Perfume Companion: Definitive Guide for Choosing Your Next Scent

From the Publisher: The Perfume Companion: The Definitive Guide to Choosing Your Next Scent

When you find a perfume you love, wear it! Your perfume is personal, and the sheer delight of discovering a fragrance that suits you perfectly is like finding a guiding light in the fog. Over 1,000 fragrances are launched every year, with 20,000 currently on the market, but only you can decide what's right for you – whether it's classic or current, bargain or bank-raid – so take advice, but make up your own mind. A stunning bottle adds to the experience, of course, but don't let it influence you too much – we should wear perfumes we like, regardless of how good they are to look at. There are so many other great scents out there, waiting for you to try them.

Choosing perfume is a little like choosing shoes. You might be someone who sticks to a classic black for work, running shoes for weekends, and something shiny for nights out. You could have an entire wardrobe-full, from vintage platforms to hand-made boots. Maybe you're a devotee of a particular brand, someone who's worn the same pair day in, day out since you were twenty, and only buys a new pair when the old one wears out. The problem is that choosing perfume is like choosing shoes in the dark. You can't peruse the shop and see exactly what you like the look of without trying it first. However lovely the ads, the box and the bottle, you've no idea if you'll like it or not until you've given it a sniff.

CEFIRO by FLORIS: Citrus on a gentle breeze. Cefiro combines the thirst-quenching aroma of a spiced tea with the perky zest of lemon, orange and lime. A bedazzling opening gives the feeling of having been scrubbed clean by angels. However, just like we humble humans, citrus notes can't stay perky all day. Any no-show citrus disappointment is deftly handled as the baton is passed to the fresh and uplifting petals of jasmine flowers in the front row center, both heady and delicate. Fringed with cardamom and nutmeg (hence the spiced tea), you have a fresh, slightly peppery scent that carries you off into dusky woods with a hint of cologne still following like a zephyr.

JIMMY CHOO by JIMMY CHOO: Gourmand greenery and glamour. Ten years after the master himself left the company in 2001 to concentrate on shoemaking and teaching, Jimmy Choo, the brand, branched out into perfumery with this eponymous fragrance. The bottle, which resembles a chiseled glass bauble, was designed by Choo's muse Tamara Mellon. Top notes of pear and patchouli set the tone for the floral, fruity journey ahead, with the first stop being creamy caramel. A popular twist, the caramel sits in the middle throughout and, while it doesn't dominate, this wouldn't be the same without it. What sets this glamourpuss apart is that it is very much a toffee gourmand, yet leafy greens, sparkling citruses and big orchids keep it light and un-sticky enough to last from desk to disco.

MOLECULE 02 by ESCENTRIC MOLECULES: The smoothest of the smooth. Molecule 02 is made with Ambroxan, a single-aroma chemical which smells softly gorgeous by itself, and in a fragrance helps to give your blend projection and make it last longer. Naturally it's found in ambergris. It's quite magical and also relatively expensive: not as costly as rose essential oil or narcissus absolute, but ten times more than orange essential oil. After the astonishing success of Molecule 01, what to do? Bottling Ambroxan is a great idea. Although many perfumers express horror at 'layering' – mixing your own fragrances by spraying several on top of each other – this is one thing that Molecule 02 is really good for. Use it as an olfactory undercoat.

When we say 'floral', which flowers do we mean? In perfumery, we all know that the glorious aromas of budget cost floral musks are the work of master perfumers, not mother nature. Keeping it secret and bluffing customers with stories of real roses, jasmine and violets is dishonest and unfair. The skills of the world's great perfumers are something to celebrate; it's time to say it with molecules.

FLEUR MUSC FOR HER by NARCISO RODRIGUEZ: Musk with an elegance of florals.

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