Heaven scent

I've always had a fascination with fragrance, and love the way it can evoke memories instantly.... My first fragrance was CK1, which is a unisex fragrance by Calvin Klein, and even today when I smell the fresh citrus top notes it takes me right back to my early teenage years.

Fragrance is composed of top notes, middle notes, and base notes. Top notes are the first notes you smell when you spray a perfume, they wear off quickly and are usually fresh and light. Middle notes are more complex, these combined with the base notes make up the main body of the fragrance. The base notes in a perfume take up to thirty minutes to emerge, so always wait a little while before deciding if you like a fragrance on your skin.

Tips for choosing YOUR fragrance

• Try only one or two fragrances at one time. It's ideal to smell them on the tester cards at the counter first, then if you like the initial scent, try a little spray on your inner arm (one on each arm only though). Wait for at least half an hour as the fragrance develops so you can see how it will smell on your skin.

• Fragrance counters usually have a container of coffee beans on hand to "refresh" or reset your sense of smell if you have been sniffing too many delicious scents in store.

• Talk to the staff and let them know your previous fragrance choices, they may be able to recommend something in the same fragrance family that you will love.

• If you're lucky, you may be able to take home a small sample vial of fragrance to take home and try, this is a great way to decide if a perfume is really right for you.

How get the most out of your fragrance

• Apply your perfume on your pulse points, and warm areas of the body like wrists, inner arms, neck, cleavage, behind the knees, even your belly button! Or just follow Coco Chanel's advice - "Wear your perfume where you want to be kissed".

• Be aware that perfume contains high percentages of alcohol, which can react with your skin in the sun and heat. In summer just apply perfume to your clothes, or areas of skin that won't be exposed to the sun. Many fragrance brands bring out limited summer editions which are alcohol free, Jean Paul Gaultier does a beautiful womens summer scent that is perfect for the beach.

• For the same reason, don't spray your perfume on your hair as the high alcohol content can dry it out, especially in the sun. Chanel do a beautiful alcohol free hair mist in their Allure scent which is perfect for refreshing your locks after a big night out.

• Layering your fragrance will make it last longer, so apply the matching body lotion all over before spritzing yourself with scent. Fragranced body washes are delicious, but unfortunately are washed down the drain before the scent has a chance to adhere to your skin (keep these for when you need some special pampering instead).

• Don't rub your wrists together after applying your perfume as this bruises the delicate scent. And don't go overboard with fragrance, a subtle hint as someone leans in to talk to you is far sexier than entering the room in an enormous cloud of perfume.

Some of us like to have a perfume "wardrobe", while others enjoy a
signature scent. Once you find a fragrance that you adore, and that
works well on you, it's tempting to just stick with one, but enjoying
different fragrances for different occasions is a great idea. A
lighter, fresher scent may work better for day time, while a more
complex oriental or floral could suit night time outings better. These
are just guidelines of course, there are no hard and fast rules with
perfume, years ago when I used to work on a fragrance counter I recall
often selling mens fragrances to women who loved them - never limit
yourself.

A few of my favourite scents

• Angel by Theirry Mulger - with chocolate and plum notes I cannot resist this gorgeous concoction, it smells good enough to eat!

• Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel - a gorgeous, classic fresh floral.

• Micheal Kors by Micheal Kors - an intense floral with heady tuberose notes, funnily enough I don't like this on myself very much but I adore it on others.

• Le Classique by Jean Paul Gaultier - an amazing floral oriental with delicious vanilla and orange blossom notes and a stunning bottle modelled on a womans torso. The mens version is just as amazing.

• Cire Trudon scented candles - they are the worlds oldest candle makers, and their incredible candles fill the room with the most beautiful fragrance. I have a Marquise one at the moment ( lemon and verbena) which I burn nearly every day. Available at World Beauty stores, they have the best range range of scented candles in Auckland.