If you have no idea which categories you prefer (and there isn’t really a way to determine this other than to smell perfumes from different families yourself), you may want to take a fragrance finder quiz, such as Marie Claire’s Fragrance Finder. Obviously this isn’t an exact science, but if you’re totally lost it can be a good place to begin!

Sephora also offers a fragrance finder, which allows you to browse some of the different fragrance families or find perfumes similar to a scent that you already know you enjoy. If you live close to a retail store such as Saks or Nordstrom, it’s a good idea to visit their perfume counters and get recommendations from the sales associates.

Types of Perfume Notes

Perfumes traditionally have three types of notes: top, middle, and base notes (and if they don’t, they’re known as “linear fragrances.”)This is why you shouldn’t judge a perfume immediately after you apply it.

• Top notes are what you smell when you initially spray the fragrance; they won’t last very long (how long depends on the strength of the perfume).
• Middle notes come next and also have a relatively short lifespan.
• Base notes linger the longest, but won’t become evident on your skin until later.

Therefore, be sure you like the base notes of the perfume before you purchase anything, or else you’ll be stuck with something that you won’t like after an hour or so! Wait for the perfume to fully settle before you make a final decision – in fact, it’s probably a good idea to just apply one perfume you’re thinking about purchasing; by the end of the day, you should be able to tell whether or not it’s the one for you!

Types of Perfume Concentrations

Two of the most common concentrations of perfume are Eau de Parfum and Eau de Toilette.

An Eau de Parfum has more extract than an Eau de Toilette, so an EDP is stronger and will need fewer sprays than an EDT. Eau de Parfums are generally more expensive than Eau de Toilettes (and parfum is even more expensive), since they have higher concentrations of perfume and will last longer as they need reapplied less frequently.