Welcome back beautiful! Yesterday, I posted all about shopping for your own perfume and finding your own signature scent in my blog Feminization Tutorial: How to find your signature scent. If you haven’t read it yet, I want you to go ahead and read it because I am sure you will learn something that will help you go shopping for perfume.  Knowing that you want to be feminized, I didn’t want you to forget about one important area of getting girlie. How you smell!

Make a great first impression

Perfume is the first thing many people will notice about you before you even get close to them. You want to learn to wear your perfume in a more understated way. Layering your perfume is a great way to have it last throughout the day and also keep you from overpowering others with your perfume.

Knowing the differences fragrances and time it takes to wear off, will help you. Many sissies like wearing a fragrance but are afraid they might get caught. Knowing how long it lasts and experimenting with it will guide you on when is the best time to wear it without raising too many eyebrows. ;).

Here is what you need to know about the 4 different kinds of fragrance:

Cologne ( eau de cologne)  This is not only the oldest term for perfume but the term is commonly used for masculine scents.  This tends to be comprised of 2-4 percent of perfume oils in water and alcohol. Don’t expect this scent to last long expect it to last about 2 hours.

Toilette ( eu de toilette) no not actually made in the toilet and no toilet water is used. This is usually a light spray that contains 15% perfume essence that is dissolved in alcohol. Expect it to last on you for about 3.

Perfume (eau de perfume)  This is made with 15-20 percent perfume essence and tends to be more expensive because it lasts longer. Tends to wear off after 5-8 hours of applying it.

Perfume– From the Latin phrase (to smoke) This is the most expensive perfume because it has the highest concentration of perfume essence, Slightly oiler than the other choices because it is made with 30- 40% of perfume essence hence the lasting power of the scent once applied can last up to 24 hours. Also known as perfume or parfum. The best perfume comes in small packages and includes a very big price tag. Trust me you are worth it!

Girls the dos and don’ts of applying your scent:

You don’t want everyone drowning in the scent of your perfume. I went to school with someone and everyone could smell her coming before she entered the room. Yeah, the scent was nice but it lingered long after she was gone. Not everyone is going to love the perfume you wear. So, wear it like a kiss. If you are concerned about the fragrance wearing off, buy a mini size for your purse.

The number one thing to remember is just spritzing it and let it dry naturally. Don’t do what your grandma would do spritz on the inside of her wrists and rub her wrists together.

Rubbing your wrists together, actually, does more harm than good. So,  don’t rub your wrists together after application.

Many just spritz the air and walk into the fragrance.I don’t like this, your perfume is not an air freshener for the room. This is what I do. I spritz the perfume on my bare naked skin, on my pulse points- Pulse points include behind the knee and ankles. Doing this makes the scent rise and helps last longer. (hee hee, thinking about me naked are you?}

Then I get dressed. Sometimes, depending on the scent and how heavy it is. I sometimes take liberties and spritz a little on my clothes.  Remember the oiler your skin the longer it will last.

Some apply vaseline to their pulse points before applying scent. I don’t recommend doing this for a few reasons. Ask me about them I will be happy to share my thoughts.

When applying your perfume go ahead and see what works best for you and then share your experiences with me. I can’t wait to hear what you find to be your new Signature Scent.

Now that I have gone over some important information on perfume. I want you to go out and experiment. The one nice thing about fragrance is you can wear it even if you can’t be dressed up. You can still smell like a girl.

You want to buy perfume but don’t want to go to a brick and mortar store to shop? 

Are you feeling too shy to go out and shop for your own perfume? I have a solution for that- Sephora has a perfume sampler– Sephora Favorites Perfume Sampler  This comes with 13 different mini perfumes for you to try and a voucher to exchange for a bigger bottle of your favorite perfume from the box.

Storing your perfume and does perfume expire?

Now that you have invested in your favorite scent. Can perfume go bad? Yes. The heavier prominent base notes tend to have a longer shelf life than lighter notes.

It is important to check the box to see if an expiration date is included. Also very important to store it properly because the shelf life on perfume varies.

The older the perfume the more likely the scent will start to change. If you store your perfume properly, your scent can last 3-5 years.  Most professionals recommend you store your perfume in the box it came in. In a dark place around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This will help your perfume last longer.

Whatever you do– DO NOT  keep your perfume in the fridge. This is a sure-fire way of damaging the scent and shortening the shelf life.

I keep mine in the box that it came in my drawer. Which is a shame because the bottles are very pretty to look at!

If you already have a bottle and not sure if the perfume has expired try Shelf Life this site will help you with both your fragrance and cosmetics to find out if they are expired or not. I suggest bookmarking the site. You really don’t want to use expired products.

Understanding the 6 different types of perfume notes.

When reading about perfume and the way it is described, even on the box it is sold in, you will begin to notice that perfumers use 6 distinct categories to describe their fragrances.

These are what are used to make the perfume smell fabulous. You will see statements like top notes, middle notes, and bottom notes.

These 6 different descriptions are what will make up any of the top notes, middle notes or the bottom notes.

Floral— I will start off with the most popular of all fragrance families. The floral–a flowery scent. Most popular are Jasmine, Rose, Gardenia, and Lavender or a mixture of flowers. Like a bouquet.

Woody–Think of a freshly cut tree. Most popular notes are cedar,  Sandlewood., tobacco and burn wood

Fresh— Think of fresh-cut grass. A lot of people enjoy the smell of fresh-cut grass and the most popular examples of a Fresh note in perfume are Mint, Grass or Rain or the sea breeze.

Citrus— a very distinguished scent. Most popular in perfumes are Grapefruit, Oranges, Lemon and bergamot.

Spicy— Inspired by traditional oriental fragrances. Think of spices like cinnamon or clove. This includes all kinds of spices, incense, and patchouli. When reading something that is considered spicy it is usually considered a sensual scent.

Sweet— This category is delicious. If your perfume is considered sweet, it might have sweet vanilla, chocolate, or honey in it.

What’s the difference between a top note or bottom note? 

The top notes are the first impressions of a scent. The most dominating in the beginning but after some time the middle notes of the fragrance also known as the heart notes are what you notice after the top notes have evaporated.

The base notes mingle with the heart notes and what you start to really notice, once the top notes have completely evaporated. Having all 3 notes is what gives the perfume its body and the job of the base notes is to help provide a lasting impression.

So when looking for perfume it’s important to pay attention to how they describe the different notes.

I look forward to hearing about your perfume adventures. What perfume do you wear when you are wanting to feel sexy and seductive?

How does your favorite scent change with the seasons of the year?   Did you know your favorite scent might smell differently during the different seasons of the year?