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Introduction Perfumes can cover quite a few roles, such as scenting living spaces and cars. But this page will primarily focus on fragrances used to give the human body a more pleasant aroma. We will create a separate page for men's aftershave, but this page will concentrate on perfumes designed solely for use by women. Research has indicated that the first perfumes were used in great civilisations of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq). The Romans refined the perfume manufacturing technique of the Eqyption civilisations; once the Roman empire crumbled, the use of perfume largely evaporated in Europe. Only by the 14th century did the art of perfume making begin in Europe once again. During the middle ages, the perfume industry was largely based in Italy and the South of France. Perfume was expensive and only used by the very wealthy and crown heads of Europe; who used perfume to mask unpleasant body odors. Present day - the perfume indsutry is still largely located in the South of France; which is considered the heart of the European perfume business. The reason why? the area provides the majority of the raw materials used in the construction of perfumes. Tips - Buying, Using, Storing 1. Compare price on comparison engines, such as Google's shopping search. 2. Buy from Canadian and US retailers. They can discount more heavily than their UK counterparts. And even with import duty and shipping, can work out cheaper. 3. Register on cash back sites. They sign agreements with retailers, so that sales through their site can provide them with 5% of any sale. They can then pass 3-4% of that to you. A powerful facility when combined with comparison engines. 4. Voucher and promotion codes. Many sites offer promotional codes, restricted to a period of time. That can offer a discount on selected lines of products from a specific retailer. 5. Selected online retailers, like FragranceDirect (listed top above), specialise in unboxed perfume. The reason they are unboxed is due to one of two reasons. They are a grey import, or have been an unused instore tester. 6. If you know someone traveling abroad, or you are yourself, then duty free stores can represent the largest saving of any option. 7. When comparing online prices to high street prices. It becomes clear that a large saving can be made online. Savings of up to 50% are obtainable. 8. Moist skin will make the scent last longer. This is why applying a moisturiser beforehand can help people with dry skin retain the perfume longer. 9. Perfume should be stored in an air tight container which is placed in a cool dry location. 10. Some perfumes can cause skin reactions if you're allergic to some of the ingredients. Online retailers usually provide a list of ingredient if you are allergic to some compounds. 11. The price of the perfume is not always representative of the quality of the fragrance. Packaging and advertising can eat up alot of cash. It's worth asking an expert perfumer which perfume has the highest concentration of oils. 12. You should only spray the scent onto your skin. It's not advised to rub the scent into your skin. This will mix the aroma with your own natural oils and alter the smell of the fragrance. 13. Just smelling the cap, or bottle, will not help you much when
picking a fragrance. Only when the perfume is applied to your skin will
you get a true representation of the scent.
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Perfume
