If you are looking to define your signature scent, the reflex action might seem like heading to the nearest perfume store and putting your olfactory senses through the paces. However, attempting to discern your fragrance preferences in an area that already has lingering scents from other perfumes and customers can cloud your judgment. If you are looking to minimise post-purchase dissonance, it helps to consider online fragrance shopping where you can scour through perfume notes, reviews and related material at your leisure.
The choice of a scent is always personal—what works for your bestie might not work for you—but finding your signature scent from the comfort of your couch isn’t an unimaginable task if you are equipped with the right tools: here’s what you need to know on how to buy fragrance online.
Take notes from your fragrance shelf
Before you go down the rabbithole of late-night browsing and thumbing through shopping apps, it helps to scour through your existing perfume preferences for clues on the notes that spark your fancy. If an overwhelming majority of your current favourites lean towards floral notes, you know where to start the search.
Become a review ninja
To counter the acres of marketing jargon and glib talk, it helps to look for real-buyer reviews to discern how the scents are actually being received. The gilded calligraphy on the product packaging might proclaim a fragrance for women as a ‘magical ride to realms unknown’, but what you really need to know is that the scent isn’t so potent and overpowering that it lingers on in an elevator for hours.
Learn the notes
When you can’t sniff and put each scent to the test, it helps to ignite your olfactory senses in alternate ways. Brush up on your perfume vocabulary and learn the base, heart and top notes to understand what a perfume will actually smell like on your skin.
Proof is in the packaging
In your journey towards discerning the scent of your dreams, you will also find that you can glean helpful cues from the packaging. While pink boxes conventionally denote feminine florals, hues of green and blue can invoke nature and freshness respectively.
Be generous with sampling
If you are looking for peace of mind before making a big splurge, there are several options to consider. You can look for a sample-sized mini before finalising your choices or do a perfume swap with friends to understand how your senses respond to a particular scent to ensure that you won’t land a scent that you can’t stand.
