The very first time I got obsessed about it was when I was in Bali a few years ago. I was entering my adulthood and I decided to just wear perfume. I never really do any kind of perfume and if all, it was like the least of my concerns. I first tried store bought perfume from Wardah which has musk fresh scent. Though it was a feminine scent, it was quite masculine and more like an aqua fresh. It was nice and really soft but somehow after a few explorations, I eventually found the perfume that become my signature scent.

When I was traveling to Thailand, I found this scent that I really love and fits me well. Although it was a small vial, I tried finding it home and still can't find any that matched the smell. So, that begin my exploration finding the smell that matches that one. That was the turning point and the start of me, getting more obsessed with perfumery and I never buy convenience store perfume ever again.

Around a few months ago, I visited a perfume store that feels like entering a lab. It has all sorts of smell on display and I was free to sample all the perfume and scent that I like. The staffs asks me a few questions like the kind of smell I like and I said that I was still exploring.

So, it's why as you can see below, there are many strips and I spent about an hour inside the store to explore different scents.

How to find your signature smell

While there are many ways to find your signature scent, I think the best way is always visiting a perfumery lab when you can actually smell each of the perfume that you can. However, in perfumery world there are 5 main notes that you can use as a pin point to find your signature scent.

1. Floral
   Floral is pretty common scent that are also sold in the market. Typically, if you buy from convenience store/beauty shop they'll have at least one of these.
2. Fruity
   Think of citrus, berries, and apple scent. Much like air fresheners perfume also has smells like that.
3. Fresh
   This is also pretty common sold at the market, typically the smell of water and the bottle is always blue. Sometimes they right away mention something "fresh"
4. Spicy
   For those who love the auntumn/fall scent, spcicy would be like that. Spicy also refers to "spices" smell. Typically, they are often described of having musk scent and spicy notes rarely available on the convenience store perfume especially the lower end
5. Woody
   Like it's name, you can already guess the type of scent it exudes. There are all sorts of wood out there and they have different scent. Typically it is also used for more masculine perfumery. One notable smell is Oud scent.

_{reference of the 5 notes}

After picking one or more from those main notes, you can typically mix and match the smell. Typically, inside a perfumery lab, they will have one single smell or a smell that has been altered and mix and matched with a few perfumery scent. For example this product by Le Amor that they refer as Mon Paris. As you can see below, they have different notes and also mix of fruity and floral scent as well as spicy notes.

FRAGRANCE NOTES
Top notes are Strawberry, Raspberry, Pear, Orange, Tangerine, Calabrian bergamot and Calone;
middle notes are Peony, Jasmine Sambac, Chinese Jasmine, Datura and Orange Blossom;
base notes are Indonesian Patchouli Leaf, Patchouli, White Musk, Vanila, Ambroxan, Moss and Cedar. - source here

If you are still exploring your scent, I would advise to purchase one single note along with a few that are mix of the scent that you're most likely enjoy. For example, at the store I was visiting I got a single smell of coconut and avril which has flower and spicy scent. Then, a fresh smell that I got as a bonus from the store.

I ended up finding that I love a mix of fruity and flora smell, the cherry on top is that I love spicy smell added to it. So it's why I ended up getting Coconut Passion from Le Amor.

Unboxing Le Amor perfume

Buying perfume online is quite tricky but one tip is to buy the cheapest vial that are 20ml to know if their mixology is just right and the smell isn't cheap. There are places where they mix the perfume and it has "cheap" smell. With perfume, you want to smell good and at least, luxurious.

I was running out of my perfume and can't be bothered going to the nearest perfumery lab. So, I was putting my trust to this store called Le Amor on Shopee. They have different type of smell and included the notes of their perfume in the box.

The box looks like this below when it was sent. It has all the necessary information needed for the perfume. Though I was skeptical, when I smell it, the scent was just how I like it to be. It smells like pleasant coconut and makes me remember of a yummy bakery shop but also tropical paradise living.

The scent last almost daily and since I am inside an air-conditioned room, it sticks a lot longer. Even the next day, I can still smell it. Somehow, these days living without a perfume is incomplete. It's such a mood booster when I smell good and ready to do crush the day.

If you feel a little out of the blue,try smelling good! It's a mood booster.