What Is Oud In Perfumes?

For the last decade or so, the perfume industry has seen something of an oud explosion. From Tom Ford’s Oud Wood, to Lâncome’s Oud Bouquet, to Versace’s Oud Noir, almost every brand on the market has released their own oud perfume. Even Ralph Lauren had a crack at it with Polo Supreme Oud.  But just…

How to Apply Perfume

One of the most common questions from newcomers to the perfume world is: “How do I apply fragrance?” How many sprays? Should I spray on my wrist, on my neck, or both? Should I spray on my clothes? Should I rub my wrists? Should I spray my hair?  It can all seem overwhelming at first,…

25 Long Lasting Women’s Perfumes

Imagine: you just bought a brand new expensive perfume all wrapped up in fancy packaging.  Excitedly, you take it out, spray it on, and enjoy the intoxicating aroma.  “Ahhh,” you think, “I can’t wait to smell like this all day long!”  To your surprise and dismay, however, an hour later you go to sniff the…

Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum, & Parfum: What’s the Difference?

The perfume world is sometimes pretty difficult to navigate. With new perfumes coming out seemingly every week, it can be hard to keep track of what’s what.  And the names! In French! A foreign language? Mama mia, all I know how to say is omelette du fromage!  What in tarnation is a pour homme?  Something…

“Scent” and “Perfume”: What’s the Difference?

Have you ever been reading a book and stumbled upon a sentence like this?  “Her nose was filled with the sweet perfume of the orange trees.”  Huh? The “perfume” of the orange trees?  Or, perhaps, consider another line like this:  “She breathed deeply of the divine scent of the orange blossoms.”  Maybe you’ve heard someone…

Perfume Near Newborns: Should You Watch Out?

Imagine:  You’re the proud mother or father of a brand spanking new baby, hot off the presses. First off – congratulations. I’m sure you can’t contain your exuberance.  But doubt flashes through your mind as you go to douse yourself in your new luxury Louis Vuitton perfume. Is it really safe and healthy for a…

9 Perfumes Like La Vie Est Belle

Lancôme’s La Vie Est Belle took the women’s perfume market by storm when it was released in 2012.  With sweet gourmand notes like praline, pear, vanilla, and tonka beans, combined with classically feminine floral staples like iris, jasmine, and orange blossom, it’s easy to see why it was (and still is) so popular.  But it…

Why Was Perfume Invented?

Perfume has existed for millennia.  All of the great ancient civilizations, from the kingdoms and city-states of Mesopotamia, to Ancient Greece and Egypt, to the Chinese and Roman Empires, placed a special emphasis on perfume. In some cultures, perfume came to occupy an important position in cultural and religious traditions, and it still does to…

Can Perfume Freeze?

Imagine: it’s a bitterly cold winter’s morning, and the night was even colder. Snow, wind, ice, the full monty. You wake up, and you realize that you left that expensive new perfume you bought in the car overnight.  Panicked, you rush out to the car to retrieve it.  “Will it be frozen solid? Will all…

How Much Perfume Can You Take on a Plane?

If you’re a perfume lover, or if you’ve even just bought perfume in another country or somewhere away from home, you’ve probably had to deal with the TSA’s oftentimes draconian rules about liquids.  I myself recently moved my entire perfume collection (30 bottles and hundreds of samples, at the time) overseas, and was on pins…