The right fragrance can lift your mood, boost your confidence and (pardon the pun) really put a spring in your step.
Now that we’re heading into spring, you might prefer a lighter, fresher fragrance than the one you wore over winter. It’s worth considering some of the newer fragrance houses. Shay & Blue, for example, offer a wide range of gender-neutral, modern fragrances at affordable prices. Their Tallulahs Camellia is a particular highlight. It’s floral without being overly sweet, with notes of bluebell, gardenia, lily and white tea. £55 for 100ml is great value, and the subscriber offers are also worth checking out.
Perfumes can be expensive, but even the priciest ones usually work out at just a few pence per spray. Still, you’ll want to choose wisely. When you’re trying perfumes on in a shop, spray them onto cardboard tester strips first. Consider how each scent makes you feel. Keep hold of the strips and smell them again in an hour. Fragrance is made up of top, middle and base notes. The top notes are lighter and evaporate quite quickly, so the scent changes subtly over time. Which fragrance do you like best? Head back to the counter and spray it onto your skin. Again, check whether you still like it after an hour. If you do, you’re onto a winner.
On a tight budget? It’s worth checking discount stores like TK Maxx, www.perfumedirect.com and www.thefragranceshop.co.uk. We found Calvin Klein’s Euphoria reduced to £24.99 for 30ml (RRP £42) at Perfume Direct, and Gucci’s Guilty reduced from £57 to £34.20 for 50ml at The Fragrance Shop.
It’s also worth considering dupes. While they won’t smell exactly the same as the original, they’re often a pretty close match, at a fraction of the price. Lidl’s Suddenly Madame Glamour, for example, is very similar to Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle, but costs under £5. And many of Primark’s fragrances are remarkably similar to those of top brands.
If you have your heart set on a particular designer fragrance, you can save money by buying the eau de toilette version rather than the eau de parfum. However, as there’s a lower concentration of fragrance in an eau de toilette, it wears off much quicker, so you’ll need to spray it more often.
Easily bored? Consider buying a discovery set rather than one full-sized bottle. The Floral Street Discovery Set, for example, gets you eight miniatures for £16. You won’t get many sprays from each 1.5ml bottle, but if you don’t wear perfume every day, it’s a fun way to mix things up. Shay & Blue also offer discovery sets, and they’re often on offer.
No idea where to start? Some fragrance brands offer online quizzes or free virtual or in-person consultations. Search online or just ask in-store.
Floral Street Discovery Set, £16, www.floralstreet.com
PS You Got This, £2, Primark
