You’ve worn scents for years, so why would buying one now be different? Because you are. You need something that flatters the multifaceted woman you’ve become—as well as your new body chemistry (hello, hormones). Read on for tips.
Your New Scent Strategy
Stop after three spritzes. Our sense of smell starts to diminish after the age of 35, says Alan Hirsch, MD, founder of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, in Chicago. As a result, we tend to gravitate toward stronger, more complex smells rather than the sweet, vanilla-y fragrances twenty-somethings love (which, Hirsch says, our noses have trouble processing). But beware: Because of our faltering sense of smell, we can accidentally overdo it. Three to four spritzes are plenty. “Your fragrance shouldn’t be apparent to anyone more than an arm’s length from you,” says Nicky Kinnaird, founder of Space NK beauty stores.
Go for longer-lasting. Scent fades faster on drier skin. So Robin Coe-Hutshing, founder of the beauty studio at L.A.’s Fred Segal and creator of Memoire Liquide custom-blend scents, recommends an oil-based fragrance or one that’s alcohol-free (alcohol can dry your skin more) because they stay put. Try Philosophy Amazing Grace Perfume Oil ($25; philosophy.com) or Lisa Hoffman fragrance oils ($150; lisahoffmanbeauty.com--offering a 20 percent discount to MORE readers until July 31, 2009). Layering your scent over a lotion from the same product line also boosts longevity, Kinnaird says.
Heating up? Lighten up. If you suffer from hot flashes, you may want to avoid spicy or musky scents. “When your skin is hot and moist, your scent’s lighter top notes evaporate quickly, leaving you with just the heavy, potentially overpowering base notes,” Kinnaird says. To avoid that, stick to fragrances that are fairly fresh, like citruses or florals, or try the less intense versions of your favorite scent, such as a body cream, a solid or a splash (one notch down from eau de toilette). They won’t last as long as traditional fragrance forms (eau de parfum or eau de toilette), so you may have to reapply. But they are a lot less likely to become cloying. Light scents to try: Clean Summer Scent ($45; sephora.com), Avon Spotlight ($23; avon.com), Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess ($52; esteelauder.com) and Prada Infusion de Fleur D’Oranger ($100; neimanmarcus.com); all pictured.
