Believe it or not, perfume says a lot about your and your personality. A signature fragrance is something that defines you and your style without saying much about it. A perfume is an expression in itself and they tell your story. That is the perfume you always keep going back to. 

Many times it happens that you purchase a brand new bottle of perfume but soon realize that you are not able to connect with it and is just not your vibe. A signature perfume is an extension of your style. It is personal, it is unique and changes from person to person. It is not necessarily what fragrance one likes the other will like it too.  

You should feel completely comfortable wearing your signature scent, so be mindful that simply liking the fragrance doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve found “the one”. 

If you are looking for a signature perfume, here is an ultimate guide to help you out choosing something which is the right one for you.

How To Choose A Signature Fragrance

1. Know What You Want

Sometimes we are not sure what kind of fragrance we want. It is okay because there are so many options to choose from that sometimes finding the right one could be a little overwhelming. That is why try to take one step at a time and in this process, first, lookup for a fragrance you like the most and want it to define you. It could be florals, it could be earthy.

Whatever seems the best to your nostrils and your brain, is the right category of the perfume you want. Give yourself the time and look for as many options as possible. Exploring fragrances is always the best idea. 

2. Consider What You Want Your Fragrance To Say About You

Never go into a type of perfume that could mask your personality. When looking for a signature perfume, we look for something which accentuates our personality and convey our thoughts. What you want your perfume to say about you, should be well checked.

A sporty and adventurous person would likely gravitate towards some funky smelling fragrances which could define their mood while a bold natural fragrance will make you stand out of the crowd. A baker might naturally gravitate to vanilla and more like that. The fragrances define you and your personality so you should be very careful with their message. You would certainly not want to wear a perfume that would communicate flirtiness in a professional ambience.

So you should be mindful of what you are picking up.

3.  Try Out Only Three Scents At A Time.

Once you have understood what fragrance family you want to stick to and what message you want to convey with your fragrance, it is now time to try it all out. But limit yourself to three fragrances on your one trip of exploring. If you try out more than 3, you’ll probably end up disliking them not because you didn’t like them and they didn’t suit your requirement. It will be because your olfactory bulbs are exhausted and they are not able to recognise and distinguish the smell accurately. 

You need to give the glands a break after 3 perfumes and try them out next in the next trip. This will give every perfume a fair chance.

If you haven’t decided which fragrance family you want or what message you want to be conveyed then we will suggest you try EVERYTHING. Yes, everything. Only then you’ll be able to experience and know what exactly you want and are looking for. 

4.  Begin Your Hunt With Lighter Smells For A Signature Fragrance

In line with going for 3 fragrances at a time, we strongly recommend starting your fragrance hunting game with a light perfume and then eventually moving up to a higher concentration. It would be near impossible for your glands to accurately figure out the lighter fragrance over heavy fragrance. So we would suggest that always start your game with something lighter like aqueous or musky scents and then eventually move up to citrusy and florals.

It will give allow your olfactory glands to understand each fragrance better.  

5.  See How A Scent Evolves After 4-5 Hours.

Now, you have to give little time to the fragrance you have tried. According to the book, Neurobiology of Sensation and Reward, the combination of ingredients in a perfume is called a composition and it has three “notes” that unfold over time. The first note is called the top note and it produces the immediate impression of the perfume. When you allow your scent some time, the top note will start fading away. The top notes are the strongest but fade away quickly after drying down in almost 20 minutes. It’s generally the impression of any perfume but perfume stays on you for almost the entire day, so you need to see how they smell after a while.

After top notes comes the heart note and lastly the base note. The base note stays the longest for nearly 6 hours while the heart note stays are for an hour. When you give perfumes some time, you’ll understand the heart and base note as well, which is the actual fragrance of your perfume. They are milder and generally what people will get to smell from you.  

6. Avoid The Pressure

You should not feel any pressure while purchasing a fragrance. If you dont find one in your first few visits, it is okay As we have mentioned earlier, there are a plethora of fragrances and finding the ‘right one’ might take time. It’s not easy to commit to a fragrance. You dont have to pressurize yourself and should be feeling intimidated by the store staff who very generously shows the perfumes around.

7. Have More Than 1 Signature Fragrance

It is a general misconception that when we are walking about signature fragrances it has to be just one. NO. You are allowed to have more than one signature fragrance. It’s okay to have 2 or 3 fragrances that go with occasions. This way you can switch around and feel refreshed. It is a very small thing but it could alleviate your mood. It is a good practice having more than one perfume because then you will not fall into a monotonous loop and wouldn’t get bored with one fragrance.

8. Don’t Follow The Trend

When it comes to fragrances, never follow a trend. What fragrance someone loves, it is not necessary you’ll love that too. Fragrances are personal. Social media is a place where you’ll see many marketing campaigns of a brand promoting their perfumes in many ways. It is just a marketing tactic. You dont have to feel that a perfume is famous and used by many influencers, it is ‘the one.’ Your taste in perfume might be completely different from the stereotypical. So dont follow any trend instead, do research.