castellation:

Hmm! The scent is heavily tied to emotion and memory which is really cool (psych/neuro sci major geeking out rn) due to the area of the brain that processes scent being closely related to these cognitive actions.

I’d say look at several things: the foods you like, scents tied to important memories or emotions, what you tend to dislike smelling, what you gravitate to, and what you like a scent to accomplish.

For example, I have lots of nice memories in fall, so warm spicy scents are really appealing (L'heure Bleue, Lola). These are also usually good for dates and when you want your scent to be noticed as muskier scents tend to be more powerful and last longer.

If you hate sour foods and smells, florals and green scents are probs not for you because they have an acidic base most of the time. They are very fresh if you do enjoy them (for example, Daisy by MJ). Also, wouldn’t rec for acidic skin in general. However, sometimes a floral can be anchored with a powder or musky undertone which can offset the sour and work well! Herbal florals like lavender also balance this out and have a very natural calm scent (nice for every day).

Classic “power” scents can be overpowering to some, but No. 5 is a hugely popular favourite. I wouldn’t recommend over applying so the “mist and walk through” method is best for heavy scents. (anything that’s a perfume rather than an eau de toilette will be stronger and require less of it). Great to channelling confidence, often more “complex” notes to them, lots of layers of scent.

For sweet smells, there’s usually some vanilla in there which I’m not the biggest fan of in scents, however, it can create a nice deep sweetness (more mature) when used as a note in something else. Otherwise, it can be a bit of a synthetic or fruity sweetness which some like (memories of sun and summer, beaches, fresh fruit, tropics) which is also very young and playful.

As for scent vector, oils will usually last longer, anything with an alcoholic base will dry out skin/hair (but is very convenient), and solids tend to fade quickly in my experience too but easy to keep on you.

Think about how you feel, how you’d like to feel, what you’d like to evoke, and what aspect of yourself you want to accentuate and pull forward. Really, its all about what you like! Use a perfume as a tool.

Info on perfumes