Beginner’s Guide to Perfumes and Starting a Fragrance Collection

Start with Intention, Not Impulse

Getting into perfumes can be exciting and expensive. It's easy to fall into the trap of impulse buying, following social media hype, or collecting bottles just because they're trending. But your fragrance journey should be personal, thoughtful, and deeply enjoyable.

Instead of chasing hype, approach perfumes like any other art form music, food, fashion. It’s about connection, emotion, and expression.

Build a Practical Foundation First

Before diving deep into niche or luxury perfumes, it’s smart to start with two or three affordable, versatile scents. These should be:

• Budget-friendly – nothing that makes you hesitate before spraying
• Easy to wear – scents that work for any season, any time of day
• Low-stress – your go-to, no-thinking-required “dumb reach” fragrances

These will become your everyday staples, freeing you up mentally and financially to explore more adventurous scents later.

Explore Slowly and Sample Often

Once you’ve covered your daily needs, you can begin the fun part: exploration.

Always sample before you commit to a full bottle. Perfume is deeply personal. Just like your taste in music, food, or movies, your fragrance preferences will evolve. What you love today might not be what you reach for next year or even next month.

Fragrance connects to your memories, moods, the weather, and the moment. That’s why it’s important to test in different settings, on your own skin, and over time.

Perfume Is an Art, Treat It Like One

Think of perfume as an extension of your senses. Just as we crave different genres of music depending on how we feel, or different foods in different seasons, our scent preferences shift too.

• Moods: Some days you want calm and clean, others you want bold and spicy.
• Weather: Fresh in the heat, cozy in the cold.
• Moments: A date night scent might not fit a work meeting.

Exploring perfume is a creative, evolving journey. There’s no finish line just discovery.