AMAZING SUMMER at the beach.
There is no good or bad taste in perfume. This isn’t to say that there aren’t some, like Elizabeth Taylor Passion, that should be outright banned in my personal opinion. EEK! There are fragrances at every price point and expensive perfumes aren’t necessarily better than some of their lower-budget sisters.
There is no such thing as “best women’s fragrances”. It’s all a matter of taste smell preference.
I’n not trying to point anyone towards a particular fragrance, merely trying to encourage you to take your own journey to discover what you love and what makes you cringe. What brings you joy and excitement and what makes you want to run for the hills.
When exploring any new fragrance, please try to disregard other people’s reviews and opinions. They aren’t you! If you are interested in learning more about the notes and nuances of perfumes, BRAVO. There is a wealth of information online to educate you as well as a number of books which are both entertaining and informative. One such book is Perfumes A-Z Guide by Luca Turin and Tanya Sanchez, which is practically an encyclopedia of scents. But if you have absolutely no interest in this FEEL NO SHAME.
Always remember that perfume is a luxury and finding your perfect scent should be first and foremost fun!
Until the next time,
I am looking forward to reading some more information on your site. What is odd is a smell, when left to settle, on your skin can be completely different to the same smell on someone elses skin. Amazing really.
I think people have a type of perfume they tend to like. Flowery, musky, whatever that might be, they tend to stick to any perfumes within that range. What do you think? Does that make sense to you?
Hi Ruth,
You are absolutely right that the same perfume will smell different on different people. This is why I encourage people to try a sample on themselves first before running out and purchasing a bottle of a fragrance they loved on someone else. They may not like the way it smells on them.
I also agree that most people prefer perfumes within a scent family, whether it be floral notes, oriental notes, woody notes or fresh notes. Even within these categories there are subcategories, such as fruity floral or woody oriental. It is helpful to know which scent family you prefer in choosing a new perfume but the ultimate test is how you like the perfume on you.