I’ve stated on more than one occasion on my youtube channel that I chose the wrong part of Asia to live in. While Japan prefers to politely scent the air, and that’s all good, I’d much more prefer to brazenly perfume the body, and for that, we need to head over the Middle East, where…
Category: Did you know?
How to Know if a Fragrance is FBW (Full-Bottle-Worthy)
Let’s face it, for most people, fragrances are expensive. Even if you’re not hugely into perfume and just want to buy something to make you smell good to others, it can be overwhelming in a market that’s as saturated as the perfume industry. Starting prices for most half-decent scents still start at around 100 USD…
Fragrance to Help Learning? Makes scents!
A few years ago a wee article I wrote was published in a small institutional journal where I was employed in Tokyo. I wanted to find out if scent had any affect on the cognitive process of learning, so I did a little bit of digging. I had forgotten about this piece until today, while…
Designer, Niche, Artisan, Indie, Bespoke… Say WHAT?
Perfume is usually categorized into types based on smell, and there are several ways to categorize those smells. Michael Edwards, for example, has defined 4 groups – florals, woody, fresh, and oriental – and he has subdivided into 14 categories. There is another way to categorize fragrances, though, and that is by the fragrance house…
Fragrance Concentrations
This post contain an explanation of the 5 main scent concentration formats from strongest to weakest. Note that the percentage breakdown varies from source to source and I would assume also varies from fragrance to fragrance, so the percentage numbers offered are just a guideline.
How to Rate Perfume
One’s preferences regarding perfume are highly personal, so it does not matter what anyone else thinks. Nonetheless, here I’d like to describe a list of criteria that are typically used by perfume reviewers, which include 1) quality, 2) originality, 3) projection, 4) longevity, 5) versatility, 6) value, 7) complement frequency, 8) packaging, as well as an 9) overall rating and 10) recommendations. I mostly stress the first four in addition to an overall grade when deciding whether to add a full bottle to my own personal collection.