Why is quality parfum so expensive?
The creation of a truly magnificent perfume blend involves up to 1000 different exact ingredients in a highly complex, sophisticated and expensive process. For designer parfums on the market, there’s also the costs of the beautiful packaging, exquisite bottles, expensive advertising and front of store retail space etc. LeRêve avoids these costs, focusing on the quality of the perfume itself with elegant but minimal packaging. LeRêve parfums are available at a very reasonable price compared with the expensive designer brands.
Are natural ingredients in perfumes better than artificial ones?
Not necessarily… Natural fragrance substances are extracted from vegetable raw materials such as blossoms, leaves, bark, wood and roots. A positive aspect in the advancement of synthesised fragrance is the elimination of animal extracts in perfume, which have been successfully replaced by synthetics. All these substances, natural and synthesised, may be used in a single composition. So put simply, both natural and synthetic ingredients are of equal value to the perfumer. Furthermore, there are extremely cheap essential oils from natural sources, and very expensive synthetic fragrance components and vice versa.
What’s all this talk about top, middle and base notes?
Each fragrance is composed of three parts – the top note, middle note and base note. Fresh notes are predominantly light, highly volatile substances used as top notes and give off the first impression of the fragrance. Substances with less volatility produce the true harmonious blend which is the heart or middle notes of the perfume. Ingredients with very low volatility and greater tenacity produce the long-lasting foundation or base notes. All three phases represent subtle shifts of sensory delight, each as important as the other. Perfumes have varying degrees of volatility, or the potential to ‘give off’ fragrance, hence why some fragrances are light and fresh while others are heavy and impactful.
How can I find the best fragrance for me?
For starters, it’s a waste of time smelling directly from the bottle. A fragrance sample card won’t give you an accurate indication either. The only way to truly test a fragrance to see if it will perfectly suit you, is by trying it on your skin. Just like with clothes, you should wear perfume, rather than go by how it suits someone else. Only then will you know the types of fragrances that suit your personality and body chemistry. Remember, when sampling multiple perfume on your skin, avoid trying more than 3-4 at once and apply them as far apart from one another as possible – the inside of the wrists and elbows is ideal for fragrance sampling.
Where and how should perfumes be applied?
Perfume is heavier than air, therefore the higher you spray or roll it, the better. It is best applied to pulse points on the neck, cleavage, wrists and elbows. Although some people like to spray behind the knees or even inside the ankles, this won’t give off a strong fragrance impact. Clothes made from natural fibres are also good carriers but be careful not to stain your fancy frocks – always test on an inside patch first.
How do I know if I’ve sprayed too much on?
The human nose is a very delicate mechanism, so courtesy demands that one should use perfume carefully and intelligently to not offend others. One or two sprays of quality LeRêve parfum is enough to last all day – though you’ll think it’s vanished after twenty minutes. That’s because we all experience ‘olfactory fatigue’, where our nose gets tired and no longer registers the smell. After a period of smelling your own perfume, you become used to it and it seems to disappear. However to those around you it can still be very strong. A general rule to follow is to stick to light scents by day and go for heavier perfumes in the evening.
Does a perfume really smell differently on each person who wears it?
Yes! Everyone has his/her own individual body chemistry which uniquely interacts with the fragrance. Other factors include lifestyle, diet and the condition of your skin. Fragrance seems stronger on oilier skin as the perfume sits on the surface more than it does with drier skin. Just because a perfume smells divine on another person, don’t assume it will be equally magnificent on you. Try it for yourself to be certain that it reacts well with your own skin chemistry.
What’s the best way to store perfume?
There are two main killers of your precious parfum – light and heat. The best way to store your LeRêve parfums is in darkness at a cool temperature – so inside a cupboard or dresser rather than on display. Storing perfume in your underwear drawer both preserves the fragrance and delicately scents your intimates. You can even keep your perfume collection on the top shelf in the fridge where it will be kept at a cool but not extremely cold temperature.
TIANNA WOODIN
