New discoveries

A few days ago I ordered some samples from First in Fragrance. I have not been in contact with them before so I was curious to both get my hands on some fragrances that I am curious about - and to see how their service works. I also know that some of you are interested in starting to buy samples but a bit unsure on how exactly it works. So let's use this process of mine as an example.

When you enter the website you search for a fragrance or brand. In my case I was looking for Keiko Mecheri. When you find fragrances that you are interested in you just click the sample box. I recommend using Fragrantica and Basenotes as additional sources for information if you are looking at fragrances that you have not tried in a store. After you have your shopping completed you fill in all the info, pay and wait.

After a few days you get a nice envelope that contains this.

Everything is really carefully and neatly packed and the samples isolated so they don't affect the paper strips. I think it is really nice that you get a generous amount of these!! My sample kit consists of two Keiko Mecheri fragrances and two Farmacia SS. Annunziata dal 1561. The Keiko Mecheri I have tried in a store (love Musc) and the Farmacia SS. Annunziata dal 1561 I have only read about.

So this is basically how it can work. My impression of First of Fragrance is that everything went very fast and smoothly so I feel that I can recommend them to you. If you are interested in sample from only one specific brand I suggest however that you contact them or look at their website as there are often very nice sample kits. 

Musc

Musk is used in basenotes and as a fixative, it extends the fragrance's life and can reinforce other ingredients. It is originally derived from glands of a male musk deer (the very word musk comes from the word for testicle in sanskrit). If you are interested in the details of musk extraction some googling will provide you with rather explicit descriptions. Today, however the musk used in fragrances is usually synthetic. The main reasons are said to be ethical and economical since the natural production has caused extensive killing of animals. It appears to me after some research though that in fact animals can rub the glands off by themselves so that they drop on the ground which means that musk should be able to be collected like this. But finding these glands would be very time-consuming of course.

Musk affects us hormonally and emotionally. It is associated with male sweat (more on this in a pheromone focused post coming up) and is said to affect a woman's menstrual cycle and her ability to become pregnant. Women perceive musk more during ovulation. It is however common that men and women cannot detect musk at all. In fact rather few people both sense and can define musk. Those who can, describe it as animalistic, earthy, primitive, clean etc.

Musk deer are originally from Tibet where musk is viewed as a remedy for a bit of everything. In China it has been used for medical treatments for at least 1500 years. It is a bit unclear when musk came to Europe but it is known that musk was part of a gift from the sultan Saladin to the Emperor of Eastern Rome in Constantinople. In the late 1200s musk appeared as a commodity in Venice. Musk was appreciated because of its healing effects but also a bit of a problem in terms of logistics because the smell affected other goods on the same ships, such as the valuable tea leaves. Even small amounts have strong effects on a fragrance formula.

Musk is a mythical and interesting ingredient in perfume. But not only in perfume... rather in scents in general. The powers will lead you into the area of pheromones if you start googling and then before you know you are in the most intricate olfactory-hormonal labyrinths.

The Scents of A Man

Tonight I am playing some seriously advanced mind games on myself trying out ten perfumes pour hommes on my skin as a part of the process of creating a perfume wardrobe for a male friend. I would say that 2/3 of my suggestions will be unisex fragrances. But that last third will be light contemporary masculinevaganza olfactory zones where I would never go on my own skin.

The fragrances will of course smell entirely differently on him than on me, but to get some sort of feeling for how they live and breathe with human skin and warmth I am doing a first round on my arms. The effects of this experiment are unknown. The atmosphere in my apartment slightly surreal with all these olfactory testosterone ghosts lingering.

This is fun. So much fun. I have found a few matches, a few risky adventures and a few surprises. Some question marks regarding whether EdP or EdT will be more suitable. But what great questions these are to dwell upon...

Wearing perfume: EdP, EdT, etc.

Seems there are many questions around this topics so I have updated two old posts and merged them to this one guideline to concentration types an things related. First; don't feel stupid if you feel unsure about the abbreviations and what their purpose is. Just grab a coffee, sit down and let's go through the basics, and soon you will see that those little letters on the bottle are not there to confuse you but rather to help you find what is right for you. If you are at home you might find it helpful to do a little exercise - go get your fragrance bottles.

Many people have a mix of perfumes, Eau de Parfum and Eau de Toilette standing in their home. (That's another important topic: keep your fragrances in a place where they are not exposed to heat and sunlight!). It is not unlikely that this mix has been created quite subconsciously. Perhaps you preferred the EdT of one fragrance but the EdP version of another. Perhaps you just didn't notice. Perhaps...you are confused why your fragrance does not smell like it does on your friend or like when you "tried it another time in that store...". This post can provide you with some answers.

What do the abbreviations mean?
Perfume oil is always diluted with a solvent (ethanol or water/ethanol), so that it does not cause an allergic reaction. The abbreviations tell you the strength of a fragrance, based on the concentration of the perfume oil/aromatics used in it.

Guideline (taken from Wikipedia):
▪ Perfume: 15-40% aromatic compounds
▪ Eau de Parfum & Parfum de Toilette: 10-20% aromatic compounds
▪ Eau de Toilette: 5-15% aromatic compounds
▪ Eau de Cologne: 3-8% aromatic compounds
▪ Aftershave: 1-3% aromatic compounds

Why does it matter?

The concentration affects application, longevity and your experience of a fragrance. You don't have to be either a perfume, EdP- or an EdT-person. Stay open to experimenting and finding your personal comfort level from fragrance to fragrance. Think about situations. Ask yourself how impactful you want your scent to be, to others and to yourself. However, it is also not unusual that someone does in fact prefer one of the categories. For example, I am a perfume person, probably to a large extent because I am drawn to base notes. 

Quick summary
Perfume: gives you the fullest, purest, most long-lasting experience of the fragrance. Perfume is gently caressed onto skin, not sprayed.
Eau de Parfum:
 has lower concentration than perfume and is often focused on heart notes. Still provides you with a rich sensation.
Eau de Toilette: 
the concentration of perfume oils is not so high and if you want the scent to last the entire day you will probably need to reapply it. It is the lightest version of a fragrance.

Application: pulse points or mist
Traditionally, experts recommend putting your fragrance on your pulse points, that is on the wrists, behind your ears, on neck, behind the elbow and backs of your knees. If you do all of them or just one is highly individual. I have a couple of perfumes that I avoid having near the face but love on the wrists for example. Also the sillage affects what application amount/method works best. A perfume that diffuses a lot should be applied with caution. Perfume is gently applied to pulse points and don't rub it when it is on the skin.

A more modern method is that of spraying your fragrance in the air and then stepping through the mist. This works great for an EdP or EdT. Nota bene, spraying here means once or twice, not more. You might also have read about perfume in your hair – applied by spraying your fragrance on your brush before brushing your hair. 

Key message: be moderate. Too much perfume is never a good way to go. Never.

Photo Frank Carter 

It should be added here that fragrances do last longer or shorter, not only depending on perfume oil percentage, depending on the person. For example if you have dry skin you are likely to feel like your fragrance evaporates faster.

You know already that fragrances smell differently on different people. But a fragrance can also seem different on you from one occasion to another. Stress, medication or hormonal changes can make a fragrance smell in a new way, (probably worse, if you noticed it). That also explains why sometimes people use their old favorite fragrance and suddenly do not like it at all. Try another one, or just give it some time and then re-unite.