Why perfume makes a perfect gift

By Catalogs Editorial Staff

Every woman knows why perfume makes a perfect gift, and she knows what scent she

For many women, and men, their perfume or cologne is their trademark and unique calling card, every bit as much as the color of their hair or the sound of their voice or the type of clothing that they routinely choose to wear. This is exactly why perfume makes a great gift.

Can you remember the scent of your grandmother or how delicious your wife smelled on your wedding day? Do you nostalgically remember the imitable fragrance of your newborn baby the day she was born or the way your favorite teacher smelled? Smell is very important to us. Women’s fragrances and men’s colognes attract us. Bad odors repel us.

Perfume makes a great gift to give to a loved one. It shows that you like way they smell and wish to continue smelling it on them.

Our sense of smell is inextricably bound to our memory. If you smell something that reminds you of the best time in your life you are going to feel good. If you smell something that brings back memories of a disastrous relationship you?re going to step away from what to you is an offensively hideous odor (it reminds you of that cad George) although the scent is probably not repugnant to the person who doesn?t associate it with disaster and sadness.

Do not underestimate the power of your nose and your ability to sniff out what is good or to be avoided. We have seven primary odors that help humans determine what an object it. Odors that we detect include roses, which are floral scent; perfumes and aftershaves that are musky; camphoric, which are moth balls; ethereal odors, such as dry cleaning fluid; peppermint (mint gum); pungent (think vinegar) and putrid (rotten eggs.)

Although humans have a substandard sense of smell compared to dogs, who have one million smell cells in each nostril that are 100 times larger than a human?s smell cells, we can still detect many things via our nose.

We can smell pheromones, which are the natural sexual scents that men and women emit. Some perfumes include pheromones. Whether or not they do the job that nature does remains to be seen but there is no denying that our sense of smell makes one person more appealing to us than someone else who doesn?t smell as well to us.

Giving perfume as a gift is a personal declaration. It says that you like the way the person smells and want to gift her more of that fragrance because she loves it, and you love it. Or you want to introduce her (or him) to a scent that you think they will love and wear for all eternity.

If your friend is mysterious and sultry there are scents out there that speak to this. If your sister is the fresh, perky, cheerleader type there are fragrances that denote this. If your man is very masculine you can find the perfect macho scent for him.

There are ?noses? in the perfume industry whose sense of smell is extraordinary. Their proboscis is a highly valued tool of the trade and is used to create new perfumes. If you are going to give perfume as a gift, consider all facets of the perfume and, of course, the person you are giving it to. You, too, can become a ‘nose.’ The perfume you select, if it?s a new fragrance and has never before been worn by the recipient, should match her personality and lifestyle.

Fragrances belong to families including floral, woodsy, oriental or fruity/citrusy, and they vary in tone or intensity and notes, which are the dominate smells that make the fragrance smell the way that it does.

The keynote in the perfume is the note that most characterizes a particular fragrance. The top note or the head note is the first scent that you smell. The heart notes are the middle notes in the perfume and comprise the body of the fragrance. Sometimes it takes a few minutes or even up to 30 minutes before you can fully smell the heart notes after the perfume is applied to your skin. An example of typical heart notes includes rose, jasmine, freesia and magnolia.

The base notes or soul notes of a fragrance are the scent that lasts the longest and gives your perfume staying power. Sandalwood, patchouli, vanilla and musk are examples of soul notes.