A very short introduction to the world of perfumes
"Perfume is the unseen but unforgettable and ultimate fashion accessory. It heralds a woman's arrival and prolongs her departure" - Coco Chanel
Let me start with some important principles (for me at least): perfumes and scents are personal - they change to reflect the skin they end up on and reflect your total body chemistry. They reflect the period in history when they were created and like wine, some will stand the test of time, others are to be consumed now and perhaps only remembered in a fleeting moment in later years and some should remain on the shelf (or as my father in law said, one could use it to clean the engine of his Jaguar).
With the age of science came a revolution in chemistry and subsequently in the development of perfumes. With the social revolution after the second World War came more expendable money and perfumes were suddenly accessible to the masses and it became part of fashion and the ritual of dressing. These days the shops are filled with a bewildering array of seasonal scents and fragrances, made to be here today and gone tomorrow. Like iTunes songs they represent moments, not crafted wholeness. That is part of who we are at this time in history, no denying that. Open to debate whether it is good or bad, I guess. It is not the intention of this blog to go down that path.
I want to talk about perfumes from a perspective of love and care. How do we decide what works, how do we find replacements when some go off the shelf and how do we find new ones that could work for us when we feel a bit adventurous. I know that many who read this know more than I do. That is what the comments section is for. This is how we learn.
All disciplines have a language to describe the things peculiar to that field. It is similar with perfumes. All we need to know is the basics so that we can start to make notes of the perfumes and scents we love. I developed a simple sheet that I use for this, updated for this blog post.
When you spray some cologne/scent/perfume (we do not worry about those definitions for now) onto your skin (say the inside of your arm), there is an initial aroma that fills the air and settles as you take a sniff. This will last for only a short time, perhaps not even a minute. This is the top note. After this, the molecules will react with your skin, the sweat, the other substances there and it will also react to the heat of your skin, the air and the humidity. Slowly a middle note, or heart will develop. If the perfume is made well, there will be a smooth transition of smells and after a few minutes (perhaps 20 minutes or so), the base note will start to develop. This is the scent you, and those around you, will live with for the next few hours. This is the longevity of the perfume.
The base note depends heavily on the quality of the fixing agents and the extracts used. This is where a good perfume will set itself apart from the rest. After a while, hopefully several hours later, the base note will slowly dissipate and eventually disappear without leaving you smelling like a trash can on a hot midday in Hong Kong. I'll talk a bit later about the whole buying experience and the rush through duty free disasters that we all know about. And I'll talk about buying for yourself and other people.
Let's get to an example. How does it all come together at the personal level. Perhaps I should use one of my all-time favourites as an example (although, I have to say, choosing one was hell).
Dior introduced Dune pour Homme in 1997. It was a spin on their 1992 version for women. Dune is described by Dior as a green woody perfume. It starts with a top note of fig leaf and fig twigs imparting a watery odour, similar to what a fig tree smells like in the heat of a summer day when you rub the leaves or perhaps break a branch and smell it. This almost harsh top evokes a feeling of warmth, and dry, desert air and the presence of cool water.
The heart develops on a testing strip within a few minutes, with the harsh fig turning soft and powdery jasmine and with slight citrus note. Some describe this as clean and soapy. The heart develops slowly over time on the base of cedar wood. Some pick up sandalwood. On my skin the scent develops rapidly into a powdery smooth aroma of wood and flowers. It is not sweet and it lasts for a full day in warm conditions. I have checked and it seems to linger within about an arm's length of me. It is not overpowering and sensitive people have never complained that my fragrance causes headaches or sneezes.
Dune is my go-to when I am in a hurry. I know it works and I feel confident that I have a unique fragrance and that I project a difference wearing it. It works during the day and the hotter it is the better. I also use it on long overseas trips.
In the next delivery I'll pick one of the perfumes you mentioned and talk about it a bit more. Knowing that I like Dune, the next question is, what else will work for me? We'll look into that as well a bit later.
Let me start with some important principles (for me at least): perfumes and scents are personal - they change to reflect the skin they end up on and reflect your total body chemistry. They reflect the period in history when they were created and like wine, some will stand the test of time, others are to be consumed now and perhaps only remembered in a fleeting moment in later years and some should remain on the shelf (or as my father in law said, one could use it to clean the engine of his Jaguar).
With the age of science came a revolution in chemistry and subsequently in the development of perfumes. With the social revolution after the second World War came more expendable money and perfumes were suddenly accessible to the masses and it became part of fashion and the ritual of dressing. These days the shops are filled with a bewildering array of seasonal scents and fragrances, made to be here today and gone tomorrow. Like iTunes songs they represent moments, not crafted wholeness. That is part of who we are at this time in history, no denying that. Open to debate whether it is good or bad, I guess. It is not the intention of this blog to go down that path.
I want to talk about perfumes from a perspective of love and care. How do we decide what works, how do we find replacements when some go off the shelf and how do we find new ones that could work for us when we feel a bit adventurous. I know that many who read this know more than I do. That is what the comments section is for. This is how we learn.
All disciplines have a language to describe the things peculiar to that field. It is similar with perfumes. All we need to know is the basics so that we can start to make notes of the perfumes and scents we love. I developed a simple sheet that I use for this, updated for this blog post.
When you spray some cologne/scent/perfume (we do not worry about those definitions for now) onto your skin (say the inside of your arm), there is an initial aroma that fills the air and settles as you take a sniff. This will last for only a short time, perhaps not even a minute. This is the top note. After this, the molecules will react with your skin, the sweat, the other substances there and it will also react to the heat of your skin, the air and the humidity. Slowly a middle note, or heart will develop. If the perfume is made well, there will be a smooth transition of smells and after a few minutes (perhaps 20 minutes or so), the base note will start to develop. This is the scent you, and those around you, will live with for the next few hours. This is the longevity of the perfume.
The base note depends heavily on the quality of the fixing agents and the extracts used. This is where a good perfume will set itself apart from the rest. After a while, hopefully several hours later, the base note will slowly dissipate and eventually disappear without leaving you smelling like a trash can on a hot midday in Hong Kong. I'll talk a bit later about the whole buying experience and the rush through duty free disasters that we all know about. And I'll talk about buying for yourself and other people.
Let's get to an example. How does it all come together at the personal level. Perhaps I should use one of my all-time favourites as an example (although, I have to say, choosing one was hell).
Dior introduced Dune pour Homme in 1997. It was a spin on their 1992 version for women. Dune is described by Dior as a green woody perfume. It starts with a top note of fig leaf and fig twigs imparting a watery odour, similar to what a fig tree smells like in the heat of a summer day when you rub the leaves or perhaps break a branch and smell it. This almost harsh top evokes a feeling of warmth, and dry, desert air and the presence of cool water.
The heart develops on a testing strip within a few minutes, with the harsh fig turning soft and powdery jasmine and with slight citrus note. Some describe this as clean and soapy. The heart develops slowly over time on the base of cedar wood. Some pick up sandalwood. On my skin the scent develops rapidly into a powdery smooth aroma of wood and flowers. It is not sweet and it lasts for a full day in warm conditions. I have checked and it seems to linger within about an arm's length of me. It is not overpowering and sensitive people have never complained that my fragrance causes headaches or sneezes.
Dune is my go-to when I am in a hurry. I know it works and I feel confident that I have a unique fragrance and that I project a difference wearing it. It works during the day and the hotter it is the better. I also use it on long overseas trips.
In the next delivery I'll pick one of the perfumes you mentioned and talk about it a bit more. Knowing that I like Dune, the next question is, what else will work for me? We'll look into that as well a bit later.
