Perfume is the result of a queer mixture of fragrant essential oils, aroma compounds, fixers and solvents intended to provide the human beings, animals and certain objects, a pleasant odor. Like music, perfumes also have three notes which unravel gradually, with the top note offering the immediate effect and then getting into the deeper middle notes, and finally the base notes emerging. These three notes are crafted carefully bearing in mind the evaporation process of the perfume. To further elaborate on the subject, the scents emanating from the top notes are sensed immediately on application of a perfume. They consist of small, light molecules that evaporate fast. They form a user's first impression of a perfume and thus are very important from a marketing perspective. The middle notes represent the scent of a perfume that comes out just prior to the top notes dissipating. The middle note compounds form the nucleus or main body of a perfume. The base notes denote the scent of a perfume that appears immediately after the departure of the middle notes.

The base and middle notes combine to form the main theme of a perfume. Base notes bring depth and solidity to a perfume. Compounds of this class of scents are typically rich and deep and are usually not sensed until 30 minutes after application. All manufactures of perfumes usually publish perfume notes and they typically ilustrate the fragrance pyramid, with the components shown in imaginative and abstract terms. Perfume analysts will tell you that grouping perfumes can never be totally objective. Many fragrances invariably contain aspects of different families. It is interesting to know that traditional categorisation of fragrances were:

The single floral fragrances that are dominated by a scent from one particular flower. Floral Bouquet which contain the combination of several flowers in a scent. Ambery fragrance which denotes a large fragrance class featuring the sweet somewhat animal scents of ambergris, often combined with vanilla, flowers and woods and further enhanced by camphorous oils and incense resins. Woody is known as fragrances that are predominantly woody scents, like agarwood, sandalwood and cedar. Patchouli, with its camphor smell, is commonly found in these perfumes. Leather connotes a family of fragrances which features the scents of honey, tobacco, wood and even wood tars in its middle or base notes and a scent that alludes to leather. Chypre which means Cyprus in French includes fragrances built on a similar accord consisting of bergamot, oakmoss, patchouli, and labdanum. Fougère which means Fern in French is constructed on a base of lavender, coumarin and oakmoss. Many male fragrances are believed to belong to this family of fragrances.

During the middle of last century, as a result of developments in perfume technology as well as the natural evolvement of styles and tastes, certain new categories have emerged to reflect modern varieties of scents. Bright Floral category combines the traditional single floral and floral bouquet. Green is a lighter and more modern interpretation of the earlier Chypre type. Oceanic or Ozone is the latest category in the perfume industry; this is a very clean, modern smell leading to many androgynous perfumes. Citrus or Fruity belongs to an old fragrance family that until recently consisted mainly of eau de colognes due to the low tenacity of citrus scents. But developments of newer fragrance compounds have led to the creation of primarily citrus fragrances. Gourmand fragrance scents with dessert-like qualities. These often contain notes like vanilla and tonka bean, as well as synthetic components designed to resemble food flavors. Many modern perfumes contain synthetic odorants, as an alternate source, to provide fragrances which are not naturally available. Synthetic orchid scents are usually not obtained directly from the plant itself but are instead synthetically created to match the fragrant compounds.

Quality Fragrance lines:

Below is a representative sample fragrance ingredients

• Flavors - several and all flavors, vanilla extracts, juice blends
  
• Fruits - strawberry, pineapple, coconut, banana, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, grape, apple, raspberry, cranberry, boysenberry, apple-strawberry, peach, blueberry, cherry, apricot, prune, etc
  
• Citrus fruits - grapefruit, orange, lime, lemon (extract or emulsion)
  
• Tropical fruits - passion fruit, mango, papaya, guava, guanabana
  
• Coffee - mocha, cappuccino, espresso, vanilla, hazelnut, praline
  
• Vegetable - carrot, zucchini, tomato, potato
  
• Dairy - milk, sour cream, yogurt, butter
  
• Cordial - amaretto, macademia

Fragrances play a key role in our daily lives. There are fragrances which can change the atmosphere of your home and your life. The use of good fragranced room spray creates a warm, inviting home for your family. Using an incense stick in home is not just for religious purpose and scenting the air, but also for giving a warm soothing feel. The use of lovely fragranced washing powder gives your clothes sweet smell and freshness. The use of right fragranced soap, scent and body spray even strengthens the bond between husband and wife. The science of fragrances and their effect on mood and brain function is just beginning.

Choosing the right fragrance of body spray, perfume, body powder, soap, scent, cologne, room spray, incense stick or washing powder, has also some role in changing your life. A variety of fragrances are available in the market in different price ranges. Your part is to pick up the right one suitable for you, according to your budget, and weather condition.

Elegant perfumes

The right perfume must reflect your taste and suit your personality. It must be appropriate for the occasion or event. It should not be too irritating for those whom you come into contact or for those who contact you. Elegant perfumes can help elevate your mood, improve self-confidence and may change your life. Certain scents can invoke your pleasant memories and feelings.

The choice of fragrance can range from simple classic to the energizing spicy. Most of us prefer only lovely fragrances. Classic perfumes are sweet smelling with a lingering, warm fragrance. Lavender, vanilla, rose and ylang ylang based scents are classic fragrances for making you relaxed sort of mind.

Floral fragrances
Floral fragrances suit for romantic moods. Violet, lilac, jasmine and lily based floral fragrances can help lift up your mood. Patchouli, amber and sandalwood fragrances are bold classic perfumes. Lively fresh smelling citrus-based scents make you enthusiastic and energized, especially when you're feeling lethargic in the mornings. Ocean-smelling fragrances also have the same benefits.

Before choosing a fragrance, consider the purpose for which you choose that. If it is to attract your lover, then choose a strong but pleasant one, if possible it can be the fragrance of your lover's taste. When you pick out a fragrance of not only your preference but also of your spouse's taste, there is high possibility of creating a friendlier and more romantic bonding relationship between you and your partner. When attending a social gathering, avoid strong perfumes as many people are uncomfortable with it and may suffer from headaches. Perhaps an inexpensive and light perfume can be the right one for daily use to office or workplace. There are special blends of perfume available if you want to highlight your masculinity and femininity. Scents with Citrus and floral fragrances are often revitalizing and helps to keep you refreshed throughout the whole day.

Tips For Buying Fragrance

It is always advisable to try out a sample before buying expensive scents. Pick up an affordable fragrance which gives pleasure to you and those around you. Avoid buying scents online unless you are familiar with a particular perfume. When purchasing scents through online, you may buy the wrong perfume based on what the web says. Fragrances can make the whole family happy, may strengthen the relationship between the family members, and may change your life in a positive way.

• Focus on your preferred smells and take the help of the salesperson. Don't be hesitant to give a listing of your favorites even if they include things like 'wet earth', 'rainforests' and so on. Every clue you give will point the salesperson in the direction of the perfume class you prefer - fruity, floral and woody and so on.


• Don't attempt more than two scents at a time; you simply won't be able to make a judgment. Spray a spot and don't rub it, you will blemish the composition. Wait for ten minutes allowing the base note to enlarge and then make the purchase. Sometimes the base note can take hours to develop. It is a good idea to get a model and make the purchase the next day, especially if you are buying an expensive perfume. Remember that perfume is a speculation into your personality.


• Don't buy a perfume simply because it is beginning of the season. Check it and see if it actually appeals you. After all, you have to pace around with it the whole day. You buy perfumes for yourself and not for people. Any perfume that satisfies you will replicate well with your personality.


• Expect a perfume to last concerning three years from the date it was bottled. Never store your perfume bottle where it is exposed to high temperature (near hot bath area) or direct sunlight. In fact, colognes and eau de toilette should be stored in the refrigerator to increase their shelf lives.


• You don't have to wear a perfume like a uniform! Try various brands and class of scents. You can use different smells for different times of the day or year. After all, you do have summer and winter wardrobe!


• When choosing a perfume you must also remember the climate of the locale. Warm humid conditions will intensify a fragrance, making it cloistering. It is wise to choose lighter scents in such conditions and apply them more often. Keep in mind one thing: heat helps the scents to disappear sooner and cool weather strengthens scents.


• A scent value it gives pleasure, not the money it costs. Be judicious.


• Never buy perfume when you are in transitory stage like pregnancy. The body will be undergoing immense hormonal changes, which affect your sensory perceptions, chiefly olfactory perceptions.


• Determine your budget.


• Know what particular smell you want and go for it.


• Examine carefully before buying and Ask for a wrapped package when you make your purchase.

Perfume may be defined as a blend of fragrant oils and aroma compounds and solvents that when applied permits the human body to spread a pleasant smell to allure all those around. In earlier times only royal ladies and elite females used to wear perfumes and that too, to entice their male companions. Modern women use different types of perfumes for different occasions. There are a variety of women's perfumes - less intoxicating one for day time use, to set the right mood for evening use, and sex teasers for bedtime use. There are also women perfumes for different moods like romance and lovemaking. Women perfumes are distinctly different from colognes used by men in terms of ingredients used and their characteristics. In women's perfumes oils are used as a chief ingredient whereas in men's perfumes alcohol is the basic component.

Perfumes are no doubt heady but people who regularly use perfumes have a passion for perfumes. But there are certain types of perfumes that applying even a single drop makes you look good and feel important. Smell is the sense most powerfully linked to memory, but equally powerful are the stories behind the creation of some of today's most celebrated scents. If you are keen to know all about the mysteries of perfumes, then ask the experts and they will tell how to choose the right perfume, explain difference between synthetic and natural aroma, and give answers to the most questions about perfumes that have bedeviled you for long.

There are people who complain that traditional perfumes do not satisfy them. You will quite often find that there are no right perfumes or wrong perfumes as all perfumes are a matter of personal taste and personal preference. Consider your own aroma and buy it and you need not be unduly obsessed whether others buy the same perfume or not. There are a lot of superstitious people who buy perfumes that are associated with their birth sign of the zodiac or based on some strange and interesting information they have about a particular perfume.