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Since recorded history –and
probably before—women and men have anointed themselves with
scents. It has been said that Egypt’s ruling queens Cleopatra,
Nefertiti and Hatshepsut had extensive vats of exotic perfumes.
History also notes that during the reign of King Charles II men
often carried pomanders, or “nosegays” of scents as
accessories. Perfumes through the years were not only used as
alluring adornments, but also to dissipate body odor; by today’s
standards, personal hygiene of the past was significantly lacking!
In our time, women’s perfumes
and men’s colognes are considered to be an essential part
of grooming. Heady, beckoning, and elegant ladies’ perfumes
can be purchased in retail stores, specialty stores that carry
only fragrances, on the Internet, through catalogues, or in duty-free
international airports’ shops. Every perfume is built around
“notes,” or specific scents; most fine fragrances have
upper (the strongest), middle and lower notes all combined to
form a single perfume. The top notes may be floral, earthy, musky,
grassy, or citrus-based. The great parfumiers of France immortalized
top-note fragrances like Chanel #5 by the House of Coco Chanel,
Je Reviens from the House of Worth, Shalimar from the House of
Guerlain, and Joy from the House of Jean Patou. In fact, Joy
is the most expensive perfume in the world at $100 USD for half
an ounce. |
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Men’s
fragrances are primarily musky, earthy and citrus-based. Since
most men object to the notion that they wear perfume as women
do, these fragrances are usually referred to as colognes. Many
fine colognes come from designers of men’s clothing such
as Ralph Lauren, Versace, Chanel for men, Tommy Hilfiger, and
Davidoff. In a recent US poll, Guerlain’s Vetiver, a citrus-based
cologne, and Cool Water by Davidoff were top-ranked by men who
use fragrances.
When you
purchase fragrances, it helps to understand the difference between
perfume and cologne, especially in women’s fragrances. Perfume
is 100% fragrance-oil based, and very concentrated. Cologne,
or eau de cologne, has been diluted with water; it’s smell
doesn’t last nearly as long as women’s perfume. To
locate fine perfumes, it’s necessary to shop in a specialty
store or on-line. Much cheaper colognes are found in drug and
discount stores. While a woman may lavishly spray herself with
a less-costly cologne, only a small amount of perfume will endure
for up to ten hours.
Even
the bottling of fine perfume makes a difference in its enduring
quality. Since the best perfumes are most often bottled in colored
glass or crystal, they stay more fresh and retain their fragrance
better than fragrances bottled in clear glass. Colored bottles
prevent the essential oils in perfumes from becoming rancid.
Many men and women store their fine fragrances in a cabinet to
prevent too much exposure to light. Caring for the best fragrances
is much like caring for fine jewelry; care must be taken to preserve
your perfumes that can last many years! |
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