An important part of being a minimalist is choosing products that improve your style without being overbearing or overpowering–especially when it comes to fragrance. It is a minimalist’s worst nightmare to spend way too much time shopping for and trying perfumes, spending countless dollars, traipsing around stores, having way too many perfumes in their house (most of which they never use), and end up wearing a perfume that is too overwhelming and loud!
Minimalism is all about living with just the bare necessities–anything that is “too much” should go, whether it’s stuff in your home, fashion, beauty products, even perfumes! If you have fragrances at home that are gathering dust on your shelves or don’t suit your style, get rid of them. What you need is ONE perfume, that is perfect for you; your signature scent.
A perfect perfume for minimalists is a subtle scent that is not overly fruity, overwhelming or complex–or, overly worn by everyone else. And once you find the perfect perfume for you, make it your one and only.
So how do you find the best perfume for you as a minimalist?
Explore smaller, boutique perfumer brands.
Large, commercial brands put most of their attention and budget towards advertisements and celebrity endorsements instead of the product itself, resulting in a cheap and synthetic fragrance formula with often a potently overwhelming, nose-wrinkling aroma. Smaller boutique brands, on the other hand, focus much more on the quality of the product ingredients and are meticulous with the perfume-making process. This results in a higher quality product made with natural essences, and a more subtle and sophisticated scent–without the tag price of high-end perfumes.
So when you choose a scent, don’t get fooled by big brands and their marketing campaigns. Look at the quality of the ingredients used, the research invested into the development of the scent, and the care the company shows for its customers. For example, here at Tiv Perfume, we’re a boutique designer fragrance from the Caribbean that prides itself in using only the highest quality, all-natural ingredients without any synthetics, and delivering a fragrance that is both subtle and sophisticated, classic yet unique. And we alwaysput our customers first!
Don’t try too many perfumes at once.
Did you know that our sense of smell is so delicate that it can only accurately process three different scents at the same time? After the third one, you probably won’t be able to tell the difference between them. So choose the best three among options before trying them on. Not only will it save you a lot of time, you will also be able to analyze the scents better.
Here’s a trick: you can smell ground coffee in between sniffing perfumes to clean out your nasal filaments. Once you smell coffee, you will regain your sense of smell and be able to differentiate multiple scents a little better.
Choose perfumes with subtle notes.
Shopping for a perfume online saves a lot of time and money (otherwise spent out shopping, driving your car around multiple stores, trying to find parking spaces, waiting in lines, etc).
But how do you choose the right one for you without being able to smell it? First, check to see if the perfume brand offer free samples (like we do, for example!). However, if they don’t, then you’ll need to pay close attention to the notes that make up the perfume–such as the base notes, middle notes, and top notes. This guide on how to choose the perfect perfume based on the notes, what your favorite scents and memories are, and the ingredients used, is also definitely worth a read!
Jasmine, rose, amber, honey, wood and almost everything else nature-related gives off a subtle scent that will not give you a headache. Make sure to avoid heavy, strong and rich notes, and especially sickly sweet, fruity scents.
Note: When you’re buying fragrances online, it is important to read the detailed scent description to avoid choosing one that you’ll just regret later on (and will end up gathering dust like the rest!).
The most important part of choosing a fragrance as a minimalist is finding the RIGHT perfume for you, so that you only need one, and can save all the time, money, and shelf space otherwise used on your endless quest for the perfect perfume!