Perfume Fragrances
From LoveToKnow Makeup
Perfume fragrances are the mingled aromas delivered to your nose from a tiny little bottle. The power behind this odor runs deep with history and emotion.
Scent
Throughout history and modern times, perfume fragrances have been used as a treatment as well as for pleasure. Fragrances affect your moods and disposition. Different perfume fragrances smell unique to every nose. Hidden emotions and deep rooted memories, along with the variances of scent receptors and sensitivity, greatly influence our experience with odors. Therefore, defining and understand perfume fragrances is a convoluted task.
Perfume Fragrances
The fragrance of a perfume is the scents it radiates. It is the aroma you smell. Perfume is not a stagnant fragrance; it changes with body chemistry and time. Volatile chemical reactions occur both at the creation of the liquid and as soon as it leaves the bottle.
The essences of the fragrance composition, commonly called the notes, are the building blocks of the perfume. Notes are developed from a variety of essential oils, natural and synthetic compounds, resins, and solvents. These different chemicals combine to create a system of three separate stages. These are defined based on the relative volatility or the speed which they diffuse into the air. Separated into the top, middle, and base notes, this volatility affects the length of time each remains fragrant.
Top Notes
The initial whiff of a perfume is the top or head note. This fragrance is your first impression of a perfume. As it quickly fades, it is more for the wearer than others. The top note sets the mood and is the starting point of a perfume fragrance. Usually it contains familiar scents to catch your attention.
Middle Notes
Middle notes are known as the heart of the perfume fragrance. The mainstay of any perfume, they give body and fullness to the blend. Usually warm flower scents, the middle notes work to bring out the best in the other aromas. They are the message your perfume fragrance sends out to those around you.
Base Notes
The deepest and longest lasting are the base notes. The aromas evolve over hours and even days. The most intense scents, they are thicker materials often derived from trees, resins, and pungent plants. The base notes settle deeply into your skin, therefore it interacts the most with your own body chemistry. By intermingling with your essence, the base notes are what make a perfume fragrance unique to you.
Finding your own Signature
The best formula for discovering your own personal scent is to test and analyze your perfume fragrances. Don’t simply smell a perfume from the bottle, but always try it on your skin. Smell the first note upon application and then wear it throughout the day to experience all the stages of notes. The middle notes usually surface about twenty minutes on your skin, with the base notes lingering by the end of the day. Become familiar with the advertised notes of some of your favorite perfumes and look for some consistency. Armed with this knowledge, you can quickly develop an expert nose for scent.
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© 2006-2009 LoveToKnow Corp.
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