Perfume Facts
 Perfume is made up of alcohol, water & perfume (fragrance) oil.
It is a word that comes from Latin per fumum, which means "through smoke" (per means through, fumum means smoke).
There are 3 major types: oriental, floral & chypre (means "very sincere" in French). There are also many sub-variations such as woody, musky, aquatic, spicy & fruity.
Eau de - means "water of" in French.
Eau de cologne - contains about 3-5% perfume oil. Used by men.
Aftershave lotions & splash colognes - contains about 0.5-2% perfume oil. Used by men.
Eau de parfum - contains about 15-18% perfume oil. Used by women.
Eau de toilette - contains about 4-8% perfume oil. Used by women.
Parfum (perfume) is the strongest of them all as it contains the most perfume oil. Use sparingly.
Scented ingredients added to perfumes include ginger, grapefruit, musk, peppercorns, mandarin peel, fig leaves, rose, watercress, bamboo, clementine, vanilia, honeysuckle, green tea & the list goes on.
A perfume contains between 10 to more than 250 ingredients.
How to Add Fragrance to Wedding Invitations
Every couple wants their wedding invitations to be memorable, to make an unforgettable first impression, and to set the right tone for the ceremony. One unique way of achieving those goals is to add scent to your invitation.
Psychologists have discovered that our sense of smell is closely connected to the parts of our memory responsible for triggering memory recall. That's why certain smells automatically conjure up thoughts of grandmother's kitchen or ex-lovers. When your guests receive their invitations and are greeted with a whiff of that pleasant aroma, there's a good chance that scent and your invitation (and, of course, your wedding) will be connected in their minds for years to come.
There are a few ways to add scent to your envelopes. The easiest is to use a scented spray and generously mist the inside of the invitation with the fragrance. If you prefer not to use a spray, you can also buy scented oil, dab some on an unscented cotton ball, then wipe the inside of the envelope. If you want a more natural approach and a floral scent, you can add rose petals or other dried flowers as embellishments to your invitation.
Once you decide to use scented invitations, your next decision will be what scent to use. You may want to consider a smell that will be associated with your wedding. For example, if the ceremony takes place on a beach, you might want to choose an ocean scent or if you're getting married in an apple orchard, you might want to choose that aroma instead. Floral scents work well for any spring wedding, but pumpkin or apple would be ideal for fall weddings.
If none of those choices sound appealing, you could choose a smell based on its aromatherapy effects. Aromatherapy is the idea that the scents of certain essential oils can affect a person's mood. You've probably seen aromatherapy products, particularly in stores dedicated to personal hygiene products or candles.
Basically, according to aromatherapy, by scenting your invitation with particular smells, you can create a certain mood in the recipients. For example if you want your guests to be in a romantic mood, then you might choose any of the following scents: apple, cinnamon, gardenia, jasmine, lavender, orange, rose, or vanilla. Unless you really want your guests to remember receiving your invitation, you might want to go easy on the rose or jasmine since they are considered aphrodisiacs.
Of course, you might also choose to create a sense of peace and well-being in your guests. To do this, aromatherapy says you should use the smells of carnations, eucalyptus, heather, lilac, sandalwood, and violets. If you're looking for a more practical, success-oriented mood change, then applying honeysuckle, lemon, pine, or sage might do the trick.
If you're interested in using aromatherapy scents on your invitations, you can find providers online. Local shops that sell candles often carry a limited number of aromatherapy products and scents as well. Just remember if you do decide to use scented invitations, don't overdo the smell. A little goes a long way.
 Fragrance Tips: Finding the Right Perfume for Your Body
One of the wonderful things about being a woman is wearing a fragrance that you love. Fragrance is one of those things that facinate most women.
One thing that is very important about fragrance is ensuring that the fragrance will last throughout the night or day. During the day an everyday scent that is light and subtle is appropriate. Basic fragrant lotions and maybe a little spray. Going out at night is the time to choose that significant and memorable scent.
There are a few ways to make your fragrance choices last longer and therefore be more memorable. The most significant things that work are:
- Having clean hair. Make sure your hair is clean and smells good. When preparing and getting dressed some day when you really want to smell nice; spray your perfume or body spray in the air and walk under it so the scent gets in your hair very lightly.
- Make sure your entire body is completely clean.
- Wear unscented deodorant. Deodorant scents conflict with and cancel out most fragrance choices no matter how nice or strong the fragrance is.
- Wash with a body wash that has a fragrance that combines well with your perfume or is designed to blend with your perfume. Use a lotion with the same characteristics. Always use both fragrant body wash and fragrant lotion layered with body spray or perfume, when you want your perfume to stand out.
- Try putting Vaseline on spots like behind your ears and on your wrists before spritzing perfume. It allows the fragrance to last longer.
Did you know that you can select fragrance by scent categories,
just as you would select a fine bottle of wine? Popular fragrance
categories are:
| Floral |
single flowers or classic floral blends,
fresh, fruity, or powdery |
| Citrus Fruity |
lemon, orange, bergamot, apple, berries |
| Aquatic |
rain-fresh or ocean aromas |
| Nature Greens |
fresh-mown grass and spring leaves |
| Oriental |
vanilla-ambery or spicy-woody, floral
Oriental blends |
| Chypre |
citrus, patchouli, moss |
| Fougere (meaning fern) |
well-balanced citrus,
lavender, woods (popular masculine fragrances) |
| Woody |
pine, cedar, sandalwood, patchouli |
Use these categories to guide you in building a
fragrance wardrobe.
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