Finding Your Signature Scent

Choosing a perfume or cologne is not as simple as liking how something smells out of the bottle. It is good to know what kind of scents make an impression on you ,like citrus, floral, bergamot or vanilla. But keep in mind you can never know how well a perfume will work when it is combined with your natural body chemistry until you try it.

Every fragrance employs overtones and undertones, just like a color. So the smell you get a whiff of straight out of the bottle is the overtone or dominant scent, but there are more subtle scents that emerge after wearing and these may not be to your liking. The founders of Atelier Cologne recommend spraying a perfume on your wrist and then waiting about 20 minutes. What it smells like at that point gives you an accurate idea of what it will smell like after a day’s worth of wear. If possible, always ask for a sample of the perfume before purchasing a large bottle.

In recent years, there has been a trend away from overtly sexy fragrances — think heavy florals — and toward fresh scents like a citrus base. Brands like Atelier Cologne, Fresh and Jo Malone offer a wider variety of fragrances, but the classic floral scents still abound. If you are unsure what kind of perfume you might like, Sephora offers an easy fragrance finder you can access in the store or online at home. They are also a great place to snag two or three perfume samples to try at home.