We're Here to Help You Choose the Right Perfume

Selecting a scent for yourself is a truly unique experience.

The perfume world can seem overwhelming to fragrance newbies, so we chatted with expert Mariya Nurislamova, CEO and cofounder of Scentbird, for her tips on selecting the perfect perfume. Here’s what she had to say:

Q: What are your tips for building a fragrance wardrobe?

A: Try everything! Don’t limit yourself by gender, mainstream versus indie, or any other boundaries in scent. The more you try, the faster you’ll discover what fragrances truly speak to you. Sample at least one fragrance from each fragrance family - gourmands, citrus, florals, chypres, etc. - before you nix any specific category.

Also, have fun researching the history of fragrance! Some of the best perfumes ever made are from the oldest companies, so don’t get locked into “only new stuff is good” type of thinking.

Q: Do you recommend switching your fragrance from daytime to evening?

A: Only if you want to. The variety can definitely be a lot of fun. But it’s also a great idea to have a travel-ready atomizer that’s versatile enough to go from day to night to take one more thing off your list.

Consider fragrances that have a little more texture to them or a combination of fragrance notes such as spice and citrus to make the transition smoother.

Q: Any guidelines for proper fragrance application?

A: YES! Tap - don’t scrub your wrists with perfume! The goal is to have both wrists decorated with your favorite fragrance, not torturing your skin with friction to activate the scent - your body heat will do that just fine on its own.

The main reason we put perfume on our wrists is that our wrists are an excellent pulse point, and your pulse is what will heat up the skin along with the temperature to raise the scent into the air around you.

Now that we have those basics down, read on for more of Nurislamova's fragrance tricks, as well as some info on her (and our editors') absolute favorite designer perfumes!