On one of my jaunts through The Plaza Beauty, I was guided through the perfume counter by Alaina Bavelas, who’s knowledge of perfumes will have your head spinning…….With one whiff, Alaina could tell me all about the perfume, it’s fragrance components, base notes, middle notes, heart notes and all these things which I knew nothing about! I knew what I liked, (sort of) but I had really given up on perfumes in the past few years wearing nothing but an occasional musk. Some of this had to do with allergies, but most had to do with the fact that I had no patience at the perfume boutiques at department stores. I found the heavy smell to be way too much for me, and bolted through them as quickly as I possibly could!
However perfume shopping at the Plaza Beauty is a completely different experience! There are no people spritzing you as soon as you walk in. Work with Alaina and any of the other knowledgeable sales associates and you will learn and discover many different types of fragrance. I’ve discovered that I am more of an exotic girl, versus floral, and lo and behold, as long as I am not being drenched and sprayed in fragrances, my allergies were not a problem. For those of you, like me, who do not know the perfume lingo, here are some of the terms that I learned from Alaina that will aide you in perfume shopping.
Base Notes-These notes, or scents reveal the depth and strength of the fragrance. They normally last for about 24 hours.
Fragrance Notes –This refers to the ingredients that are commonly used in the composition of perfumes. Fragrances are typically formulated by layering three scents, or notes – top, middle and base.
Middle Notes (also known as Heart Notes) –These scents emerge about 15 minutes after application (once the top notes have faded). These scents last about an hour or more and act as the heart of your signature scent.
Top Notes-These scents are the first impression and smell that you first get from your perfume. They are a volatile fragrance and last the least amount of time, anywhere normally from 5 to 15 minutes.
And as Coco Chanel said, “A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future!”
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