A Guide to Buying and Applying a Fresh Perfume

There are so many types of perfume on the market these days. It’s no wonder that everyone can find the perfect perfume for their needs. When comparing different perfumes, you’ll notice that they have different names, including eau de toilette and eau de parfum, as well as different groups or “families” that classify and categorize each type of perfume. When people say they want “fresh” perfume, they are talking about perfume that is zesty, uplifting, and cooling. In fact, most eau de colognes fall into the “fresh” family.

Fresh perfume usually has scents such as bergamot, orange, lemon, mandarin, and grapefruit, but other scents are also included in this category. Fresh perfumes always smell clean and light, though some of them have ingredients that are added to give them a zesty appeal as well. They are well-suited to the summer months and often have scents that energize and uplift you, and all of these reasons are why perfumes considered fresh are so popular among perfume lovers.

Different Types of Fresh Perfume

If you look up the types of perfume on the market today, you’ll notice they’re usually broken down into categories such as warm, woody, Oriental, and fresh, with numerous scents under each of these categories. Fragrances labeled as fresh are usually made up of scents that contain citrus, water, and green notes, giving them a very refreshing and vibrant smell. Let’s break down each of these types of fresh perfume in a bit more detail.

• Floral scents. If the perfume is made from flowers, it can be considered a floral scent. These can have a sweet scent as well. The scents usually come from flowers such as roses, lilies, peonies, and jasmine, although other flowers can also be used. The interesting thing about floral scents is that they can be light and delicate, complex and intense, or anything in between these two characteristics. The floral fragrance category is, in fact, one of the broadest categories in the world of perfume. 
• Citrus scents. Citrus-based scents can contain the scents from lemons, mandarins, grapefruits, and even oranges, as well as bergamot. They are refreshing scents that are clean and crisp. Sometimes the companies making the perfume will add a spicy scent to the product to give you that tart, spicy feel every time you wear it. Because of the scents included in this category, citrus perfumes have a “clean” smell that is very refreshing.
• Green scents. Green scents usually refer to leafy and herbal scents and give the perfume an uplifting and crisp aroma. These can include rosemary, lavender, basil, and so many others. If you love the smell of freshly cut grass or stems, foliage, mosses, green leaves such as the violet leaf, or even green tea, you’ll love the perfumes that are included in this category. They have only been around since WWII, but they symbolize a sense of renewal and are therefore very popular.
• Aquatic scents. Also called “water” fragrances, these include scents such as sea spray and others. If you’re thinking about fresh sea air, algae, and the smell of salt on an ocean shore, these are the types of scents found in aquatic-scented perfumes. In fact, if you can picture yourself on the water sailing or enjoying the day on your yacht, you’ll get some idea of what aquatic or water scents for perfume smell like.
• Fruity scents. Fruity perfume scents come from scents such as pear, cherry, and watermelon. They can be paired with scents such as freesia and sometimes a bit of floral to give the perfume some balance. These perfumes help you feel either playful or sophisticated, depending on which other scents are used when making them. 

Tips for Selecting Your Fresh Perfume

Selecting the right perfume takes time, and it takes more than just spraying some perfume on your wrists and taking a whiff. Keep in mind that even though the scents in your perfume don’t change over time, they can still smell differently when you put them on because certain things affect their scent, including the weather, the season, and even your own body chemistry. People also tend to wear different types of perfume depending on the season, with aquatic and fruity scents being preferred in warmer months and green scents being preferred during cooler months.

If you’re testing out a perfume, remember that top notes are the first scents you smell when you spray the perfume on yourself. These will eventually give way to the middle notes, which can take 15-30 minutes. For this reason, it’s best to wait at least that long before you decide on which perfume you wish to buy. At more sophisticated beauty and department stores, they already know this and won’t expect you to buy something right away.

Tips on How to Apply Perfume

Just like anything else in life, there’s a right way and a wrong way to apply perfume. To achieve the best results regardless of what type of perfume you’re using, follow these simple tips:

• Do not rub the perfume into your skin after you spray it on. This is something a lot of people do, but it isn’t beneficial because it can actually cause friction and change the scent of the perfume.
• Always spray the perfume in the right places. This means your pulse points, which are areas near veins that allow you to feel your pulse. These include the inside of your wrists, behind the ear lobes, the back of your knees, your inner elbow, and even below the belly button area.
• “Walk” into your perfume. Instead of spraying or dabbing your perfume all over your body, try spraying it in the air then walking into it. This allows you to get just the right amount of perfume on your person without it being too strong of a smell.
• Make sure your skin stays moisturized at all times. Spraying perfume on your skin when it’s dry means the scent won’t stick around as long.
• Make sure you store your perfume correctly. The best place to keep your bottle of perfume is in a cool, dry place. Direct sunlight, moisture, and humidity mean the perfume won’t last nearly as long, which means keeping it in your bathroom is a huge mistake.

If you want your perfume to last and to smell right, following these tips is important. You won’t be one of those people who smell like they’ve been drenched in their perfume, which no one around you will appreciate. People will be able to smell your perfume without feeling like you’re inundating them with it, satisfying both you and the people around you.

Conclusion

Fresh perfume is extremely popular because it is uplifting, lively, and, well, fresh. It is broken down into several categories, including citrus scents, aquatic or water scents, and green scents. Once you get more familiar with the different types of notes in a given perfume, it’ll become much easier to decide which type is right for you. Choosing a good perfume can be a lot of fun. If you remember some basic tips like the ones mentioned above, you can feel more confident that the one you’ve chosen is one you’ll be happy with for many years to come.