How to find your essence: Part 1

Finding your signature scent will take time, and this is an important thing to remember. You must bear in mind that you should embark on this journey as lightly as possible.

Like everything in life, perfume is a personal choice, and just because you don't like something immediately doesn't mean you won't like it the next time you try it.

These and many other secrets will be revealed in the following definitive guide on your journey to finding your perfect perfume.

Step 1: Take it easy

Not only can it be a potentially expensive hobby with a couple of "love at first sight" moments that sour after a while, which is why it's good not to take things too seriously, but rather to take them calmly.

These are the questions you should ask yourself before starting:

1. What do you hope to find or achieve with your perfume?
2. How much money are you willing to spend on your "signature" fragrance?
3. How will my perfume affect other people?

Allow us to give you more information on the second and third questions. Since you will be using your personal perfume daily, you will go through a bottle much faster than you normally would with a fragrance you use occasionally.

Some fragrances are cheap, while others are expensive. Each of them could be your signature scent, so think about how much you are willing to pay two or three times a year.

Depending on your lifestyle and hobbies, which will have a separate chapter in this article, you will also have to consider whether your strong perfumes positively or negatively affect co-workers, friends, and family.

Step 2: Start with the smells you already know

Another good way to start is to begin smelling everything around you. From food, spices, flowers, even taking a hike or a walk in the woods to smell the air and the earth.

Everything matters, so let your olfactory senses run wild. This way, if you think about it, you'll have a basic idea of what kind of fragrance to look for.

If, for example, you are a gardener and you love the smell of lily, lavender, and rose, you will research that type of perfume.

So, before entering a perfume shop, write down a list of things you like to smell. You'll thank yourself later.

PRO TIP: If you already have perfumes, keep the best ones in mind. It will save you time and serve as a starting point.

Step 3: Consider your hobbies and lifestyle

Your hobbies are directly related to step number 2. Hobbies and interests, such as gardening and cooking, can serve as a guide to the type of fragrances you might like.

But don't limit yourself to hobbies, as you might want to smell completely different than you would while occupying your time with your personal interests.

While smelling like flowers and cinnamon might work in the garden and kitchen or on romantic date nights, figuring out how your signature scent will work with your lifestyle is another matter entirely.

Working in the office? While luck is a factor, rarely will someone tolerate an overly strong perfume sitting next to you. Fresher, lighter scents work best in the office.

On the other hand, working outdoors and constantly being on the move gives you the opportunity to wear whatever you want without fear of someone complaining about your perfume.

Everyone knows that person in the office who suffocates everyone else with their strong perfume, and no one wants to be remembered like that.

Choose wisely and let a fragrance reveal you instead of announcing you.

Step 4: Research before buying and trying

Research, research, and research before going to a perfume shop. Being well-prepared is already half the battle won.

Now that you know what kind of scents you like in daily life, it's time to start researching online. We recommend checking out perfume lists, reviews, and scents on fragrantica.es, or also on accounts like @andresperfumeman and @huelememucho on Instagram for perfume suggestions.

Step 5: Arrive at the store without wearing perfume

Before you arrive at the perfume shop, do not wear any perfume or scented deodorant that day. This way, your palate will be fresh and scent-free.

PRO TIP: Avoid wearing clothes from the previous day in case you used a scented product the day before. Mixing two or more perfumes will only confuse which fragrance is which.

Step 6: Test only a couple of perfumes per visit

Our nose is a powerful tool that contains olfactory sensory neurons that help us remarkably.

Without olfactory sensory neurons, common smells like lemons or cocoa would be difficult to distinguish. And without the sense of smell, our food would taste bland or almost nonexistent.

When it comes to perfumes, getting lost in the perfume shop, smelling dozens of scents, will positively lead to nose blindness and leave you confused.

Also, it seems that testing a perfume in the morning helps even more, as our nose is not yet saturated with other smells, and we are still fresh.

That's why your research before visiting a store plays a very important role. After you have selected two to four fragrances that seemed sensational while you were reading about them, it's time to try them.

Which brings us to the next article "How to find your essence: Part 2" on how to properly test a perfume.