A Beginner’s Guide To Perfume: How to Train Your Nose, Learn Your Perfume Profile.

Source: goodfon.com

Most of you who post regularly on my site are hard-core perfume addicts already, but a large number of readers are not “fume heads” and just lurk, feeling out of their depth. Perfume is a world that they are intrigued by, but it’s a little alien to them, and they are unsure of where to begin or how. It all seems very complicated and somewhat overwhelming! I’m sure they wonder how on earth people can even smell half the things that perfume bloggers detect or write about. And I’m even more certain that the perfume world seems far, far too expensive to get addicted to in the way that one can get obsessed with nail varnish, makeup, or books. So, this post is for all you quiet lurkers and perfume newbies — a way to reassure that you can not only learn easily, not only train your nose, but also, enter the world of perfume without going (totally) broke.


I would start with the best, most succinct “How To” guide that I’ve read on the subject: “How to Make Perfume Hobby Affordable and More Fun.” It is written by Victoria at Bois de Jasmin, and is well worth the read. I will emphasize a few of her points which I will post, out-of-order, because I think they are key. And, in addition, I will provide a number of my own suggestions and tips.
SMELL THE WORLD AROUND YOU:
Victoria’s fifth point is one which I would begin with if you are completely new to perfume and/or want to train your nose.

5. Smell Things Around You

If you are motivated to learn more about scents, smell aromatic things around you–herbs, teas, coffees, chocolate, olive oil, mangoes piled up at the grocery store.  Many perfumers come from a family of fragrance professionals, mostly because they are taught to use their nose at an early age. You may not have an arsenal of essential oils and perfumery materials, but if you can just sniff fruits or spices as you shop, you will not only hone your nose like a professional, you will end up with better produce on your table.
Open your spice cabinet and sniff cinnamon, allspice or vanilla extract. You need not order an expensive sample of Lorenzo Villoresi Piper Nigrum if you have black pepper in your kitchen. Crush the peppercorns and smell the bright top notes. Notice how they smell citrusy and cool. Then sniff them 10 minutes later to notice the woody-smoky nuances.  The scent of spices is as complex as that of any perfume, and most of your favorite fragrances probably use a spice  or two in their formulas.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of her point. Go out and smell the most basic things around you. If you’re at the park with your child, pick up some earth and smell what it’s like when moist or dry. That earthy smell is something that is often in perfumes, whether as the dry-down finish to patchouli, musk or other elements. If you’re walking by some flowers — like daffodils (often called narcissus in perfumery) — or if you’re near some pine trees, go up and give them a whiff. Close your eyes, deeply inhale, and try to mark the aroma in your mental “Scent Library.”
Then, of course, there is the whole world available to you in your kitchen or supermarket. Check out what cardamom, coriander or pink pepper smells like.

Turkish Spice Market. Source: Stefani’s Blog at http://blog.stephanijoy.com/?p=58

Try roasting some of the spices to see how the aroma may progress or change. Take a bottle of Cinnamon, All-Spice or Cloves, give it a whiff and then try putting on a dash on your wrist where your pulse point may bring out the heat. See how your body chemistry impacts the smell, especially over the course of an hour (or four). Cumin is in a lot of richer, spicier perfumes, and you may be surprised to see how it works on your actual skin or how the smell can change over time. That earthy smell can be very similar to the “skank” that perfume bloggers often talk about.
At the risk of sounding like a completely deranged loon, I would also recommend trying some other simple exercises:

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  Source: Fragrantica
  If you’ve bought a new leather purse, smell the inside. That soft note of suede or leather is in a lot of perfumes, whether vanilla niche ones like Tom of Finland from Etat Libre d’Orange or in more mass-market perfumes like Ralph Lauren‘s Polo. You may want to also compare the smell of your new purse to that of an old leather jacket, leather gloves, or suede purse to see you can detect differences in the leather.
• Next time you go to IKEA or a furniture store, stop by the wooden chest of drawers, open them and give the inside a whiff. So many perfumes nowadays have wood notes and — while you may not have access to things like agarwood (oud) or sandalwood — you can train your nose to pick up wood notes, even if they’re fresh and light ones.
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  Lemon Zest
  Source: Lovely Little Things blogspot
  Next time you’re cooking, take out a lemon, grapefruit or orange, and slice open the skin. Smell it when it’s just fresh and zingy, and compare the smell to that of the pulp inside. The oils in the rind should make a difference in the way the note translates: either more bitter, more zesty, more concentrated or more aromatic.
• I would do the same thing for peaches, one of the more popular fruits used in perfumes. Smell the flesh and imprint its notes in your memory.
• Smell fresh plums, and compare the scent to those of dried prunes. Then, compare both aromas to that of raisins. Can you detect the differences?
• If you go to an Indian restaurant and order a curry or pilau rice dish, take a few moments to just sniff it with your eyes closed. See if you can detect any cumin, cardamom, or coriander in the curry. The rice may well have saffron in it and, for those of you who don’t have saffron in your kitchens, it will enable you to become familiar with a note that is increasingly common in perfumes.
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  Rum & Coke, next to a hand-made “Rum & Coke” soap from Aromaholic.net (click on the photo for the link.)
  Are you celebrating a birthday or anniversary with champagne? Is Rum & Coke one of your favorite drinks? Do you ever buy rum raisin ice cream? Then smell it. Champagne’s fizzy notes are often repeated in perfumes, especially those with aldehydes. And rum is frequently used in many, many gourmand scents. (It’s in so many that, sometimes, I feel as though I should just have a category for “Boozy Rum Perfumes!”)
• Do you ever go to a garden nursery to buy plants, out to the countryside, or to a farm? If so, use those opportunities to give a sniff to the orchids, tuberose, jasmine and, in particular, to any trees they may sell. Try to see if they have any moss or peat lying around. And, at the risk of repeating myself, I can’t emphasize enough how useful it is to smell earth — whether fresh, dry, wet, moist, or dusty. If you’re in the country and see any hay, smell that as well. All of these floral, woody, green, and earthy aromas are common in perfume. In fact, they’re some of the most frequently used notes around!

The point of all this is to show you that it is really easy to train your nose once you are aware of how many perfume notes are in the world around you.
THE CLASSICS:

Source: entertainment.desktopnexus.com

Another point that Bois de Jasmin brings up is the importance of the classics. Knowing the classic, legendary “basics” will enable you to better understand modern perfumes — whether niche or mass-market. As the founder of Basenotes put it in a New York Times article about the classic men’s colognes, “They’re like benchmarks — anything that comes after is almost always a direct descendant[.]” The same most definitely applies to women’s perfumes. You may not want to wear Estée Lauder’s Youth Dew or Chanel No. 5, but you should know what they smells like so that you have a reference point. As Victoria explains so well:

3. Hone Your Nose on Classics

I don’t think that anybody needs to have perfume classics in their wardrobe or that you should even like them. But as you dip your toe into the perfume hobby, smell the classics to learn about perfumes that are considered great. The classics available today are often reformulated. Even so, they were created at a time when perfume budgets were large, so even with the reformulations, the quality is often impressive. Though Chanel has reformulated Chanel No 19, it remains a costly formula, and I know of only a few perfumes on the market that cost as much as No 19 to produce.
Even if your local mall is depressing in terms of perfume offerings, I bet that it has Estée Lauder, Lancôme, Chanel and Dior.  Smell Estée Lauder Youth Dew and even as you find it too thick and heavy, notice how its drydown has a warm, chocolate-like sweetness. Or try Dior’s Eau Sauvage, one of the best fresh citrus scents available today.
Don’t feel obligated to love the classics. Revisit them from time to time to see if you find new facets to enjoy, but if you don’t end up in love with Guerlain’s Mitsouko, there are plenty of other perfumes to discover. For instance, I don’t much care for the grand dame Joy (Jean Patou), but if I want to know what an excellent jasmine smells like, Joy is my top choice.

4. Smell Classics Before Diving Headlong into Niche

[…] Another reason you should smell classics is that many pricey niche perfumes are really nothing but dressed up classical ideas. Bond No 9 Scent of Peace = Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue. Tom Ford Private Blend Bois Rouge = Guerlain Habit Rouge. Amouage Gold = Madame Rochas. It doesn’t mean that you should prefer Habit Rouge to Bois Rouge, but smelling classics gives you a more informed way of making your choices.

TEST YOUR OWN PERFUMES OR SEPHORA SAMPLES:
One thing I think you should definitely do is bookmark the encyclopedic reference site, Fragrantica. Sign up for a free account so that you can explore as many things as you want, and then look up some of the perfumes you own. To the top right of the page is a big empty space bar where you type in the name of a fragrance. It will pull up a page that lists the perfume’s category, its notes, any relevant background or company information, and commentators’ impressions of the scent.
You know all those samples you get when you order from Sephora? Take one, type in its name in that space on Fragrantica, then read the notes. What I would do is write down the notes on a piece of paper, then put on a generous amount of the perfume. Make sure your skin is clean and has no lingering traces of anything on it. My approach, if I’m testing at the end of the day, is to use unscented baby wipes all over my arms to ensure that I have a clean surface.

source: girlandboything.com

Put on MORE perfume than you would if you were going to work; you’re in the safety of your own home and don’t have to worry about your co-workers’ allergy issues. Plus, a greater amount may enable you to detect more notes than if you were to put on a discreet, work-appropriate amount. Dab or spray on both arms, your pulse points, and perhaps at the base of your neck. You should be aware that there is often a difference in how a perfume can smell depending on whether you dab it on or spray. (It has something to do with the molecules being aerosolized.)
Once you’ve done all that and have your notepad before you, close your eyes and take a deep whiff of your arm (or wrist). Hopefully, you’ve put perfume on different places on your arm, so you can see how the smell may develop on areas that aren’t pulse points. For my personal use, I apply perfume all over but, when I test, I primary apply scent to my left forearm. Whenever possible, though, I try to apply fragrances to both forearms because I’ve sometimes noticed a variation in how something smells from one arm to the next. Don’t ask me why, it doesn’t make much sense, but I suspect that the skin on my right arm might be a bit drier than that on my left one. (Dryness can impact how long a fragrance lasts on your skin, so perhaps it also influences which notes it brings out, too.)

Amber, a common base note. Source: Bergdorf Goodman.

As you sniff, glance at your list of the perfume’s notes. Do you smell any of the things listed? Is the first thing that you detect something that is listed as a “base” ingredient? If so, don’t worry. If something is in the “base,” that generally just means that the ingredient’s molecules are heavier than the rest so that they will linger on the skin longer. (It’s a bit more complicated than that, but that is the gist.) Just because something is listed as a “base” note, doesn’t mean that you will only smell it at the end of a perfume’s development. Plus, skin chemistry can be wonky and can make a huge difference in how perfumes smell from one person to the next. In other words, don’t think your nose is “off” or “wrong” because you smell something right away that is listed as a “base” or because others say they detect it much later.
As you’re testing out your sample, jot down how the scent may change over time on your skin and any impressions that form in your mind. Compare your experiences with those of others by reading the Fragrantica reviews.

I do hope you find this piece very interesting, also you can click on the links in the post for additional information, its still your favorite perfume blogger signing out for now, stay blessed.
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copied and edited post from kafkaesqueblog.com