When you first start to wear fragrances, you probably only have one or two. But the more you get into it, the more fragrance you get. And when you get more fragrances, you should try to pick them based on if they fill a role that the others don’t. Of course, you can always go with the one you like best, but having a fragrance for every occasion is definitely something that will elevate your fragrance game to the next level.
How do you find a fragrance for every occasion? The first thing you should do is check what the occasion will be. What will the weather be like, what is the temperature, who is coming, is it formal, what fragrances do you have, what do you want to project, et cetera. When you have a general outline, start looking at what fragrances you have. If you have the intent to buy a new fragrance, look at what you’re missing. Then, make the decision on which one to wear or buy. Using this method you’ll almost always wear the appropriate fragrance to the occasion.
What Occasion Are You Attending
This can be really, really broad. There are countless different occasions, different events, different meetings, and different activities. So what is it that you’re doing? The most general factor to start with is the temperature. This can basically be separated into two different categories. These are hot and cold. But, of course, you can dissect it even further. Cold can mean cold, but also really cold, or freezing cold, or just a little bit cold. Same goes for hot weather. It could be just a nice spring temperature, or it could be incredibly hot. You can really go anywhere with this, but I find it best to sort it the same way the seasons are sorted, summer, spring, winter, and fall. If you divide them up, even more, it could become really difficult to assign a fragrance to the temperature, which should be the easiest part.
The easiest rule is as follows: if the weather is nice and hot, go with a fresh and subtle fragrance. If the weather is cold, go with a more stronger, sweet fragrance.
Hot weather fragrances are usually fresh fragrances. Think of a citrusy fragrance, an aquatic one or a floral fragrance. These fragrances should be somewhat subtle. When the temperatures are high, you don’t want to have a fragrance lingering around you all the time. You just want some hints every now and then.
Cold weather fragrances should be more prevalent. They have to be able to penetrate through the cold temperatures and they should have a warm smell to them. This could be a nice and sweet scent or a warm spicy scent. Both work perfectly when the temperatures are low.
So based on the temperatures, you should be able to put away a nice portion of your collection. Now, another thing to ask yourself is, what sort of occasion are you going to attend? Is it a family meeting? Are you meeting up with your friends? Maybe a wedding, or a funeral. Or perhaps you’re attending a business meeting. It might even be a date. You can really go on and on with this. The important part is that you can make a distinction between them. There are some categories, but you can also just trust your nose.
The most important distinction is probably between a formal and an informal or casual occasion. You can imagine that the fragrance you use when going to the club won’t be as good a pick for when you attend a funeral. For formal occasions, you should go with a serious, mature and not so playful fragrance. Informal occasions don’t really have guidelines. Although a more playful scent does suit these occasions better, a serious scent is not off-putting. The most important thing to take away here is that, when attending a formal occasion, go with a scent that fits it.
For example, when hanging out with your friends you can go with something playful. When you go on a date, you have to go with a sexy fragrance. One that is very appealing. When you’re attending something more serious though, go with a very subtle fragrance that goes with the tone of the occasion. On the other hand, you can really go all out during a wedding.
You can really complicate this, but it boils down to something very simple. Happy and festive occasions ask for a happy and festive fragrance. Sad and somber occasions ask for a fragrance that compliments that. The fragrance you wear should compliment the general mood of where you’re going.
Take A Good Look At Your Fragrances
All of the above is basically a big game of elimination. It sounds easy, and it is, but you should do it right. Like discussed above, start with separating the hot and cold weather fragrances. Doing this is also a great way to see if you have a balanced collection. Depending on where you live, this could look really different. Someone from Florida will probably have more hot weather fragrances than someone from Norway. But the person from Norway probably has way more cold weather fragrances. Some countries have climates which divide someones collection 50/50.
When you’ve separated the hot weather ones from the cold weather ones, you can go on with the selection that suits the weather. Now you can go ahead and decide whether the occasion needs a formal fragrance. If you need a formal one, set aside the playful ones. Go with something that smells more mature and serious. Don’t overcomplicate this. Just smell the fragrances you’ve set apart and ask yourself; what would I think if I smelled this fragrance on someone else at the same occasion. If you like to smell it on someone else and if you feel it suits the occasion, set it aside with your potential option. If not, put it away.
If the occasion is just a casual one, keep them all as potential options. A casual occasion could really be anything. With casual I mean anything that isn’t formal. So what is it that you’re going to? Let’s say you’re going to a wedding. A wedding is a generally happy and festive occasion. See which of your fragrances fit this description. The best thing to do is to always ask yourself, what if I smell this on someone else who is at the wedding? If it’s good, then that fragrance is good to go. This really goes for every occasion.
Some more examples are things like going to the club, hanging out with your friends, having dinner with some close friends or relatives, going on a date, going to the beach, going for a walk, going to the gym, you name it. There’s a fragrance for everything. Pick the ones where you feel that they fit the occasion.
Which Fragrances Fit Your Occasion
So what fragrance fits which occasion? There are so many fragrances on the market that I can’t possibly sort them all, but I’ll give an overview of what you should look for when going to a certain occasion.
- A date fragrance should be an attractive, sexy fragrance. When going on a date, you’re trying to make a very good impression. You want the decision of a second date to be yours, so make sure to bring you’re a game. As for a fragrance to wear, it usually works best to wear a sweeter fragrance. One that feels warm and comfortable. It should also have a sexy scent to it. Fragrances with cardamom in it usually provide a good dose of sexiness in a fragrance.
- A beach-day fragrance should be a fresh and subtle one. You go to the beach when the weather is good and the temperatures are high. This means that humidity is also higher. You don’t want to have an overpowering or sweet fragrance when the humidity is high. Go with a clean fragrance that smells fresh or aquatic. These two scents compliment both the high temperatures and the beach itself.
- When going to a family dinner, go with something classy. Have a fragrance that is not too overpowering, but one that is noticeable. Make sure to use it delicately as well, you don’t want people to taste your fragrance instead of their food.
- A clubbing fragrance should be a strong and sweet fragrance. A clubbing fragrance basically has the same requirements as a winter fragrance. It has to be strong and noticeable. When in the club, there are so many different fragrances. You want yours to stand above the rest. This does not mean you should over-apply it, it just means you need a great smelling, high-quality fragrance with great projection and longevity.
- Choosing a fragrance for a wedding is quite simple. Anything that smells youthful and playful will do. A wedding is a big celebration, so don’t be afraid to go all out. Everyone should be having fun and this is the right time to go all out. Again, not in the sense that you should use 30 sprays, but in the sense of how you smell.
- A gym fragrance should be a very, very subtle fragrance. When working out, breathing is very important. If you screw up the air with way too many sprays, or a way to strong fragrance, you should just leave the gym. Wearing a fragrance is supposed to be nice, not intrusive. You definitely can wear one to the gym, just make sure it’s very subtle.
- For a casual streetwear fragrance, you should be looking at something that’s clean and good smelling. When you’re out in the city, you won’t really have to compete with any other fragrances, but you do have the outside world. Cars, restaurants, and who knows what all produce scents as well. So make sure you wear a clean and good projecting fragrance.
- Fragrances for outdoor activities are basically a mix of gym and summer fragrances. You want it to work well with your skin, and you want it to be subtle. The reason why you want it to work well with your skin is that when you move around a lot, your body starts heating up and starts sweating. The fragrance should go well with higher body temperatures. And because you’re doing a physical activity, you don’t want to shove your fragrance down to anyone who is trying to breathe.
- Do know that on some occasions you shouldn’t even wear a fragrance. For example, when you’re on a plane, you don’t really want to wear a fragrance. If you do insist on wearing one though, go for Molecule 01. This fragrance is so subtle and inoffensive, it won’t bother anyone.
Do You Need Or Want To Pick Up A New One
Purchasing a new fragrance is always exciting. Maybe you got a recommendation from someone, or you smelled someone wearing a certain fragrance and thought it was amazing. Or you’ve been trying to decide which fragrance you’re going to wear to your grandmothers birthday dinner and couldn’t find one. Whatever your reason is, it is really fun to do.
When you’ve made the decision to purchase a new one, it is always a good idea to look at what you already have. Say you already have five clubbing fragrances, then there is no rush to get a sixth. A much better option would be to purchase your second summertime fragrance.
The new fragrance should fit perfectly with the rest of your collection. Take a good and honest look at your collection and decide which fragrance type you’re lacking in. Most fragrances aren’t that cheap, so an honest look is a good idea. Of course, you need more fragrances that fit a broader variety of occasions, then the ones that fit very specific ones, but try to keep it diversified.
Finding out that you don’t really have a fragrance that fits a certain occasion is the easiest way to decide which new one you should buy. Then you just get one that does fit is.
Why Should You Pick Your Fragrances For An Occasion
A fragrance is basically a part of your outfit. You wouldn’t wear a Hawaii shirt when attending a funeral or a fancy dinner, so why should you wear a fragrance that doesn’t suit the occasion. Wearing an inappropriate fragrance is something to be avoided. The obvious example is wearing a strong and sweet fragrance in the summer with high humidity. Another example could be wearing a fresh aquatic fragrance in the winter. You’re most likely just wasting your fragrance, as a fresh aquatic scent has a very hard time penetrating through the cold temperatures. Some more specific examples are things like wearing sweet and prevalent fragrances in the gym, where breathing is very important. Or having an overpowering fragrance during a funeral, you really don’t want that. That is why finding a fragrance that suits the occasion is important. A bad choice of fragrance can really mess up a situation or your own image. If that is what you’re after, by all means, go for it. But most people aren’t. Most people are wearing a fragrance to be perceived better in the first place. So making sure a fragrance suits the occasion is something that should come naturally.
A fragrance can also reflect your mood. A fragrance that suits the occasion is really complimentary to yourself. It just makes you stand out from the crowd, which is always good, so make sure to pick the right one!