Stuff 73: Making Scents

By J.J. Atwell

Scent of a woman?

Today I’d like to talk a little about scent. 

Does your femme side have a signature scent? Hopefully something better than Right Guard. Maybe you went with a classic like Channel #5? Or something from Ferragamo or perhaps Jo Malone? How did you or how should you, pick it out?

Credit where it is due

I must admit that JJ has yet to settle on a signature scent. I’ve talked with several GG friends about what they wear and have gotten good suggestions. So I want to thank Alicia, Dee and Gigi for sharing their ideas. These are their comments and I’m just organizing them in a way that makes sense (scents?) to me. 

How to choose

The hardest thing is deciding what scent you like. Obviously, some of that is simply what you smell when you try it on and how that pleases you. But getting there might take a while. My consultants suggest that you go to either a fancy department store or a place that specializes in perfumes. Smell a lot of the different brands and styles. From that, try to get a sense of what you like. Is it more floral? Spicy? 

While testing these remember that your nose gets “tired” after a while. You should take a break between tests, perhaps smelling something like coffee beans to cleanse your olfactory senses. 

The shop should have test strips available to use when sampling the product. But be aware that there will be a difference between how something smells on a test strip and how it smells on your body.

Alicia suggests that you get some samples that you can take home and try out. Wear them for a while (hours) to see how you like it over time. This also gives you experience in how the perfume interacts with your body chemistry over time. That’s right – something that smells good when first applied may not still be pleasing after a few hours. 

How to wear

So, now that you’ve decided, how to you actually wear it? Just spray it on? Where? I’ve always heard that it should be applied to your pulse points like the inside of your wrists, the nape of your neck, and perhaps a dab in your cleavage. That advice still stands, but there is another method that works for many. Spray some into the air and walk through the cloud so that the little droplets land on your body and clothing. 

I’ll be back

I hope you made some sense out of this and found your own scent. I welcome comments and suggestions here on Stana’s page or by email at Jenn6nov at-sign gmail dot com.

Wearing Alice + Olivia

Riya Desuza