Once you have found a scent that you feel really defines who you are and what you are all about, (and makes you just a little more unforgettable!), how do you make it your own?

By that we mean, how do you make people think, "that smells like Sheryl" or, "that smells like Jeff" instead of, "isn’t that the cologne that Janet wears?" Making the cologne "your own" means engulfing yourself in the scent so that it becomes an integral part of you, without becoming overwhelming to others.

For example, you don’t want to continue spraying yourself with perfume or cologne all day long, since the sharp, introductory notes will continue to come through and that sharp scent will be overwhelming to people if they smell it on you constantly.

Instead, try building a the scent in layers. For example, many fragrance manufacturers don’t just make cologne or perfume, they make other products with the same fragrance as well. You should start by using their soap and shampoo to get a light fragrance over your body.

When you are out of the shower, try using their fragranced powder or body lotion to build up the next layer of scent.

Finally, you have two choices. You can either spray perfume on your pulse points (perfume is the strongest concentration of sent offered by a fragrance manufacturer), or you can spray the eau de toilette or eau de cologne all over your body, since it is a lighter version of the fragments.

Throughout the day, your fragrance layers will evaporate and give off that scent. And over time, your clothes will become infused with the smell as well, and it won’t be long until people begin to associate a smell only with you.

And why would you want to smell associated only with you? It’s easy! Smell is the sense that is most closely related to our long-term memory. So when people smell something, they often make close associations between the scent and the experience. So give people something to remember about you and layer your body with a scent that will keep you in people’s memories for a long time to come.

Jeff Lakie is the founder of Cologne Information a website providing information on Cologne

In the morning as you’re about to dash off to work, or in the evening before a big date, you probably spray some cologne or perfume on yourself just before heading out. When you chose to buy that particular perfume or cologne, what was it that made you decide? Was it a "sniff test" in the store?

If you did choose your perfume or cologne based on the "sniff test" that you performed in the store on a variety of fragrances for sale, you may be surprised to learn that colognes and perfumes actually have three distinct scents. It is likely that you chose your fragrance based only on the first scent!

The initial sent is a sharp scent meant to be fresh and attention-getting. It is the first thing you smell within moments of applying your fragrance.

After a few moments, when the initial scent has evaporated, the main scent comes through. You probably don’t realize it because you are wearing it, but within 10 minutes to an hour of applying your perfume or cologne, the fragrance’s scent smooths out from the initial sharpness from the first sent and it this “heart” scent tends to give the biggest impression.

After the main scent, or "heart" scent, has evaporated, the remaining scent is called the base note. This third scent is a subtle, lingering scent and is usually much richer or deeper than the initial scent.

So the next time you go to buy perfume or cologne, find a couple that you like and spray them on the available cards. Then bring the cards with you as you leave the store! Once the initial scent has evaporated, you’ll be able to smell the smoother fragrances that belong to the "heart" of the cologne or perfume, which will help you form a wiser buying decision.

Buying cologne can be a lot of fun, but can also be an overwhelming experience with the amount of products available. Buying on first impressions alone is not a bad idea, since you have to smell yourself! But eventually, other people will have to smell you as well, so buying a cologne or perfume based on the "heart" of the fragrance will help you know how others will perceive your scent.

Jeff Lakie is the founder of Cologne Information a website providing information on Cologne

Each ingredient varies in its smell as well as in its “staying power” on the skin. Fragrance gets absorbed into the skin faster when the skin is dry and flaky. To make the scent last longer, you might look into body lotions in the same scent. You can even use unscented body lotion, but the scented ones obviously will give you more lasting power.

For the greatest lasting power, start in the shower. Use a buffing cream to buff away dry, dead skin. Use a cleansing gel, in a complimentary scent. Very often spa scents are produced with a variety of products-cleansing gel, sugar scrubs, lotions and a body mist sprays.

Next, apply the lotion to the areas where you generally apply your body spray to prevent the fragrance from being totally absorbed into the skin. This absorption is normal and in fact, perfumers distinguish between the various stages of the fragrance in the following way:

Top Note – is the first impression of the fragrance, the initial impact right from the bottle.

Middle Note – develops over a period of a few minutes after the perfume is applied to the skin.

Base Note – is the final impression of the fragrance. This is the stage in which we refer to as the “lasting power” of the fragrance.

Perfume (sometimes spelled parfum) is the longest lasting and strongest form of fragrance containing the highest concentration of essential oil. It is the fragrant oils that give a perfume a particular scent.

Eau de Parfum is the next in line according to the strength or the concentration of essential oils.

Eau de Toilette is a lighter version of a fragrance with less concentrated essential oils. Hence the reason it is generally more affordable.

Lastly, scented bath and body products have a hint of the fragrant essential oils. Layering the fragrance will make it last longer. Bath yourself in head to toe fragrance for a totally spa like experience.

Have a great day!

Dawn Hull
Professional Skin Care Consultant
http://www.MaryKay.com/ShopOnline

Sign up to receive a FREE monthly beauty newsletter: Beaut-e-News - Discover what’s new, what’s now — what’s changing the face of makeup and skin care! You’ll find beauty secrets revealed and tips and techniques that will help you look your beautiful best. Click here to register: http://www.marykay.com/PWS/MyMK/Login.aspx?Moniker=SHOPONLINE

95% of chemicals used in fragrances are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum. It has been estimated that more than 3000 different chemicals are used in fragrance production. Do these figures shock you? Yes, manufacturers are very clever – we see the packaging and the adverts showing flowers and nature, and we assume (as the manufacturer intends us to assume) that the fragrance in the product is derived from nature, but most fragrances are chemically derived. They do not use essential oils because they are too expensive. They do use synthetic chemicals because they are cheap.

We are exposed to perfume or fragrance throughout the day. We may not wear perfume ourselves, but our shampoo, soap, shower gel and cosmetics are likely to contain synthetic perfumes, unless we look at the label and shop carefully.

We encounter more smells in our household products – cleaners, washing powders, polish, air fresheners, etc. If we go out, we experience these smells on other people and in offices and stores.

Perfume mixes added to products are listed in the ingredients as ‘parfum’ or ‘fragrance’ depending on the part of the world you live in. Even some products that appear to be unperfumed will contain synthetic perfumes in order to cover an unpleasant odour from one of the active ingredients, or to ensure that the product always smells the same. The exact composition of these may vary over time even for the same product, as the manufacturer adjust the fragrance mix in relation to variations in the smell of the raw ingredients.

Even some essential oils are not entirely natural, as harsh chemicals may be used in their extraction process. Chemical solvents such as hexane and heptane are used to extract the maximum amount of oil from the plant, so it is important to buy good quality oils from a source you trust.

Allergies to fragrances are very common. The main organs affected are the skin and the respiratory system, but neurological damage has also been reported. Some people feel that we should have a right to fragrance-free air as well as tobacco-smoke-free air. There are also concerns about the impact of synthetic chemicals on the environment, as they do not necessarily break down easily.

Of course, there is a role for fragrance. The power of aromatherapy oils to heal and lift the spirits is well documented, but the widespread use of synthetic fragrances should be seen as pollution of both our bodies and our environments.

Jane Thurnell-Read is a writer and researcher on health, stress, alternative medicine, and happiness. Visit her web site http://www.healthandgoodness.com for tips and information on how to live a happier, healthier life no matter how busy you are.

First of all, you may ask, "What exactly are Perfume Oils?"

Perfume Oils are the pure oils that perfumes are made from. Island of Eden’s Perfume Oils are alcohol and chemical-free. Perfumes and colognes that one may purchase for $50.00 or more in department stores contain an average of only 33% pure perfume oil, and the rest (67%) is alcohol, water, butane, etc. Alcohol "kills the soul of the plant or flower essence." Butane is used as a sort-of lighter-than-air fragrance carrier. It causes the perfume to have a powerful scent when first sprayed, but fades away quickly.

The reason you can buy perfume oils for such a low cost, is connected to low overhead, and the perfume oil industry’s general practice of selling the product at a fair price. When you pay for the high-end designer brands, you are paying for a fancy bottle and a designer name. Our perfume oils are the highest quality you can purchase! Don’t be fooled by other perfume oils, there are different grades of oils! Island of Eden’s oils are very concentrated, and are the best perfume oils you can buy! Even other perfume oil companies may dilute their oils down. Try ours and you’ll experience the difference!

Why do designers use alcohol in their perfumes anyway if it’s so bad?

All commercially available "perfumes" are actually perfume oils with fillers. First, and foremost, it causes the perfume oils to evaporate faster than they would by themselves - up to 10 or 15 times more quickly! This gives the impression that the perfume is 10 or 15 times stronger than it actually is. That is why, when you first put on a fragrance, the aroma may sometimes seem overwhelming to those around you. It is also why the scent is almost all gone within one or two hours. The perfume oils have evaporated along with the alcohol!

The second reason for all those fillers is just ‘good’ marketing — a bigger bottle containing fragrance plus fillers seems like a much better value than a smaller one of pure oil. This illusion is further reinforced by the strong, short-lasting, alcohol driven aroma.

So what’s wrong with alcohol anyway?

**Alcohol tends to kill off some of the most beautiful notes in many fragrances, which in pure form, are truly delicious. **Alcohol isn’t really good for you. Perfume fillers generally use ethyl alcohol, sometimes called ethanol. Your body considers ethanol to be a poison and many people who think they are allergic to perfume are actually allergic to the alcohol in the perfume **Alcohol is a drying agent — used by industries all over the world as an additive to make thing evaporate very quickly. Unfortunately for you, as the alcohol evaporates, it also takes away the fragrance and your own natural body oils along with it, drying your skin as it goes!

Your fragrance will last, and last, and last…with Perfume Oils!

Since Island of Eden’s Perfume Oils are undiluted, you can expect your fragrance to last literally hours and hours! Not only will they last on you, they will last years in their bottles! Many people are not aware that perfumes with fillers spoil! (Ever noticed how your department store brands went "bad" after a year or so?) Industry experts say 6 to 18 months is the usual shelf-life of a perfume, depending on the components and their quality. But, perfume oils will retain their fragrance year after year!

Why are your perfume oils called "Types?"

The formulas for designer perfumes are very well-kept secrets indeed, but trained and experienced fragrance professionals can pick apart the elements of most fragrances. Augmenting these skills with modern chemical techniques, such as the use of gas-liquid chromatography, helps make it possible to match a given fragrance with the same or better oils. Because of the mystery surrounding the fragrance industry, you might think that fragrances are the private property of the designers, but the courts have held that fragrance is something that belongs to nature and not to any individual. Therefore a fragrance cannot be patented or copyrighted, and a manufacturer cannot prevent someone else from matching or improving upon any aroma in whole or in part.

Of course, the brand name of a designer fragrance can be copyrighted or registered and others may not use that name to their profit. That is why we are so careful to point out that we are not offering the originals - we call ours "Types" to make the difference clear.

How do I use Perfume Oils?

To apply perfume oil, just dab a bit on the backside of your hand (it mixes better there with your body chemistry) and then rub it on your neck, arms, and anywhere skin meets skin, etc. Perfume Oils never change, do not evaporate, and are inexpensive and versatile. Basically, perfume oils are what you purchase for yourself or for a gift when only the real thing will do. Why pay high-end prices, for fancy bottles, and a name? If quality is what you’re really after, you’ll love these, and never go back to alcohol ridden perfumes and colognes. After all, aren’t you worth it? We think so!

Below are some great uses for Perfume Oils (Other than wearing them) that customers have sent us.

1. Add a few drops to your bath water for a beautifully fragrant aroma.

2. Add a few drops to your ceiling fan blades to freshen up your home.

3. Add a few drops to a cotton ball and vacuum it up; it makes your house smell like your favorite fragrance!

4. Add a few drops to a cotton ball and place in an open container then place in your bathroom, closet, bedroom, anywhere! Perfume Oils totally out-last all the room fresheners you buy at retail stores!

5. Want to make your kitchen smell like you’ve been baking the most incredible treats all day long? Add a few drops to some simmering water on the stove! (think Pumpkin Pie Perfume Oil, Hot Fudge Nut Brownies Perfume Oil, and more!) What a great idea for the Holidays, too!

6. Add to your favorite unscented lotion.

7. Add to a few cotton balls in your dresser, your clothes will smell like your favorite fragrance.

8. Add few drops to a cotton ball and place in your dryer and your linens, bedding and clothing will be scented with your favorite fragrance.

9. Add a drop to your brush, and it will make your hair beautifully fragrant.

To see all of our perfume oil products, body mists, aroma mists, fragrance fantasies dry-oil perfume, please visit our site today! Fabulous products and Holiday Items, and over 350 scents!!

http://www.IsleOfEden.com/

Ah, perfume. You have to sometimes wonder what women do without it. It seems they can’t help but spritzing that smelly stuff all over their bodies. Not that men mind very much. Let’s face it, a man LOVES a woman who smells nice, but who determines exactly WHAT a nice smell is? One of these days somebody is going to invent a perfume that smells like, well, you know.

So what’s the deal with perfume? Why so mesmerizing to the opposite sex? And what in the world is the stuff made from anyway? For all we know it could be made from chicken gizzards.

Fortunately, it’s not. Perfume is made from about 78% to 95% of specially denatured ethyl alcohol and a remainder of essential oils. The perfumes that are made up of the 22% oils are the most expensive, going for as much as $100 an ounce or more. I’m sure a little too rich for most people’s blood. These perfumes are called perfume, literally. The next costliest on the ladder are the ones called Eau de Parfum, which are made up of between 15 and 22% oils. After that comes Eau de Toilette, which is made up of between 8 and 15% oils. Next on the totem pole is Eau de Cologne, which is made up of about 4% oils. And finally the bottom of the barrel, for those who really like subtlety, is Eau Fraiche, which is made up of about 1 to 3% oils.

Then of course there are fragrance categories, a TON of them.

Here is a listing.

Floral, Oriental, Floriental, Chypre, Green Marine and Fruit. Typical plant products include anise, bay leaf, bergamot, cardamom, cedar wood, eucalyptus, frankincense, gardenia, geranium, iris, jasmine, lavender, lemon, lilac, lily, lily of the valley, magnolia, moss, neroli, orange, orris, patchouli, pine, raspberry, rose, sage, sandalwood, tuberose, vanilla, violet and ylang-ylang.

I wonder how many guys can really tell the difference between one and another. It probably doesn’t matter since perfumes are a 10 billion dollar a year industry. Not bad for smelly water.

So when did perfume use start? Actually it started thousands of years ago in Greek and Roman civilizations. It wasn’t a big commercial industry back then. The first real commercial use of perfume didn’t start until the early 20th century. One of the earliest famous perfumes that is still made today Chanel No. 5 created by Ernest Beaux for Coco Chanel in 1921. It is essentially made from ylang-ylang and neroli, with a heart of blends of jasmine and rose all above a woody base of sandalwood and vetiver. How much of each is a secret and something that any perfume manufacturer would give anything to get a hold of. Perfume manufacturing is extremely competitive and formulas are carefully guarded secrets. But getting back to Chanel No. 5, today a bottle of this stuff is sold every 30 seconds. You can only imagine what that comes out to in income for a whole year.

Today there are many perfumes, the most popular being Chanel No. 5, Charlie, Chantilly, Elizabeth W. Magnolia, which is actually the most popular perfume for women today, and the list goes on and on. There are new perfumes coming out everyday to keep up with the demand for the next great smelling toilet water.

Isn’t life great?

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Perfume

If you have decided to purchase perfume for yourself or for someone else as a gift, you will find that it may be difficult to decide which perfume to choose. With so many different varieties of perfumes on the market, just how are you supposed to select the right one? Below, you will find the answer.

First, if cost is a big consideration when you are purchasing perfume, then you may want to predetermine how much you are going to spend before you start shopping. Some brands can be pretty pricey and if you are on a budget, you will want to remain within the confines of your spending limit.

Next, you will need to determine if you want to purchase a perfume that has a light or a heavy scent. If you are buying for yourself, this task is far easier than if you are purchasing perfume for someone else. Therefore, finding out in advance what perfume a person prefers is your best option. For instance, if your friend likes wearing musk, then look for musk when you are purchasing perfume and if your friend or loved one likes earthy scents, then look for an earthy scent when you shop.

Next, there is actually a trick to smelling perfume. Have you ever noticed that when you smell perfume from the bottle and then you smell it on your wrist it does not ever smell the same? That’s because perfumes react with your body chemicals. So, you will want to purchase a perfume that is not only pleasing to the nose when you open the bottle, but one that is pleasing when it reacts to skin contact. Also, once you have applied the perfume to your wrist, wait a few seconds as the strong odor will dissipate and will leave you with the scent that the perfume is meant to provide.

It is not a wise idea to purchase perfume just because the bottle is pretty. Unless you truly do not care what is inside the bottle and you only want the bottle, you really should take a few moments to test out what’s inside. You may find that the perfume inside your gorgeous bottle smells absolutely atrocious or that it does not suit your personality at all.

Finally, if you decide to purchase perfumes online you should email the company to send you a variety of samples before you make your purchases. Again, a website can tell you absolutely nothing about what a perfume smells like. Just because the advertisement says that the perfume has a lovely musk scent, it doesn’t mean that you will think the scent is lovely when you receive your package. Therefore, unless you are familiar with a perfume product, refrain from shopping for perfumes online until you have had an opportunity to sample the product.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Perfume
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Not all cologne and perfume is made equally. In fact there are four different concentrations of perfume, each one being very different from the other.

In this article I am going to discuss the four different variations of cologne as well as what each concentration may be used for.

Did you know that most cologne’s and perfumes are comprised mainly of alcohol? In fact, most of the fragrances that you see in any shop will only be comprised of 4-10% of actual scented compounds. Of course this varies depending on the perfume that you look at. The rest of the 86-90% of the bottle is made up of alcohol and water.

Some fragrances actually have a lower concentration of scented compounds, and some have more. This is where the commonly used EDP, EDT, and EDC come into play. Let’s take a look at what these mean.

Perfume – Also known as Perfume extract, ‘Perfume’ is the most concentrated and smoothest of the four types. Typically made up of a 20-40% concentration of scented compounds, perfume is definitely the most expensive to buy.

Eau de Parfum – EDP is typically made up of an 8-16% concentration of scented compounds. EDP is probably the most common type of concentration you will see at the store. An EDP scent will usually fade after four hours, but the base notes can linger for a 24 hour period. Fragrances with an EDP concentration are perfect if you need an all day scent

Eau de Toilette – EDT is another very common concentration found in many fragrances. EDT is typically made up of a 4-8% concentration of scented compounds. Some people find that some EDT perfumes last a long while, but generally these are better left for night time use where the scent isn’t needed for as long.

Eau de Cologne – EDC isn’t commonly found in any fragrances anymore. It doesn’t last that long, and is typically only made with a 2-4% concentration of scented compounds.

Now you will know what all those fancy French names are on the side of your favorite mens cologne bottle. Whether you need a longer duration scent for work, or something a little shorter for the clubs, you are now one step ahead of the crowd!

Cody Kahl is creator and writer of Mens Cologne Guide – A site dedicated to providing only the best armani cologne information.

Cody believes in quality, and this free resource proves it.

With men’s and women’s perfume being so expensive in the offline world, many people are now turning to the internet for their fragrance needs. Certain things should be looked at though before making a discount purchase.

In this article I will discuss what to look out for when buying cologne online, as well as a few good places to start your search.

Go to a perfume shop online and I will bet you they have the phrase “best prices” emblazoned somewhere on their homepage. The fact is that a lot of these shops claim that they have the best prices, but this is simply not true. So how do you know you are getting the best price when you make a purchase? Simple… ask them if they have a price match guarantee. They may say that they do somewhere on the site, but if not, send them an e-mail.

Many of the top online cologne shops do have price match guarantees, so make sure and use them.

Price isn’t the only factor involved in buying discount fragrances. Does the site look reputable? Do they have any customer testimonials? How long have they been selling online? All of these points should be looked at when choosing a store to do business with.

Imitation perfume is sometimes talked about online. I don’t really think it is that common, and if you generally stick to the bigger online shops that meet the points mentioned above, you will be fine. Most online perfume shops do sell testers though, so if you do not want a tester bottle make sure it isn’t listed in the product description.

Lastly I would like to talk about buying fragrances on eBay auctions. Some great deals can be had by purchasing off of eBay, so it may be something you want to check out. Many of the fragrances being sold on eBay are tester bottles. Again, if this is not something you want, look good and hard for the word “tester” somewhere in the title or product description. The last thing you will want to look for is the seller’s feedback. It seems a lot of the perfume auctioneers on eBay are power sellers with great feedback. This is good for the consumer as they can get great deals from quality suppliers.

Taking the time to seek out a reputable online cologne shop that has competitive pricing will go a long way towards saving you money and trouble.

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Cody Kahl is creator and writer of Mens Cologne Guide – A site
dedicated to providing only the best cheap cologne information.
Cody believes in quality, and this free resource proves it.
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When people hear the word ‘notes’ they often say “yeah those are the things that make up a song.” Sure this is true, but did you know that notes are also used to describe the various scents of a fragrance? Most people aren’t even aware that there is more than one aroma involved in perfume or mens cologne.

In this article we will take an in depth look at what levels of notes occur in a fragrance, as well as what is involved in each level.

As I mentioned above, there are actually different scents within a bottle of perfume. That’s right, when you purchase your dream bottle of cologne at the local store, it isn’t going to always smell the same. When you wear it, the scent will actually change throughout the day. Evaporation causes different ‘notes’ to come out during this period.

So what exactly are these notes? Let’s take a look.

Top Notes – This is the first scent you smell when sniffing a particular fragrance. Because this is the first scent a person smells, the manufacturer knows that the top notes are very important for a good first impression. The top notes are usually described as fresh or strong. These notes generally last a matter of minutes (10-30) due to them evaporating quickly.

Middle Notes – Also sometimes referred to as ‘heart notes’, these scents are generally much less ‘dramatic’ than top notes. Middle notes last longer than top notes and usually appear 10-45 minutes after applying the perfume.

Base Notes – This is the finale of every good cologne. The ingredients used here hold everything together. Musk is a common ingredient that is used as a base note.

Now that you are “in the know”, next time you go to buy that special cologne, you may be able to give the clueless sales representative a crash course in fragrance study!

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Cody Kahl is creator and writer of Mens Cologne Guide – A site
dedicated to providing only the best mens cologne information.
Cody believes in quality, and this free resource proves it.
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