Having a great fragrance is an amazing accessory. A good smelling scent will enhance your overall perception. Therefore, you really should own one or more.
How many fragrances do you need? Having a fragrance isn’t a necessity. However, it is highly recommended that you have at least one fragrance, if not more. In the end, having more than one fragrance is beneficial, as one fragrance cannot possibly cover every season and occasion.
Having more than one fragrance is definitely the way to go. But how can you best approach this?
Your First Few Fragrances
Your first few fragrances are very important. Some might expand upon the first few. Some might just leave it at a few fragrances. Regardless, the first few are important. They need to lay a solid foundation.
The first fragrance you want to buy is a very safe and versatile fragrance. You should be able to wear this fragrance every day, regardless of season or occasion. Finding such a fragrance can be a bit complicated, but there are quite a few fragrances out there that fit this role.
If you only want to have just one fragrance in general, then this becomes even more important. If you end up settling for just one, make sure you absolutely love the fragrance. You don’t kind of like it or find it to be nice, you love it. After all, you’ll be wearing this fragrance for a long time. Now, this fragrance can really be any fragrance you’re a fan of. It also depends on where you live. If you live in a generally warmer country, you might be better off with a fresher fragrance.
If you end up purchasing only one, this fragrance will become your signature fragrance. I wrote another article about signature fragrances, which you can find here! This will be a safe, easy to wear fragrance.
If you want to purchase more fragrances, this ‘signature fragrance’ is still the best option for you. These fragrances are generally very safe and easy to wear, with a crowd-pleasing scent. However, limiting yourself to only one fragrance isn’t the best option. After all, a jack of all trades is a master of none. Same goes for fragrances.
From here, you can start to expand. The most logical step to take next is to purchase a winter fragrance and a summer fragrance.
For a winter fragrance, you generally want to have a fragrance with a warm feeling. This is most often a sweet or spicy fragrance, but it is definitely not limited to those two. These cold weather fragrances also have another purpose. A cold weather fragrance is also a great nighttime fragrance, regardless of the season. If you want to look at some of the best winter fragrances, you can check out this article I wrote over here!
The purpose of this fragrance is to have a scent that perfectly matches the cold weather. When the temperatures are down, a fresh fragrance won’t be able to cut it and it just doesn’t fit the setting.
The same goes for a nice summer scent. You don’t want to be wearing a sweet, strong fragrance during the warm temperatures and high humidity. A summer fragrance is usually a nice and fresh fragrance. Notes that are often found in these fresh fragrances are aquatic notes and citrusy notes. If you want to see some of the nicest summer fragrances, you can take a look at another article I wrote over here!
How You Should Go About Expanding Your Collection
Now that you have a solid foundation, existing of a signature fragrance, a summer fragrance, and a winter fragrance, you can start to branch out even more.
From here, you can go lots of ways. You already have an every day, safe fragrance in your signature scent. Your winter fragrance can also function as a nighttime fragrance, and depending on which fragrance you went with, you might already have a clubbing fragrance as well. The use of your summer fragrance is mainly just to be worn during the warm days.
If you went this way, you have all the most important bases covered. From here, take a look at yourself. What do you need? For example, you can start purchasing a fragrance for the fall and spring. These fragrances are usually right in between the summer and winter fragrance. A fall fragrance, for example, is a combination of a sweet and fresh fragrance but leaning more towards the sweet side. You can find some great fall fragrances in another article I wrote over here!
A spring fragrance is, just like a fall fragrance, right in between a winter and summer fragrance, yet leaning more towards the fresh side. You can find some great spring fragrances in another article I wrote over here!
You can also start looking at some other option. Maybe you want a nice date fragrance. Most winter/nighttime fragrances work great for a date as well, but maybe you want to go all out to impress the other person. Some great date fragrances can be found in another article I wrote over here!
Another thing you might want to look at are some more expensive fragrances. There are quite a few popular, yet expensive fragrances. These are usually extremely well made with a fantastic scent. Houses like Creed or Tom Ford’s Private Blend fragrances are well-known for their great scent, as well as their large price tag. But, since you have a solid foundation, you can start saving for those fragrances if you’d like.
Honestly, you can go anywhere from here. You’re foundation made sure that you’re covered on all bases. Wear your winter fragrance during the cold days and maybe during the nights. Wear your summer fragrance during the hot days. And wear your signature fragrance whenever you need to have a safe fragrance or if you just want to switch it up a bit.
Be Smart When Expanding Your Collection
Purchasing a bunch of fragrances can become quite expensive. That’s why you should always do a little research before purchasing. Make sure you buy from a trustworthy place. If you want to know the complete buying guide for fragrances, you can check out this guide I wrote over here! In short, there are many places to purchase fragrances. Some places allow you to purchase fragrances for a little cheaper. Other places commonly have a discount going on. Make sure to take advantage of these places.
Another thing you should do is ask for samples with each purchase. Samples are a great way to come in contact with a new fragrance. With every purchase, just ask if they have a sample for you. Some shops even allow you to get some samples without purchasing. Use these samples to test a new fragrance. See how it works with your skin, if it fits with you, and most importantly, if you actually like it.
Why You Don’t Always Need A Full Bottle
Like I mentioned above, purchasing a bunch of fragrances can become quite expensive. Especially if you end up purchasing some of the more expensive ones. But sometimes, you don’t even need a full bottle. Most often, we purchase a 50ml or a 100ml bottle. These can last a long time, especially if you end up with a bunch of fragrances.
Therefore, you might be better off purchasing decants. A decant is a smaller bottle, filled with a fragrance. These bottles are usually a bit cheaper, as well as provide you with a smaller amount.
A decant seller usually purchases a large bottle. He then divides this large bottle into multiple smaller ones. Now, larger bottles have a lower cost per ml. This allows the seller to sell these decants for a lower price than you would find in original retail.
He is also able to sell the fragrance in smaller bottles. Some commonly used bottle sizes for decants are 5ml, 10ml, 20ml, and 30ml. These bottles provide you with a good amount of a certain fragrance without you having to purchase a full bottle.
Decants are especially nice to purchase when you want to try out some of the more expensive fragrances. Instead of having to purchase a 50ml or 100ml bottle of an already expensive fragrance, you pay only a fraction of the price for a 5ml bottle. Overall, it is just a great way to try out fragrances before purchasing full bottles.
Purchasing these decants can be a bit tricky. There are many websites, as well as individual sellers. You can find my recommended decant website in this article I wrote here. I highly recommend you look into these decants. They allow you to save money as well as build up your collection!