Spray or dab a small piece of paper (like a blotter/mouillette) with a fragrance then bend the paper so the sprayed part doesn’t touch the table (to avoid cross-contamination if you’re smelling more than one fragrance). Don’t forget to label it if you’re testing multiple fragrances. 

Wait a moment for the initial burst of alcohol to evaporate then pass the paper back and forth under your nose, taking care not to touch your nose with the paper. 

Some people find small ‘bunny’ sniffs helpful. 

You can also open your mouth while smelling to enlist the additional olfactory receptors in the back of your throat. 

To get a good sense of a fragrance, you’ll want to smell it at least three times: immediately to catch the top notes, 15-30 minutes later for the heart notes, and 30-60 minutes later to smell the base notes. 

I strongly encourage you to sample before you buy. Despite how amazing someone else’s review is or even how it smells on them, your skin chemistry, hormones, recent diet, environment, personal context, memories, and even mood can all impact how a fragrance smells on you and to you. Ideally, try a fragrance on your skin a few times and in different conditions over the course of several days or weeks before purchasing to avoid surprises. 

Many perfumers offer coupons towards a full bottle purchase when you buy a discovery sample set directly from them. It’s also a great way to get to know a brand or a perfumer. 

To gain a better appreciation for the scent, you could try some reflection prompts: what does the fragrance evoke for you? Think textures, sounds, colours, emotions, flavours, seasons, or memories.  

Many sites sell 1-2 ml samples or even 5 or 10 ml decants. I have purchased samples delivered to Canada from Perfumaura (Edmonton), H Parfums (Montreal), Parfum Exquis (Montreal), Scentrique (Vancouver), Indiescents (Calgary), Luckyscent (LA), and Scent Split (Houston). 

I do not currently have any discount codes for fragrance stores or brands. I have no vested interest in whether you buy anything, only an interest in helping more people discover the power and beauty of scent. 

The grey/reselling/discounter market is thriving for fragrances, and I have had some success, but buyer beware. There’s no guarantee the bottles are stored well or that the products are genuine on some of these sites. 

Some fragrance lovers on review sites like Parfumo, Basenotes, and Fragrantica post buying and selling offers, sometimes even for bundles of new or gently used samples. There are also many Facebook groups of fragrance fans buying and selling new/used/decanted scents. I like this one. 

Where possible, I love buying directly from the perfumer when it’s a small brand. You can’t beat the handwritten thank you note and the feeling of directly supporting an artist.

Many retailers offer rewards systems or gifts with purchases. Luckyscent has an ever-changing gifts with purchase section that’s worth checking out if you’re purchasing more than $50 worth on their site. Most stores offer a handful of free perfume samples with a full bottle purchase (specify your preferences at checkout). 

Much like your personal care products and medications, fragrances do not like light, heat, or humidity so I would strongly discourage storing your beautiful fragrances in the bathroom.

Opt for dry, cool, and dark places like closets and cupboards to keep your fragrances smelling their best for as long as possible. You could also keep your bottles in their original boxes though I appreciate that seeing the lovely bottles is part of the fun.  

Alcohol-based formulations should hold up for years in good conditions. That said, once you’re close to finishing a bottle, don’t hang onto the final few sprays. Go ahead and enjoy it because the remnants will have too much oxygen exposure inside the bottle to stay fresh forever. 

Explore different places to apply fragrance. You could take advantage of the heat of pulse points to amplify your fragrance by spraying on wrists, behind the ears or knees, or on ankles. The effect of this approach is bolder projection and faster disappearance given the heat encouraging quicker evaporation. I like to spray my chest/stomach so I get wafts of my fragrance throughout the day. Some prefer to spray instead on the back of the neck and get sporadic whiffs to avoid becoming anosmic (unable to smell) to the scent as quickly. With clear/light coloured fragrances, you could also spray clothes or hair to get some extra wear from a scent. 

Fragrance evaporates more slowly off of moisturized skin so if you want to extend the longevity of your fragrance, apply moisturizer before (or after) spraying on your fragrance. 

Resist the urge to rub your wrists together. It heats up the fragrance and speeds up the evaporation and evolution of the scent. I like to enjoy the whole olfactory story created by the perfumer instead of skipping to the end. You could dab instead to transfer freshly sprayed perfume from one wrist to another part of your body or spray on your chest, for instance, and dab your wrists on the fresh spray.

Don’t give fragrance a bad name by overspraying before close contact with strangers. It won’t necessarily make your scent last longer, and it might draw scorn or sneezes by those who can’t avoid your sillage (fragrance trail). 

If you’re going to be in an office or theatre setting, for instance, one to two sprays should ensure you enjoy your fragrance without forcing others around you to. Besides, you can always re-spray later or mix it up with a new scent when you get home or change activities. 

Your olfactory receptors will become saturated at some point in the day, and you will stop smelling a fragrance. Best to check with a loved one before doubling down on sprays in the hopes of smelling it again. This can also happen if you wear the same fragrance everyday. Sounds like a great excuse to rotate between different fragrances!

You can wear any scent in any season, but you may find some fragrances smell best to you in warm or cool weather based on your body’s temperature and the way the aroma molecules disperse in different air temperatures and humidity levels. Experiment and have fun!