Buying Perfume and Cologne Online

Regardless of brand or type, any perfume and cologne can be described in relatively basic terminology. Although this is helpful for quickly finding what you are looking for in a store, it is even more helpful when making a purchase over the internet. Although you will find a seemingly innumerable amount of different varieties and makes on the world wide web, it is financially impossible to try all of them individually. Therefor, knowing what to look for and what certain descriptions mean will save you both money and time, and leave you smelling your best, even if you buy perfume and cologne online.

Most perfumes and colognes will be composed of various scents. To describe these scents, the industry has created a simple musical metaphor. In a well-crafted song, one note leads to the other in a harmonious manner. Different emotions can be triggered by the progression, and each note conveys a certain mood. Further, the song would not sound right if a note was left out, and would cause the whole piece to fall apart. For these reasons you will find that the stages of perfume and cologne are designated as top notes, middle notes, and base notes.

We are all aware that liquids evaporates, but perfumers take this a step further by knowing how quickly every substance in a perfume takes to evaporate. This knowledge allows them to create beautiful “melodies” by perfecting each note so that it is both perfect on its own, but also transitional. What you smell when you first apply a scent is the top note. This quickly dissipates into the middle (a.k.a. heart) note, which in turns brings us to the base note. The whole process takes about thirty minutes, although the base note will last for a much longer time than that, depending on its volatility.

Just like we use terminology to denote a G note from a C note in music, the same is also done in perfumery. There are about thirteen basic categories that we use to describe the smells of each note: floral, soft floral, floral oriental, soft oriental, oriental, woody oriental, woods, mossy woods, dry woods, citrus, fruity, green, water, and Fougère. Although these categories are fairly self-explanatory there are some details that should be cleared up.

First, leathery scents will most likely be found in the dry woods category. Next, the fruity category excludes all citrus fruits, since they have their own category (and have for a very long time). Fougère usually contains scents from an eclectic group of categories such as couramin, lavender and oakmoss. You may also come across the term Gourmand, which means that the scent smells very similar to certain gourmet foods and drinks.

While these terms are helpful, they are rarely completely accurate. Most perfumes and colognes will be composed of a variety of different fragrances from different classifications. What you should do, however, is determine which scents you prefer or dislike, and then search from there. I always like to look at the overall ambiance being created, as the whole is greater than its parts. When buying perfume and cologne online, it is important to be able to have a good sense of your own personal tastes and a similarly good imagination.

If you have extra money, many sights offer the option of purchasing samples (usually for less than ten dollars). If you can’t make a definitive decision, this is the best route to take. While you will spend some extra money, you may also save money by avoiding costly mistakes. You might even find something you didn’t expect.