Picking the Right Perfume for You

You're getting ready for that night out on the town, and a spritz of perfume would make your ensemble and look perfect. In order for the perfume to make just the right effect, however, you need to make sure that you have the right perfume for you. Sometimes searching for the right perfume can be overwhelming, expensive, and headache inducing. (Going by those makeup counters with dozens of perfume smells floating in the air makes me instinctively go for the Advil.) Once you find the right perfume, however, you are on the right track and can definitely make the effect you want and need. If you just follow these few simple guidelines when shopping for your perfect perfume, then you'll be set to go!

Smelling like body odor is always something to avoid—bad B.O. makes people look around for the culprit and then dash away to fresher pastures. Too much perfume, however, is equally bad. When all you can smell in a given area is the suffocating perfume of the lady at the counter, you know that's just too much. Perfume's purpose is to add to a presentation, not be the presentation. Perfume is like an accessory: it's a part of your whole look and it shouldn't overshadow everything else. I've been around many women who wear too much perfume and I've learned that too much perfume is just as bad as no deodorant.

When you go out shopping for the right perfume for you, shop in the places that your bank account approves of. It's no use shopping for perfume you can't afford. Look around and if a scent interests you, spray a bit into the air and smell it that way. If you like the perfume, then spray a bit on your wrist to see how it reacts with your skin. This is important for a couple of different reasons. You want to make sure that your skin isn't allergic to any ingredients in the perfume, and you want to make sure that the perfume retains its scent integrity when it interacts with your skin. Some perfumes will lose the essence of their smell when in contact with some people's skin.

Once you've settled on a perfume you especially like, take a sample or buy a small container. You want to make sure you really do like it; think of the sample size or the small bottle as a test run. If it doesn't work out for you, then at least you haven't wasted your money on a full-size bottle!

While finding the right perfume for you may be frustrating, once you do find that right perfume, you'll be glad you invested the time and money! Perfume can really complete an outfit, and now you'll be set to go!