The perfect perfume can make you feel playful, sexy or elegant. Fragrances have always had the ability to entice, bring back memories, create smiles and make people take a second look. Cleopatra was famous not only for her beauty but her fragrances and your mom always had her favorite bottle of perfume on the dresser.

But, finding your perfect perfume can be challenging and overwhelming. Today, it seems a new fragrance hits the shelves almost daily in bottles designed grab your attention.

So, with all the available products on the market how do you find the one that is right for you? Perfume is an extension of how you feel, your personality type and should complement your outfit. Simply purchasing a product because it’s endorsed by your favorite celebrity or is housed in a lavish container is a big mistake.

And, while the character or nature of a perfume is often elaborately described in magazines or on television, keep in mind it is only a description.

Perfumes are often created with a particular foundation or base like fruity, woody, oriental or floral. Take a minute to think about the smells you are most attracted to. Do you like the smell after a rain storm, the ocean or the great outdoors? And, while you might not want to smell like a forest, this is a good indication of the types of fragrances you might want to look for. After you have decided on the sort of fragrance you are looking for get ready to put your nose to the test.

Never wear perfume when going perfume shopping since an old fragrance will conflict with any new perfume you might try. If you think you will be trying several different perfumes use a blotter to get a good indication of the scent of the perfume.

The same perfume will smell differently on different people, so don’t make the common mistake of buying a particular brand simply because it does wonders for your best friend. After you have found a scent you like try it on your skin.

The best place to try a new perfume is on your wrist. Spray a small amount, don’t rub, and let it settle for a minute and then give it the smell test. You can use your other wrist to try out a different perfume, but no more than that. The scents tend to blend, your nose gets confused and you walk out smelling overpowering.

Try the perfume out for a couple of hours and give it a chance to blend with your natural scents before you make a purchase. Make a habit of trying one or two fragrances with each shopping trip. Chances are you will find more than one favorite, so enjoy your search.