The choice of your perfume speaks volumes about your innate style, personality and mood. But before you go shopping for your next fragrance, here are some points you should consider besides the scent and the brand.

Perfume Concentration

Perfumes come in different concentrations. The amount and type of solvent mix with the fragrance oil determines whether a perfume is considered a perfume extract, Eau de Parfum, Eau de Toilette, or Eau de Cologne.

• Perfume Extract. Contains 20%-40% of aromatic compounds. Typically lasts 3-8 hours.
• Eau de Parfum. Contains 10-30% of aromatic compounds. Typically lasts 4-6 hours.
• Eau de Toilette. Contains 5-20% of aromatic compounds. Typically lasts 4-6 hours.
• Eau de Cologne. Contains 2-3% aromatic compounds. Typically lasts 1-4 hours.

Perfume Notes

You've probably heard some people discussing about top notes, heart notes and base notes. And no, they're not talking about music; they're doing the perfume-speak.

When a perfume is sprayed or dabbed on, the heat from your body causes the solvent to evaporate. The rate of evaporation and the odor strength of the perfume determines its perfume note classification.

• Top Notes. Top notes are the scents which hit you a few minutes after the application of a perfume. They form a person's initial impression of the perfume, but last for a very short time. The scents of this note class are usually described as sharp and assertive.
• Middle, Heart or Soul Notes. These describe the smells which emerge after the top notes dissipate, about 10 minutes exposure to oxygen and the skin. The heart note smoothes the sharpness from the initial impression of a perfume caused by the top notes, and thus are usually more mellow. Lavender and rose scents are typical heart notes.
• Base Notes. Base notes are the smells that slowly develop and which will linger at the end of the day. Base notes are usually perceived after at least 30 minutes since initial application. Never buy a fragrance unless you like the base notes: these notes are the ones which you, and everyone else around you, will have to live with.

Guide to Buying a Fragrance

• Don't over-sample. Try not to test out too many fragrances at one shot. Your nose will end up confused.
  
  
• Spray on blotters. When sampling perfumes, request for the perfume to be sprayed onto blotting strips.
  
  
• Smell like a pro! Hold the blotter until the scent end is about two inches below your nostrils. Gently tap the blotter to dissipate the fragrance so you can smell it better.
  
  
• Test spray. Once you've found something you like from the blotter samples, ask for a test spray on your body.
  
  
• Take your time. To determine whether you love the fragrance, take a walk around and give time for the scent to develop on you. Don't buy a perfume just because you like its top notes.