Welcome to the holy grail for you scent lovers. We’re about to tell you how to sample fragrance properly when you go into The Perfume Shop. And, as we’re celebrating our highly-trained in-store experts, here’s Zoe Harwood Miller, Supervisor at Worthing to give us her top tips…
1. Ask the experts
So you want a new fragrance. First step? Walk into your local The Perfume Shop store and talk to one of our brilliant experts. ‘Ask an in-store expert about what type of fragrance you should look for and we’ll be able to advise you on where to begin,’ says Zoe. ‘This will narrow down your search and save you spending hours trying different ones, which may not be what you actually want.’ Plus, your nose can only handle a certain amount of smells at one time – just FYI. We’d totally think that the classic Armani Si for her (£52 for 30ml, £73 for 50ml, £99 for 100ml, £120 for 150ml) or Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male (£36 for 40ml, £36.99 for 75ml, £64.50 for 125ml, £83 for 200ml) for him are good starting points if you want to find out which smells you like.
2. Know how to spritz
Once you’ve chosen your perfume to test, it’s time to spray the blotter. ‘You should only need one spritz of the fragrance – hold it around 10-15cm away from the blotter,’ says Zoe. This way, you’ll get an accurate representation of what the scent will actually smell like on you, when you wear it 24/7. Trust us, this is a very exciting moment, especially if you choose to smell and incredible scent like Paco Rabanne Lady Million for her (£36.99 for 30ml, £58.50 for 50ml, £75 for 80ml) or Hugo Boss The Scent for him (£49 for 50ml, £52.99 for 100ml, £88 for 200ml).
3. Smell it more than once
Yup, you heard us. One sniff won’t do, we’re afraid. ‘I always recommend smelling the blotter a number of times as the top, middle and base notes will come out at different times,’ says Zoe. ‘First, you’ll get the lighter top notes, then the deeper middle notes and lastly the bold base notes – so don’t rush!’ Top tip: wait 20-30 minutes and smell it again. Can you imagine wearing this throughout the day? If the answer is yes, you’ve met your match.
4. Test it on your skin, too
‘Your skin has different oil levels, so after you have tested the blotter, apply it to your skin,’ says Zoe. So see how it smells on your skin – we recommend spraying your wrists (but don’t rub them together as this bruises the scent). You’re practically on your way to finding the most perfect scent for you.
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