Understanding what it means when people talk about perfume notes can help you choose perfumes that match your personality and really appeal to you. It can also make you simply feel more informed at the perfume counter, or when browsing online. If you've heard a perfume or cologne referred to as citrusy, summer, woody, spicy, or floral, among other labels, this refers to the perfume notes.

A perfume has three notes--top, middle and base. If you really want to know your perfume, it can take a little practice to distinguish the quality of these different notes, but it's worthwhile because you can better appreciate each scent.

Top notes are the first scents you experience when you apply a perfume. You may also hear these referred to as head notes. When you first spray or dab on a perfume, you'll probably notice the alcohol scent immediately. But there is also fragrance, and this makes up the top perfume notes. A perfume that is said to have woody top notes will smell green and woody as soon as you apply it.

These top notes face pretty quickly and give way to the middle perfume notes. These can also be called heart notes, because these scents are the heart of the fragrance. After the top notes fade a little and the alcohol smell is gone, you're experiencing the middle notes of the perfume.

Finally, you have the base notes. These scents are revealed as the perfume sits on your skin as warms to your temperature. It can take up to an hour for the base notes to come through and mix with the middle perfume notes to make up the actual, true scent of the perfume.

This is the reason you should never just squirt a perfume at the cologne counter and purchase it--you won't know how it truly smells on your for 45 minutes to an hour. Be patient to really find out how well the scent compliments you.

Perfume notes are the same as cologne notes, essentially. Those notes are, of course, for men's cologne instead. What may go on smelling like a bit of alcohol and citrus could give way to a deep scent of leather and sandalwood with only a trace of spice.

Perfume notes are simply the levels of scent in a fragrance. They can be very simple or very complex, depending on the scent and its makeup. A scent that has only a few different fragrant ingredients is going to give off much simpler notes than one that's a combination of many different essential oils and scents.

Typically, an alcohol based perfume will have simpler and more straightforward notes than one that's oil-based. This is because the oil-based perfumes generally are longer lasting, and have more time to reveal a complex fragrance combination than alcohol-based perfumes which face much more quickly.

A little dedication and practice can help you understand perfume notes and recognize different scents and undertones, just as a wine connoisseur practices learning the different tastes and bouquets of a favorite vintage.

Photo Credits: avrenim_acceber

Originally posted 2009-09-22 12:41:16. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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