Building a Fragrance Wardrobe

As many will know I have a huge weakness for fragrance, always have done. Not everyone feels the same, I have a friend who has worn the same perfume since she was a teenager, the idea of seeking out a new scent leaves her cold. The beauty halls can be overwhelming, I completely understand so with that in mind I have jotted down some notes on how I have created my go to fragrance wardrobe.

Building a Fragrance Wardrobe

Everyday 
In my opinion this will most likely become the fragrance that will become associated with you, your signature scent if you will. Oddly mine is my evening choice but we will get into that in a moment. For everyday wear you want something with great lasting power, impact yet is soft enough to not overwhelm you or those in close proximity. There is no right or wrong answers but I find fruity/floral's to be your best bet, I also recommend parting with the extra cash for an eau de parfum over eau de toilette to ensure it lingers on the skin all day long. My current everyday scent is Burberry My Burberry Eau de Parfum. It is floral, clean, long wearing and forever gains a complement or two. All the things you want from a fragrance and more.

Building a Fragrance Wardrobe

Evening
Personally I believe evening fragrance is where we can all afford to be a little bolder in choice and make our mark. My signature scent Thierry Mugler Alien Eau de Parfum is more suited to the night and yet I'd gleefully wear it all day, everyday. For the same of those around me I do reign it in a little and keep it for the evening as it pretty powerful. There is no real rules for fragrance let alone what you wear for a night on the tiles or an evening meal but personally I think the sexier the better. I like my night wear fragrance to be deep, long lasting and a little musk based.

Building a Fragrance Wardrobe

Special Occasion
It may be the fragrance you wear on your wedding day, a first date, a holiday - the list goes on. This is one scent I imagine many don't intentionally purchase. I deem my Jo Malone Intense Colognes and Tom Ford Private Collection purchases to be special occasion scents along with those I have purchased over the years in duty free. I split my special occasion fragrances into two categories: those that invoke memories and those that I keep aside for a special occasion because they are too fancy for everyday wear. Like I said this category just tends to happen...

Building a Fragrance Wardrobe

Autumn/Winter
Although my favourite seasons I will hold my hands up and say that it is also the trickiest in terms of fragrance. If you enjoy spice based scents then I guess you are in luck as most aimed at the colder, darker days seems to contain such array of notes otherwise it can be a struggle. On the plus side unlike the warmer months you do not have to worry about the natural heat changing the chemistry of the fragrance, thus you can afford to go a little bolder with your scent choice. I tend to look for warming, rich fragrances with berry-esque notes which translates well within the cold weather. If you an evening scent that works well for you I'd say this is the perfect time to get a little more use out of it, the same applies for anything else intense you may own. Normally when it comes to the Autumn/Winter season I reach for Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir Cologne or Bella Freud Ginsberg is God Eau de Parfum. I also like anything somewhat fig based.

Building a Fragrance Wardrobe

Spring/Summer
Light, airy, clean and aquatic are all adjectives I look out for within this category, it is the perfect time of the year to find your ideal floral scent. I would keep in mind that this is the warmest time of the year, well within the Northern Hemisphere at least and this can have an effect on your fragrance choices. Heat can turn notes somewhat sour and spoil the overall scent and can make your scent choice seem sickly or give you a headache. Personally I find the lighter the better and I do tend to gravitate towards aquatic fragrances as they sit well on my skin during such months. Eau de toilettes tend to work best for me as they are less intense. Last year I lived in Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Eau Fraiche and Carolina Herrea 212 Surf Eau de Toilette. This year I will be more than likely reaching for the slightly masculine, salty yet gloriously oceanic fragrance that is Tom Ford Costa Azzura Eau de Parfum. It is out of the world. Expensive but you fall and fall hard for it.

I would love to hear what scents you have within your fragrance wardrobe if you have one?
If not what is your signature fragrance?