Bella Breakdown

Fragrance is a very personal choice. We each are drawn to different smells, and many of us have scents that remind us of a particular moment or memory from our past. Perhaps you are drawn to scents that your mother used to wear, or that used to fill your home growing up. Maybe you hate the smell of lavender because it makes you feel old! Whatever your reasons, you can find the perfect scent using a few tricks and tips. Find a new scent that captures your spirit in the new year, or perhaps pick a new fragrance to gift your favorite lady!

Think of Smells You Remember

If you think about it carefully, you probably can recall some memories that embodied a certain smell. For me, I enjoyed the flower garden in my Aunt’s yard, and the woody incense that my Dad used to burn. From that, I can deduce that I like fresh, floral scents as well as musky, sandalwood type smells. What scents can you remember, and what makes you feel good?

Categorize Your Favorites

Perfume scents are typically divided into eight major categories categories: floral, citrus, green, oriental, etc. Using the following descriptions below, what do you most identify with?

Citrus
Infused with the tangy essence of citrus fruits, these perfumes are lively and energetic. They evoke daytime smells
and wake you up!

Floral
Sweet and romantic, these scents are the “good girls” of the fragrance aisle. Florals are sometimes single note,
but generally, combine the scents of various flowers to create a classic feminine appeal.

Fruity
Like a cheerleader with a wicked side, fruity perfumes are fresh and spicy. These fragrances please the nose with
the bright and familiar smells of apple, peach, berry, mango and other juicy fruits, often blended with florals to
create a compelling aroma.

Green
Smelling of fresh leaves and newly-mown grass, the green fragrances are a natural and energetic group. This is a
great scent for a sporty, modern woman.

Oceanic
These scents use a blend of synthetic compounds to evoke natural aromas such as mountain air, ocean spray or clean
linen. They are the most crisp and clean smells.

Oriental
Think of oriental perfumes as the fragrance equivalent of cleavage and a killer pair of stilettos. Exotic and
distinctly feminine, these sensual blends feature an earthy, animalistic base scent such as musk or ambergris,
often combined with warm notes such as amber.

Spicy
With notes of cloves, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and pepper, spicy perfumes are comforting and alluring in an old-
fashioned way.

Woody (Chypre)
Woody scents are built on base notes of bark and moss, conjuring winding forest paths. While more unisex than other
fragrance categories, that’s not to say these scents are masculine.

Consult an Expert

Now that you have your scent memory in mind, and have picked the one or two scent categories that best describe you, go to your local perfume shop and have them select the few fragrances that match your selection. Happy shopping!