Top notes, sometimes referred to as headnotes, form the top layer of a fragrance. In other words, top notes are the scents you detect first after spraying a perfume.
Heart Notes
Otherwise known as middle notes, this scent layer is the foundation of any fragrance and is known to make up approximately 40-80% of the final fragrance.
Notes in perfumery are descriptors of scents that can be sensed upon the application of a perfume. Notes are separated into three classes: top/head notes, middle/heart notes, and base notes; which denote groups of scents which can be sensed with respect to the time after the application of a perfume.
There are four scent families: woody, floral, amber, and fresh. These families each take a respective space on the Fragrance Wheel, a circular diagram which illustrates the four scent families in relation to each of their corresponding subfamilies.
Scientists have classified odors into 10 basic categories: fragrant, woody/resinous, minty/peppermint, sweet, chemical, popcorn, lemon, fruity (non-citrus), pungent and decayed.
Vanilla and amber scents, spicy shades or balsamic notes are all ingredients that invite seduction. Chypre perfumes intrigue as much as they fascinate with their almost erotic freshness. Bewitching white flowers such as tuberose or ylang-ylang embody the femme fatale, while gourmand notes make you salivate.
Types of Scent Families. Scent families are broken up into four main categories: Floral, Oriental, Woody, and Fresh, each with their own subfamilies.
There are four primary fragrance families — floral, oriental, woody and fresh — and these are each broken down into several subcategories.
The concentration level of the essential oils in a fine fragrance indicates its intensity and how long it will last on the skin. This marks one aspect of a quality perfume. Fragrances are also designated according to the scent family they belong to, and the notes they contain.
Spray it onto your pulse points.
It's places like the inside of your wrists, inner elbows, below your belly button, behind your ear lobes, and the back of your knees. These warm spots on your body emit extra body heat, which helps to naturally diffuse a scent.
If you're a newbie to the practice of layering, we recommend staying within these fragrance families: floral, warm and sweet gourmand, fresh, and citrus notes. Although scents like vanilla, musk, and most citrus scents layer and blend beautifully, so look for fragrances that contain these notes.
Jasmine. Tropical florals like jasmine are proven to increase alertness, improve mood, increase libido and provoke the body's hormone receptors that create the physical aphrodisiac reaction. In ancient cultures, jasmine was a rare flower that symbolised various aspects of sexuality and for a good reason.
Aphrodisiac scents include pumpkin, lavender, vanilla, cinnamon, peppermint, and ginger. Despite some skepticism around the use of aphrodisiacs, studies show that many of these aromas do work — they can be easily incorporated into anyone's fragrance routine.
This research concluded that the scents of Lavender, Licorice and Donuts, Pumpkin Pie (cinnamon), Orange, and even Popcorn lead to increased arousal in men. This makes sense as these scents probably remind men of happy memories, positive emotions and an overlying feeling of comfort.
First, air passes through the front of your nose as you breathe. This type of smelling is called orthonasal olfaction, which essentially means smelling through your nose. Molecules pass through your nose, dissolve and are translated into a distinct smell.
Well, a team of scientists from the University of Oxford think they've worked out the best and worst smells in the world. According to their study, the best smell is vanilla and the worst smell is sweaty feet. The results show that people share favourite smells regardless of where they come from in the world.