How to choose a perfume that suits you

Start with what you already like

Which scent did you love wearing? Or which do you love smelling on someone else? Look it up and check its scent family and notes. You'll often find something new in the same corner.

Really no idea? Think of smells you enjoy outside perfume: lemon, fresh laundry, vanilla, wood, flowers, coffee, the sea. That already gives you a direction. If you love coffee with something sweet, gourmand is often a good fit. If you always open the window, fresh scents often are.

Write down two or three scents you like, even ones you don't wear yourself. That short list is your starting point in the shop.

The six scent families

Fragrances are grouped into families. Most people have one or two they keep coming back to. The page all scent families explains each one, and the guide to notes and scent families shows how top, heart and base notes build a scent.

• Fresh: citrus, sea, green leaves. Light and clear. Well-known examples are Armani Acqua di Giò Eau de Toilette and Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Eau de Toilette.
• Floral: rose, jasmine, lily, orange blossom. Chanel N°5 Eau de Parfum is the classic floral-aldehydic scent; Dior J'adore Eau de Parfum is a big bouquet of flowers.
• Woody: cedar, sandalwood, vetiver. Dry and calm. Think of Terre d'Hermès Eau de Toilette or Le Labo Santal 33.
• Amber: warm resins, vanilla, spices. Full and enveloping. Guerlain Shalimar Eau de Parfum is a well-known classic in this family.
• Gourmand: vanilla, caramel, coffee, praline. Sweet and edible. YSL Black Opium Eau de Parfum (coffee and vanilla) and Lancôme La Vie est Belle Eau de Parfum are familiar examples.
• Aromatic: lavender, sage, rosemary, mint. Common in classic men's scents. Dior Sauvage Eau de Toilette is fresh, peppery and aromatic.

Many fragrances sit between two families. That's normal: go by the family that stands out most.

If you like this, try this family

• Freshcitrus · sea · green
• Floralrose · jasmine · iris
• Woodycedar · sandalwood · vetiver
• Amberoud · resin · spice
• Gourmandvanilla · caramel · coffee
• Aromaticlavender · sage · mint

How to test on your skin

A test strip shows the first impression. It's handy for a quick shortlist, but it isn't the whole story. On your skin a scent mixes with your own skin and warmth, and it changes over a few hours.

1. Shortlist on paper. Smell a few strips and set aside anything you don't like straight away.
2. Pick two or three at most. More at once doesn't work; your nose gets tired.
3. Spray on clean skin. One scent per wrist or forearm. Don't rub; let it dry on its own.
4. Wait. In the first minutes you mostly smell the bright top notes. After half an hour the heart comes through, after a few hours the base.
5. Smell again after an hour and after a few hours. Decide at the end of the day.

Some shops put out bowls of coffee beans to "reset" your nose. That's mostly a habit; there's no clear evidence it works better than a short break. Stepping outside for fresh air, or smelling a patch of your own clean skin, helps too.

Choose the strength

The same fragrance often comes in several strengths. An eau de toilette is lighter and works well in the daytime. An eau de parfum contains more perfume oil and usually lasts longer. A parfum or extrait is more concentrated still. An eau de cologne is the lightest.

Note: the EDT and EDP of one fragrance don't always smell the same. Brands sometimes change the formula. So test the version you plan to buy. The guide EDT or EDP explains more. If you want a scent to stay with you, see long-lasting fragrances and the tips in making your perfume last longer.

Season and occasion

Fresh and aromatic scents feel light in the heat. Amber, gourmand and woody scents are warmer and suit cold days. That's why many people have a summer scent and a winter scent. For ideas, see summer fragrances and winter fragrances.

Think about where you'll wear it, too. At the office or on a crowded train, something soft is kinder to others. For an evening out it can be fuller. One scent doesn't have to do everything: a light one for the day and a warmer one for the evening is a fine pair.

Women's, men's or unisex?

The split into women's, men's and unisex fragrances is mostly marketing. A scent has no gender. Sweet and floral scents are often sold to women, fresh and woody ones to men, but you don't have to follow that.

Choose what you like. Feel free to look on both sides: in popular women's fragrances and popular men's fragrances. Scents such as CK One, Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne and Molecule 01 Eau de Toilette were meant for everyone from the start. You'll find more in unisex fragrances.

Buying blind without regret

Buying a fragrance without smelling it is always a gamble. A description or a list of notes doesn't tell you how it will smell on your skin. If you do want to, keep the risk small:

• Start with a mini or a sample. Many fragrances come as miniatures or in a gift set with small bottles. The guide to testers, minis and sets explains more.
• Choose a smaller bottle. A 30 ml bottle often costs more per 100 ml than a large one, but you're not stuck with much if it disappoints. On Eaulie you can compare sizes per 100 ml.
• Stay in a family you know. If you love Acqua di Giò, another fresh scent is a smaller risk than a heavy amber.
• Pick a scent many people know. Then you're more likely to find somewhere to smell it before you buy.

Common mistakes

• Choosing on the first second. The top notes are gone within a quarter of an hour. Wait for the heart and the base.
• Testing too many at once. After three scents everything smells the same.
• Only testing on paper. On your skin a scent can turn sweeter, drier or stronger.
• Buying for the bottle or the advert. Pretty glass tells you nothing about the scent.
• Assuming the EDT and EDP smell the same. Test the version you'll actually buy.
• Going straight for the biggest bottle. Wear a scent for a few weeks before you stock up.
• Letting the women's or men's label decide. You might miss your favourite scent.