Fragrances and cologne often define our personalities and brand our presence. We spend hours searching for the right scent or buy the first one that we think smells like us. Lots of manufacturers and department store sell fragrances and cologne to capitalize on buyers who continue to search for just the perfect scent.

When a buyer is searching for a scent they also have perfume, cologne, eau de toilette and eau de cologne from which to choose and all the same scent! There are fragrances that have different bases, that last longer on you than your friend or fragrances that smell different on you than your neighbor.

When searching for you newest fragrance youll want to know the difference between the different strengths of fragrance that will impact how you wear the scent. The strengths are due in part to the concentration of oils in the fragrance. In the business retailers call this the juice. The highest concentration of oil or juice is in perfume, followed by eau de parfum, eau de toilette, and finally eau de cologne. After shave has the lowest amount of the juice. The higher the concentration of oil the longer the scent will last on you and youll have to apply less of the higher concentration. On the other hand the fragrances with higher concentration of oils are also more expensive.

When you and your friend go shopping together you may have noticed that the same perfume doesnt smell the same on both of you. This is because of the chemical make up of your bodies. It also accounts for why some perfumes, which have the same concentration of oils, last longer on you than others. Placing perfume on your body creates a small chemical reaction and since our bodies have slightly different chemical make ups the scent will also be slightly different.

Fragrances will smell different several minutes after being applied. So apply and walk through the store before smelling and deciding. Also most people can only differentiate between four different colognes at a time. A perfectionist may only be able to handle one scent at a time.

Believe it or not there are some perfumes to which you may have a contact allergy. To avoid spending a large dollar amount on a perfume you wear only once try it on in the store on the inside of your elbows, wrists or the back of the arm and wait about an hour. Watch for a reaction in the area in which it was sprayed.

Once youve chosen your favorite scent there are tips to applying them so you dont send everyone within sniff distance running for cover. Have you ever been caught in an elevator with someone who is swimming in perfume? Believe it or not after an hour or so they dont smell themselves any more, but the rest of us sure do!

In some circles these little tips may be called perfume etiquette, but suffice it so say that they are tricks that will help your perfume to last and keep you from offending the noses of others.
Your perfume is part of your image.
When attending events that require a bit of sophistication, such as work, office party, theater, corporate event or cocktail party your scent should be soft and sophisticated. Just enough to tickle the senses of those next to you but not those in the next room.
Dont drench yourself in a perfume you like its just offensive.
If you are going out clubbing a stronger scent is acceptable but dont be loud unless loud is what you are striving to achieve.
Dont put perfume on your clothing; it stains the material and doesnt last as long as when its applied on the pulse points of your own skin behind your ears, sides of your neck and the insides of your wrists.
Dont rub your wrists together it disturbs the top layer of the perfume and decreases the lasting power.
If you enjoy the scent and what to smell it more often go for application on your pillow, hair and cushions on your couch.