A Girl's Guide to Smelling Suite and Spending Sensibly

It's a quest that nearly almost every woman will embark on at some point in her life.  She may suffer through product-induced migraines and spending the day smelling like some sort of cleaning product in the hope that she may someday find what she's looking for - the perfect fragrance.

The truth is, finding your perfect fragrance often requires a series of separate adventures.  Many women spend hours at the fragrance counters, comparing and contrasting differents scents without having a clue of what their looking for.  After awhile, all the smells seems to blend together, no matter how many times one clenses their olafactory palletts with the smell of coffee beans. 

But before you go sprinting toward the nearest department store to overwhelm your poor little nose, sit back and relax. 

 Take some time to assess your personality and how you present yourself.  Are you energetic and on-the-go?  Are you nurturing and sweet?  If you're in the market for multiple fragrances, examine the different aspects of your personality.  Are you looking for a fragrance to play up your sex appeal, or are you looking for something classic and timeless for everyday wear?

Once you've taken your needs and desires into consideration, examine the four basic fragrance families.

FRESH 

Fresh fragrances are the best choice for effervecent, playful, and energetic women.  These are bursting with clean notes such as citrus, green plants, ice, and water.  These scents are cool yet friendly.  Some favorite fresh fragrances include...

Green Tea Eau de Toilette by L'Occitane

With notes of both citrus and green tea, this fragrance gives the wearer a free-spirited air without being overwhelming.  This scent will melt into your skin like butter.

Clean Eau de Parfum by Dlish

This fragrance is perfect for anyone who wants that just-stepped-out-of-the-shower smell.  Guaranteed to make you smell incredible without actually making you smell like you're wearing perfume.

FLORAL

Floral is easily the most popular fragrance family.  Floral scents are very romantic, elegant and feminine.  With notes of rose, jasmine, and gardenia, you can't go wrong.

Amor Amor by  Cacharel

Amor Amor has to be one of my all time favorite floral fragrances.  With soft, fruity notes combined with classic floral scents, it's flowery without being stuffy.  You will simply sparkle in this fragrance.

Sheer Veil by Vera Wang

Sheer Veil is the perfect bridal fragrance.  Not only does it have the world's most renowned bridal gown designer's name on it, but it has incredible notes of champagne and white lily.  A must for any bride-to-be.

ORIENTAL

Rich, luminous, and warm, oriental fragrances are perfect for classy, regal women.  Oriental fragrances often have alluring notes such as nutmeg mixed with woody or floral scents.  (Oriental-scented perfumes also happen to be my favorite.)

Lolita Lempicka by Lolita Lempicka

You cannot go wrong with this perfume!  It's perfect for work or evening wear.  It's soft and sensual and ever-so-enchanting.  It somehow manages to be both classic and modern at the same time!  A MUST HAVE!

Brit Eau de Parfum by Burberry

So impulsive and unique!  A very, very sexy fragrance and so very versatile.  Another must-have fragrance.  It has interesting and intriguing notes such as Italian lime and tonka bean.  Delicious!

Fantasy by Britney Spears

I know what you're thinking.  You wouldn't dare wear anything so young.  But before you come to your final decision, you simply must smell this perfume.  Not only is it relatively affordable, but it's sure to have everyone asking "What are you wearing?  It smells great!"  Whenever I wear this perfume out, I receive at least three compliments.  It smells of cupcakes and white chocolate orchid.  Give it a chance.  I dare you.

WOODY

Woody fragrances are deeply inviting and nurturing.  They produce an air of bookish intelligence and wisdom.  Women seem oh-so-calm and composed while wearing woody scents.  Who said all women were emotional?  With notes of cedarwood and tobacco, you're bound to forget about all the stressful situations in your life.

Prada by Prada

Classic and pure, Prada is ideal for evening wear and dinner parties.  With notes such as raspberry flower and patchouli, this fragrance combines both tradition and innovation.

Miss Dior Cherie by Dior

A modern fragrance for a modern woman.  Full of lovely, feminine notes such as strawberry sorbet and carmelized popcorn.  Amazing fragrance.

Purchasing Your Fragrance On Ebay

Ebay is the perfect place to expand your fragrance collection.  Not only can you avoid ridiculously inflated prices, but you can dabble in a variety of different fragrances without making a commitment that you might regret.

If you know exactly what you're looking for, I suggest you dive right in.  You can find incredible bargains on perfumes and colognes from ebay stores specializing in fragrances, such as Designer Scents Warehouse or Designer Scents & More. Many of these stores sell testers, brand new bottles of perfume without the cap.  Please note that these testers are legitimate and are not fakes.  You can buy a $60 bottle of perfume for as low as $10 dollars!

Since fragrance is so personal, many people sell their unwanted and barely used gifts.  Do not hesitate to buy these bottles simply because they've been sprayed once or twice!  Unlike clothing or furniture, fragrance displays little or no wear and tear.  It'll be your little secret, and you'll smell fantastic!

When you're buying perfume on ebay (and you know what you're looking for), think big.  Be sure to specify the size of the bottle in your search.  For example, if I were searching for Fantasy by Britney Spears, I would type "Fantasy, 3.4, Britney" into the search box.  This would let me skip the tedious sifting through sample sizes.

Speaking of sample sizes, these are great if you think you know what you want, but you're not quite sure.  Often priced at a little over a dollar, these miniature-sized perfumes allow you to audition your potential fragrance without wasting money on a large bottle.  The easiest way to find these sample sizes is to change your search option from "time: ending soonist" to "price: lowest first."

Remember, have fun!  Experiment!  Start a collection and switch your scent depending on your mood.  Fragrances really can affect your demeanor, so don't buy anything too grumpy!