Have you always been too lazy to buy a perfume? If you've received most of your collection as gifts, I'm totally with you. I just don't have the time or energy or willingness at times to go to the mall and find the perfect match for my pulse points. Alright, alright, I admit I'm lazy! But when I exhausted my collection of perfumes recently, I was really petrified about what to do. Although I had a few small unused bottles on the dresser but they were ‘unused' for a reason – I just hated the fragrance. Some of my friends have funny noses but they're okay otherwise. So I decided it was time to pull up my socks and go sniffing around.

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[caption id="attachment_6189" align="alignnone" width="300"] Chanel Number 5 is one of the most widely bought perfumes[/caption]

So I head to the mall and walk up to the perfume counter, and that was when I faced a bigger question – how do I choose the right one! I had already started feeling woozy with all the mixture of fragrances lingering in the air. The ever-so-smiling, scent-spritzing face of the assistant was gnawing at my senses and I just had to go back home empty-handed. Such was my hard luck. But fellas, you will not experience the trauma that my nose and I went through because I've been kind enough to compile a ‘how to' for you. Read on...

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Before you decide to go perfume-shopping, it is important to relax all your senses. So a helpful tip here would be to go only on a weekend when you're far more hassle-free than what you are in the middle of the week. Begin by understanding the proper terminology. There are 5 types of perfume, yes, 5.

[caption id="attachment_6187" align="alignnone" width="300"] Perfumes are differentiated as per the source they come from[/caption]

Absolutes:

These are the pure, untarnished and the most natural form of perfume oils that come from the flora and fauna. They are usually very expensive for a small amount. They are often confused with essential oils which are actually less concentrated. Examples of absolutes: pure lavender oil or Itr that is used widely in Arabia.

Eau de Cologne:

Eau de Cologne is a diluted version of perfume. Containing only three to five percent of pure oil mixed in water or alcohol, it tends to be much lighter than absolutes. It often contains a hint of citrus oil.

Eau de Toilette:

This is almost the same like Eau de Cologne except that it's always mixed with alcohol instead of water.

Eau de Parfum:

This is a more dense perfume as it contains 13 to 15 percent of oil mixed in alcohol. So it's relatively costlier than Eau de Cologne and Eau de Toilette.

Perfume:

This is what Georgio Armani calls ‘Acqua di Gioa' or ‘Armani Code'. Basically it's the expensive stuff that we buy once in a year only. It's made by mixing 13-15 percent of pure oil mixed in alcohol or water. Because it contains such a high percentage of perfume oil, it is far more expensive than the other diluted versions of perfume i.e. Eau de Cologne, Eau de Toilette, or Eau de Parfum.

[caption id="attachment_6188" align="alignnone" width="300"] Always take your sweet time to choose a perfume[/caption]

Apart from this, you'll also hear other terminology like, citrus, fresh, floral, leather, tobacco, musk, oriental, sweet, spice, or wood. Don't be intrigued; these are just classifications of the fragrances based on where they come from and how they smell. Remember, choosing the best perfume requires a lot of time. We all smell different fragrances differently, so a certain smell that speaks to you won't do so with your friend. Also, we tend to break down a fragrance in different notes that it carries. For example, if you smell a scent first, you may find the top note or the dissipate to be strong, then gradually after a minute you'll gauge the middle note (or bouquet) that probably smells lighter and it's close to the final fragrance that the perfume will actually give out. Finally, after 5 minutes, as the pungency fades, you can smell the basic note which is what speaks to you. If you think it suits your taste then you've found the one!

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Signature scents: You probably remember a few people who came into your lives by the way they smelled. It could be your history professor who always smelt like a garden or your boyfriend-turned-husband who has smelt of Ralph Lauren all these years. Or probably the next-door neighbour who had foreign visitors every weekend and always smelled somewhat...French. These are called signature scents. A certain fragrance that becomes a part of you, a part of your personality and it's what defines you. But you need a lot of trials and errors to get there – I'm still searching for my signature scent. Anyhow, do keep in mind the tips mentioned above and good luck sniffin'!