Etiquette Boss: Know Your Fragrance

My delight at finding a discontinued fragrance in a Manhattan store turned into dismay when I got home and discovered that it was a fake. The long lasting scent of the original was missing. In the store it smelled like the real fragrance. How do we know the real from the fake?

We cannot accurately judge by the initial smell of the fragrance. A good, expensive perfume generally has several levels of fragrance: a top note (which is the immediate smell when applied), a middle note (which appears after approximately half an hour and last for about two to three hours) and a base note (which is the fragrance you live with for the rest of the day). You may dislike the top note of a fragrance, but after a few hours, the scent is divine. Cabotine comes to mind as a personal example.

How can you determine the difference between a cheap perfume and an expensive perfume or a real perfume and a fake? Fakes often replicate the top note, so it smells the same at first whiff; but after three or four hours, the scent disappears because there is no base note. It is more alcohol than fragrance, and when the alcohol dissipates, the scent goes with it. The base note is often the most expensive part of the perfume formula, hence the difference in the price tag. Never purchase a fragrance without walking around the store for about half an hour and then re-testing the scent. Some top notes are lovely, but it dries down into a smell that can cause a headache or is unappealing. Some top notes can immediately smell of roses, but the bottom note smells of soap or baby powder.

That bottom note is the one that should drive your purchase. Eau de parfum (EDP) is longer lasting than Eau de toilette (EDT). Be aware that an expensive price does not guarantee a good fragrance. However, if you learn to distinguish the difference in fragrance notes, you will find your purchases more pleasurable.

Anti Aging Tips: Coconut Oil

As the weather gets colder, massaging coconut oil onto your feet at night can treat severely cracked heals. Rub on your calves as well. People have reported that this leaves them feeling refreshed the next morning improved skin tone, tighter pores and no dark circles under the eyes. It is also observed that massaging the calves with coconut oil in the middle of the day helps alertness and concentration.

Phillipa Morrish is the President of Etiquette Training International.

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