When it comes to choosing our wardrobe, looks do matter – after all, it’s what the full-length mirror is there for. But more than that, what matters most is our personality. If we’re of the timid kind, we don’t go for a killer pair of Louboutins but probably prefer to put on a pair of ballerina pumps. And if we want to paint the town red, then we go for a vamp dress in red or an exciting tribal print. We choose what to wear not because it suits us (that comes as a bonus), but mostly because we feel comfortable in it.

The same goes for wearing perfume.

Your perfume is as much an expression of who you are as your wardrobe. And it’s your personality, rather than a particular designer brand, which should be your guide to choosing the right perfume for you.

Matching the right perfume to your personality is an exercise you should carry out carefully. Perfume is not just a pair of shoes that you can return to the shop you bought it from if you’re not happy with it. Rather, perfume is an intimate element of your wardrobe – it touches delicate areas of your skin and gives fragrant clues to the people around you about who you are. And perfume is personal – it is your skin that determines how your perfume is perceived.

First, find a perfume that complements the natural aroma of your body. Sample carefully by spraying different perfumes in various areas of your skin. Then leave the perfume section of the shop – this will allow you to smell the sampled perfumes without them blending with the heady fragrance cloud that normally hovers over the perfume section.

Ideally, you should shortlist the perfumes that you think suit you and get samples – wear them for a day or two and then make an informed decision.

Your guide to choosing perfume

Romantic
• If you’re a romantic girl, the kind who watches endless reruns of Downton Abbey with a sob in her throat, then subtle, floral perfumes are ideal for you – go for feminine scents, such as rose and jasmine which, instead of strong statements, make sensual suggestions.

Quiet
• If your personality is typically that of the girl next door, go for a clean scent that doesn’t stand out, the kind that has fresh notes of cut grass, green tea leaves, or mint.

Perfumes from the chypre family are also suited to a quiet personality and are marked by a fragrance of custard and apricot. Fourgere perfumes, derived from lavender, coumarin and oakmos, also give a gentle and calm impression.

Exciting
• If you like to be the centre of attention, choose a spicy or musky perfume. Exotic perfumes that draw on a mix of vanilla, flowers, wood and oil will also give you an exotic, mysterious aura.

Free
• For the free spirited and daring girl, fruity perfumes, such as citrus-based scents, are the perfect choice. The main citrus scents are derived from tangerine, lemon, grapefruit and clementine and have a refreshing personality.

Floral-fruity perfumes are also vivacious and optimistic in nature.

Active
• If you’re a sporty girl, go for a woody perfume that is earthy and has plenty of extrovert, ambitious personality – musk, oak and sandalwood are typical of the South Pacific islands and are a great companion to your adventures.

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