How To Find Your Signature Scent

1. Sample Your Fragrance Before Purchasing

It may seem simple, but to ensure you never fall victim to purchasing yet another bottle of perfume that becomes more of a dust-collecting ornament than a staple in your beauty or grooming routine, be sure to test the fragrance before you purchase it. All too often we find ourselves giving a new fragrance a quick spritz onto a blotter and making a snap decision then and there as to whether we like it or not. Giving yourself time to really understand if you are going to enjoy the fragrance is the key to finding your signature scent. This takes time, so if you are testing fragrances in store, let the scent develop over a few hours before making a decision, paying attention to the different layers of scent that you are experiencing – often a perfume can smell very different after a few hours, so it would be unfair to judge it on the opening fragrance notes alone.

If you are purchasing your fragrance online, I’d recommend first buying a sample set, available exclusively on creedfragrances.co.uk. Our selection of men, women or universal sample sets feature a selection of five samples, allowing you to test the fragrances in your own time from the comfort of your home. The purchase of a sample set will allow you to enjoy £38 to redeem against your next full size fragrance purchase (T&C’s apply).

Whatever way you decide to purchase, you should always test the fragrance directly on your skin as well as on a blotter, as the natural ingredients used in Creed perfumes can be much more volatile than artificial fragrances, meaning the perfume may react and, ultimately, smell very differently on your skin, as opposed to on a blotter or on someone else.

2. Consider What You Want Your Fragrance To Say About You

You should never let your fragrance wear you. Decide what you want your fragrance to say about you, and you’ll be much closer to discovering your signature scent.

Before choosing your signature scent, give some thought to what you want it to communicate about you. Do you want to stand out from the crowd or are you looking for something more discreet and intimate? If you’re looking to turn heads as you walk in the room, then a fragrance like Aventus may be perfect for you, but the bold nature of this fragrance is not going to also suit that discreet individual. Likewise, if you want a fragrance to communicate your fun, extroverted personality, you are not going to find solace in a classic scent, but rather gravitate more towards unusual, experimental and sense invigorating perfumes.

You should feel completely comfortable wearing your signature scent, so be mindful that simply liking the fragrance doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve found “the one”. It’s important that we love the fragrance that we are wearing, however, it’s just as important to remember that we are ultimately wearing fragrance for other people – to tell our story to others through scent - so it’s crucial that we know what we want to communicate.

3. Don’t Fall Victim To Fragrance Trends

Leading nicely on is the notion of fragrance trends. All too often we find ourselves purchasing a fragrance that many of our friends or the latest icons are wearing.

At Creed, we are dedicated to getting to know you and understanding what you are looking for in your fragrance to help guide you in choosing the right fragrance. As a niche perfume house, Creed understands that there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to choosing a fragrance and rather than shoehorning you into purchasing a “trending” or best-selling fragrance, the House of Creed pride themselves on creating fragrances for those that go against the grain.

Consider fragrances that are going to align with your individual style. Whether you are more classical or contemporary, experimental or stick to what you know and love, it’s important that you choose a fragrance that you truly feel comfortable wearing adds Eva.

If you're in need of a little guidance, be sure to take advantage of our expert's knowledge - our in-store fragrance experts can walk you through our perfume collection, bespoking your experience to your personal tastes and requirements. Chat to a fragrance expert from the comfort of your home with our online chat service or for the ultimate experience, book a private fragrance consultation at our Mayfair Creed Boutique.

4. Understand The Fragrance Families

A great way to explore fragrances is through the fragrance families.

Every family will give a certain message and can help quickly narrow down a select few fragrances that are going to help you tell your story best.

Amber and spicy fragrances tend to be much warmer and heavier in nature, lending themselves best to the winter months or an evening fragrance. Fruity and citrus fragrances tend to be more uplifting and easy to wear, making them ideal for daytime wear or for summer months.

Woody scents are more masculine in nature, whilst floral fragrances tend to be more feminine, however, that being said, a fragrance is not gender specific and any opportunity to break the rules are wholly welcomed by the House of Creed.

Temperature can change the way a fragrance smells so it’s always great to revisit your fragrance wardrobe seasonally to make sure it’s still working for you. Don’t be afraid to experiment with 2-3 signature scents that will carry you through the seasonal changes and your different personality traits – you aren’t going to feel the same every day. Perfume is emotive so it’s natural that you aren’t going to always want the same from your fragrance each day either.

5. Find Your Own Decoding Methods

Finding your own decoding methods when exploring fragrances will really help you when it comes to choosing a new scent. There are many ways you can approach this, from associating fragrance with food, travel, textures, musical styles or fashion.

Personally, I love to think of perfume in fabric textures. I love to wear woody fragrances with fabrics like cashmere, ouds with velvet and rosy perfumes with silky fabrics. The world of perfumery is open to interpretation and the beauty of it is in the experimentation. Don't be afraid to create your own rules and, in turn, finding something that really represents you and your personality will become a whole lot easier.