Making sense of your scent

Put forward a fresh smell this fall

Ayame Ulrich

You can tell a lot about a person by the way they smell. Scent can change your mood, bring back memories or set the tone or atmosphere.

“Fragrance is an essential component of who we are and what we know, conveying information in the forms of memory and emotion. Fragrance is our sense of self, the expression of our individuality,” said Ari Driver, owner of specialty shop Perfume Paradise on Vaughan Street.

Consumers of fragrance tend to fall into three categories, which can give us some insight into our personalities.

“Certain fragrance classifications attract certain personality types,” said Marian Bendeth, who owns Toronto-based fragrance consultation firm Sixth Scents.

“There are some who are attracted to multiple classifications, but this is usually based on trend rather than personal style. Most people stick with the classifications that are familiar and comforting.”

Bendeth states that another type of consumer is one that truly reflects who we are.

“Scents that reflect our self esteem and who we are as a complement to our fashion sense, careers, positive extravert personalities and spiritual beliefs,” she explained.

“Fragrances that we aspire to based on advertising, marketing, and idyllic notions (speak to) our hopes and dreams of fame, financial gain, better taste in fashion, décor ... and leading the life of a celebrity, movie star (or) sports athlete.”

But getting to know how a fragrance smells on your own skin is crucial before purchasing a scent.

The conventional rules of where to apply fragrances aren’t necessarily true. Depending on what kind of fragrance you are wearing, the application may differ.

“Applying fragrance to your pulse points applies only to perfume because perfume has a higher oil percentage and oil needs heat to diffuse it,” said Driver.

The pulse points on your body are generally warmer areas where the perfume would be worn best.

In hotter climates, a suggestion is applying the fragrance on the lower half of your body since there are fumes in fragrance, which will rise.

As for classic fragrances such as Hermès and Chanel No. 5, Driver says that the simplicity of the older fragrances is what made them classic.

“The classic fragrances were simple, easy to understand and everyone wore them well,” she said.

Driver believes that there are too many rules when it comes to fragrance and the individual should decide what works best for them.

Have fun with fragrance and don’t be afraid to explore different scents, which may include swapping your women’s perfume for a light citrus men’s cologne.

Published in Volume 65, Number 7 of The Uniter (October 14, 2010)

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