
How To Finally Find Your Signature Scent
5 perfume buying tips that can help you finally find the one.
It’s not just the sheer number of fragrances out there that can make perfume shopping feel daunting. Should you choose an Eau de Parfum or an Eau de Toilette? Will a perfume that smells great on a tester strip translate to your skin? Which fragrance notes are best for which season? The world of perfume is full of subtleties that make finding just one "signature scent” difficult for all but the most seasoned scent aficionados. To make the process easier, here are five fragrance tips from Lancôme that will ensure your next scent is a perfect match.
Tip#1 Your nose knows: choose a fragrance family
Perfumes can be divided into 'scent families’—floral, citrus, oriental, woody, etc. (Most scents belong to more than one.) When testing fragrances, start paying attention to which of these scent profiles appeal to you most at first sniff. Over time, a pattern will emerge that can help better orient your search. Here are some of the fragrance families Lancôme scents belong to:
The Floral Scents
Miracle Eau de Parfum – fragrance notes of peony, rose, freesia
Idôle Eau de Parfum – fragrance notes of jasmine, four kinds of roses
The Floriental Scents
La Vie Est Belle Eau de Parfum – fragrance notes of iris, vanilla, patchouli
The Floriental fruity Scents
Trésor Eau de Parfum – fragrance notes of peach, rose, sandalwood
The Citrus Scents
Ô de Lancôme Eau de Toilette – fragrance notes of lemon, honeysuckle, sandalwood
Tip#3 Three is key: do not test too many perfumes at the same time
If you’re unsure of what you like, it’s best to try no more than three perfumes at a time. Beyond that, your senses will be overwhelmed, and you’ll be less able to distinguish between scents. (A trick used by perfumers: to help ‘reset’ your nose between tests, try sniffing the crook of your elbow.) And of course, it’s always a good idea to ask for advice from counter staff. It’s their job to be intimately familiar with a wide range of scents—so chances are good they’ll be able to help you narrow down your search. Visit your local Lancôme counter to find a perfume you love with help from an expert.