How to Start a Brilliant Perfume Collection That’s Perfect for You

You should have signature scents. Not a singular signature scent, but a few signature scents. Having one perfume that you wear all the time is out of style.

Instead, you should have a perfume collection. A collection of multiple scents allows you to match the perfume to the event, your mood, or the outfit you're wearing that day. A perfume collection gives you options for many signature scents.

Let's be real: you don't wear the same pair of shoes with every outfit. You change your shirt, pants, and dress for the day and special occasions. You should treat your perfume in the same way.

Creating a perfume wardrobe might sound like a daunting and expensive task, but it's quite achievable. With this information and a little in-person research, creating your perfume collection has never been easier.

The Basics of a Perfume Collection

Before you go out and buy a ton of perfumes, you need to learn the basics of scents. There are five traditional scent categories that scents can fall into. Knowing these will help you narrow down all the available perfumes to ones you'll probably like.

Scents in perfume are often called notes. And notes can be separated into three categories: head notes, heart notes, and base notes. This mix is what creates a perfume's unique smell.

The five traditional scents in perfume are florals, citrus, orientals, green, and chypre.

Florals

Florals are probably the most identifiable for most people. This scent often evokes a soft and feminine smell. Floral smells in perfume can either be of one flower or a combination of many. 

Roses, violets, jasmine, lavender, and plumeria are flowers that are most used in perfumes. However, any flower with an appealing scent can make a charming floral note.

Citrus

Citrus perfumes are also easy for most to identify. Notes of citrus are often bright, clean, and sour, evoking the feeling of freshness and warm summer days. With their strong scents, citruses often play the role of top notes.

Wild orange, lime, lemon, and bergamot are among the most popular citrus scents. Verbena, grapefruit, yuzu, and citron can be elements of an exotic citrus perfume.

Orientals

Warm and spicy scents fall under the oriental category. These are often some of the most unique and evocative scents available for perfumes. Oriental notes boast a feeling of sensuality and richness.

Sandalwood, coumarin, vanilla, heliotrope, amber, myrrh are common scents in an oriental perfume. These exotic and seductive ingredients perfectly capture that mood.

Green

Perfumes with green notes have a fresh and verdant quality to the scent. These are often light notes that bring the feeling of nature into a perfume. The smell of freshly-cut grass perfectly captures the green scent.

Green scents often utilize the leaves of flowers for their unique scents. Cucumbers, herbs, and mint are other common features of a green perfume.

Chypre

Those strong woody and mossy smells belong in the chypre category. With a mix of leather and patchouli, these perfumes feel warm and earthy, like taking a walk in some deep woods.

Bergamont, wood, labdanum, and honey are commonly incorporated in these perfumes.

The Scent Test

With these five scent categories in mind, it's time to figure out which of them you personally like. It's important to do an in-person test because of how scents can vary. You may know you like florals, but maybe only certain varieties. 

Blindly buying only floral perfume could leave you with a few offputting smells and a perfume collection that isn't well rounded. You might be surprised at the head notes you do like.

Keep in mind that perfumes combine a few different notes to create a complex and unique smell. Citrus and chypre and green and oriental are often paired together. Know the combination of notes you like will help you choose your next favourite perfume.

The Notes in Perfumes

Notes describe the scents in the perfume and are separated into three classes. Top or head notes, middle or heart notes, and base notes are the three classes of perfume. These refer to what scent can be smelled in respect to the time after the application.

A top note is the first scent you would smell when you apply the perfume. It gives off the initial scent of the perfume. These are often light, citrusy scents that can be either sweet or bitter.

Head notes linger between five to fifteen minutes before transitioning into the middle of the heart note.

Heart notes carry the majority of the scents in the perfume, around 70%. This is where those strong, fruity, and floral scents are because of the use of full-bodied oils. These are considered to be mellowing and balancing and form the signature part of the scent.

Heart notes will last between 20 and 60 minutes before evaporating into the base note.

Once the perfume has sat on the skin, the base note begins to reveal itself. These notes interact with body temperature and add depth to the fragrance. They create the base of the perfume's scent.

Base notes last the longest, lasting for 6 hours or more. These long-lasting scents are rich and heavy. They evoke the mood and feeling of the perfume. Together, the middle and base notes create the perfume's true scent.

Notes are often comprised of different categories of scents. A perfume would rarely use a floral scent for every note because the perfume would be boring and monotonous. Instead, perfumes mix scent categories like florals with citruses and greens.

Mixing scent categories gives the perfume more depth and a better ability to capture a mood.

The Collection You Create

Building your collection is the fun and personalized part. You want to keep your clothes and mind but also consider your lifestyle and personality. If your style is light and airy and you have a relaxed lifestyle, you'll want a perfume to match.

Mismatched your clothes to your scent can create a dissonance that will confuse rather than enhance.

Here are some ways you can think about your perfumes. Pairing them in these ways can make them easier to buy and match with outfits.

Something for Everyday

Your everyday scent can be your favourite or something that's light and airy that you won't notice when going about your day. An everyday scent should be able to go with whatever clothes you choose to wear that day, so think broad scents with less depth.

It also wouldn't hurt to have a few everyday scents that you can rotate through. This way, you don't use up one perfume or don't get too used to one. As long as they aren't overwhelming, each of the five scents can work for everyday fragrances.

Something for Casual Outings

If you're going out to meet friends or spending time with family, this is a great opportunity for your casual fragrances. These are simple, light, and refreshing that people comment on.

Everyone has different fragrances they prefer, so your scents when hanging out with people shouldn't be too overwhelming. You might turn someone off and be memorable in the wrong way. Citruses, florals, and chypre scents are enjoyed by most people.

Something for Romance

On a date night, you want to be irresistible in any way you can. Whether it's a first date or out for an anniversary, you want your partner to think you smell divine. Scents that help boost the romance can set the mood for an evening out.

If your partner is a man, floral and oriental scents can get their heart racing. Women also love oriental scents but often love chypre scents on a partner as well.

Something for Special Events

At a special event, it's about making a first impression and smelling great makes a perfect one. If you're ever at a wedding, gala, or party, a scent that impresses is the way to go. This is where your scents can be elegant, unique, and impressive.

Fragrances that have depth and use distinct or uncommon notes are ideal when choosing your special event perfume. Oriental and chypre scents are great because of their use of exotic scents.

The New Wardrobe

For a true, well-rounded wardrobe, perfumes are a key feature. The right perfume can enhance your outfit in a way that wearing only clothes can't. Smells can evoke feelings and memories, so adding them to an outfit create the overall aesthetic you're after. 

With a perfume collection that's personalized to you, you're able to give your outfits a feeling. Matching the scent to your mood, the occasion, or your outfit will elevate your style to a new level. Perfume is the unseen accessory.

If you wouldn't wear the same shoes with every outfit, why would you wear the same perfume? Let us help you create your ideal perfume wardrobe.