What do Paris Hilton, Sarah Jessica Parker, Britney Spears, and David Beckham have in common? If your answer has in any way got to do with ultra short hemlines or underwear then you are wrong (okay, maybe you are right but that is not what I am shooting for today). If you haven't been to the malls nor lifted a beauty magazine, then you may have not chanced on these stars eau de toilette babies. More designers and stars continue to join this very lucrative (and billion-dollar) sniffing business year after year.
Before the Persian doctor and chemist named Avicenna extracted oils from flowers by means of distillation, herbs have been crushed and mixed together to form perfume (which was by the way derived from the Latin word "per fumum? which means ?through smoke?). Lucky for crafty hands today, you need not go to the market or flower garden to extract your own for oils. Essential oils, the most important factor in creating perfume, are now available in most craft stores.
Making your own perfume is much easier than how it sounds like. I completed my first flower scented perfume fifth grade. We were asked to bring essential oils (I reckon mine were all about flowers: lavender, jasmine, and lilies), 100 proof vodka, distilled water, coffee filters, glass flask and stirrer, and a dark glass bottle. The recipe given to us was very simple to follow: mix 60% essential oil, 30% vodka, and 10% distilled water though roughly.
Begin by mixing the essential oils with the vodka in a glass flask. Mix thoroughly until the oils dispersed. Let this mixture stand uncovered for 48 hours. After the time has elapsed, add the distilled water and mix thoroughly again. Let it stand for another 48 hours. After 48 hours, run the mixture through the coffee filter into the dark glass bottle. This ensures that there are no sediments left in your mixture before storing. Cover the bottle tightly and let it stand for at least a week in a cool, dark place. The strength of the aroma depends on how long you let the perfume stand untouched. A week's time should be enough to produce a half-day lasting fragrance.
While performing the simple experiment above does not merit you a slot in the cosmetics and fragrance industry or a star in Hollywood's Walk of Fame, it gives you a chance to formulate a fragrance that is uniquely you. Folks suffering from allergic rhinitis might also want to concoct their own scent, avoiding the common allergens that prohibit them from wearing perfume.
Buying Perfume can be a very hard decision, especially when you buying that perfume for your friend or lover. Different people will have different choice of perfume. Also each fragrance will produce a different scent on various types of skin. Therefore, when buying perfume we need to do some good research and try it out before you make the final decision.
There are hundreds brands of perfume and thousands of scents available in the market nowadays. If you never bought any perfume before and not sure which perfume will be right for you or your friend, you should check out the Perfume Review website online like http://boisdejasmin.typepad.com/ or ask your friend to see which perfume is popular that most people use it. After that, you can go out to department store to try it on your skin.
Trial and testing Perfume
There are 2 ways that you can try perfume either direct on your skin or spray on the fragrance blotters. Now there is both advantage and disadvantage about these two methods of testing if you only using one method.
By testing on your skin, you will be able to know exactly how does it smell on your skin, but you can't try out too many different types of perfume simply because all the perfume that you try after the first one will mix with the first one and you won't get the correct smell of those fragrance.
By testing on the fragrance blotters, you can spray on different cards and write the name of that fragrance at the back of those cards. But this method of testing won't give you exactly how it smells on your skin either.
The best way is to try on the fragrance blotters first, then choose the smell that you like and try it on your skin, that way you can get the fragrance you like and the right perfume for your skin.
Types of Perfume
There are 4 main different types of perfume. Eau De Cologne, Eau De Toilette, Eau De Parfum and Parfum. They are ranging from the least concentrate to the most concentrate and therefore the different in price.
Eau de Cologne (EDC) is the term used today to refer to a perfume solution with around a 3% compound in an oil and water base. It's the lightest of perfumes and, therefore the least expensive.
Eau de Toilette (EDT) - is a perfume solution with a 3-8% compound in an oil and water base. It is a bit more expensive.
Eau de Parfum (EDP) is a perfume solution with a 10-15% compound.
Parfum is the highest concentration of oils, with 20-50% compound, which makes it last longer than others and the most expensive.
Size of Perfume
Perfume is packed in different sizes. In Europe and USA, perfume usually measures by Oz, in Australia or other countries we measure by ml. 1Oz is equivalent to 30ml (1Oz ~30ml). The most common size usually is 50ml, 75ml or 100ml. If you are buying the fragrance for the first time, you should buy the small bottle to try it out first. If you already wear that fragrance before and you really like it, then go ahead and purchase the big bottle because they are usually best value for money.
There is some small sample called vial on card or vial mini as well, those bottles are usually for trial. It is a good idea for you to buy those trial first to test it out before go ahead to buy a big bottle.
Where to buy Discount Perfume
Now you already know which brand, type and size of the perfume you like and best fit for you. It is time to shop around for the best price available. Nowadays, Perfume Online Stores usually sell perfume at a better price than most of department stores or retail outlet, as they don't have to employ a lot of staff and pay the big rent in the shopping center. Perfume Online Stores also can carry a lot more varieties of brands as well as keep some hard to find perfume. You can compare the price from different Discount Perfume Stores.
Buying a right Perfume can be a very hard decision but if you do enough homework I am sure that you will find the best perfume for yourself. Next article, we will share with you on how to wear and store perfume.
Both Timothy Spencer & Katie Nguyen are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Timothy Spencer has sinced written about articles on various topics from Arts, Gardening and Entertainment Guide. This article was written by Timothy Spencer for Island Rose - . We hope you enjoyed this article and encourage you to visit our website. Through Island. Timothy Spencer's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.
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