Photo by Barb Henry

Gone are the days of having a lone perfume sitting on your dressing table. With literally hundreds of new scents being launched each year, separating the wheat from the chaff (or the roses from the orchids!) to find “The One” is quickly becoming a thing of the past. 

When it comes to clothing, we tirelessly collect pieces that will work for every area of our lives: tailored suits for business, cocktail dresses for a fancy evening out, gym clothes, beach clothes, I-can’t-be-bothered-peeling-myself-off-the-couch clothes (you get the drift, the list goes on!) So, let’s look at perfume in the same light! Just as we wouldn’t dream of making do with just one outfit, why make do with one solitary scent?

Read on to find out how to build and add to your very own fragrance wardrobe — a bountiful scent collection filled with choices that are perfect for every occasion!

Understanding Fragrances

The aroma you wear can identify you as clearly as the way you look, and has the potential to set the tone for how you want to be perceived. For instance, whilst your boyfriend may love it when you are doused in something sexy and intense, when you’re at the office, it’s probably not the best idea to overwhelm your colleagues with the musky base-tones of ‘Eau de Dirty Weekend’!  

Perfumes are generally divided into five categories. Having an understanding of the essential characteristics of different fragrances will set you in good stead when adding pieces to your own collection. Below is a brief explanation of each of the five categories (and for further helpful info, you might like to also check out this guide to finding the perfect perfume for your personality).

Woodsy: Earthy, refreshing and energetic, these are great for casual, everyday wear.

Fruity: Great for warm weather, these are fruity, spicy and tropical.

Floral: Always a classic, floral perfumes are feminine and romantic.

Oceanic: These have a modern smell that uses synthetic elements to evoke the smells of the beach.

Orientals: Spicy and sexy, these scents are dominated by notes of musk, vanilla or heavy flowers.

How to Build Your Fragrance Wardrobe

I’m a huge fan of zesty, citrusy scents, and up until a few years ago, I guess you could say my ’signature scent’ was Ralph Lauren RALPH. To me, Ralph is the embodiment of summer: it reminds me of gorgeous blue skies, crystal clear waters, beach parties, and cocktails at sunset. I think I’ll always have a special place in my heart for this vibrant scent, however, these days, I find wearing one fragrance incredibly limiting, which is why I am now all about accumulating fresh new scents and building my fragrance wardrobe over time, just as you would with clothing and accessories. The romantic in me likes to imagine a day where I will have a slew of perfume bottles lined up, row-upon-row (sorted by colour, darling!) in a beautiful set of old shelves — glittering in the light, winking out at me, and practically begging to be worn! Nice thought, huh?!

Daydreaming aside, I think it’s a good idea to have a general understanding of scent types and when they are best spritzed, so read on for my suggestions and feel free to add your own in the comments!

SCENTS TO SPRITZ: The Office

When you are deciding on which fragrance to wear to work, the best thing to remember is that subtle wins every time. Of course, if you work in a casual environment, you have a bit more creative license, but if you are in a corporate job, be discerning and choose ‘appropriate’ fragrances. Light, refreshing, crisp scents are fantastic for the office, and a little spritz throughout the day may just be the pick-me-up you need to get you through the afternoon! Citrus odours are both energising and uplifting (try ones with lemon, lime and grapefruit). You can also give fragrances with a hint of delicate floral a go if fruity perfumes ain’t your thang.    

SCENTS TO SPRITZ: The Weekend

The weekend is all about winding down from the working week, and since scent and memory are inextricably linked, it’s a good idea to shelve your work-day fragrance in exchange for a perfume that you associate with chilling out and kicking back. Fresh, aquatic scents are ideal — so too are soft florals and “gouramand” fragrances (think perfumes with “dessert-like” qualities — a hint of sugar-n-spice or chocolate and caramel. YUM!) Think effortless and casual, yet sweeter than cupcakes…

SCENTS TO SPRITZ: Girl’s Night Out

The scent you choose to wear on an evening out with the girl’s all depends on your intentions for the night. For a strictly-no-boys-allowed night full of dancing and delight, choose a fun, feminine fragrance that fills you with confidence and smiles! Try spritzing an uplifting combination of citrus and white flowers — sniff out notes of lemon, mandarin, jasmine and bergamot.

On the other hand, if you wouldn’t mind a little bit of attention from the opposite sex when you hit the town, deep, mysterious, oriental scents will ensure you positively smoulder! If you are after an intoxicating, come-hither elixir which really performs, keep your nose out for base-note heavy fragrances featuring lots of vanilla, musk, incense, patchouli and sandalwood. To turbo-charge your fragrances’ seductive powers, dab it above your collarbone and in your cleavage… Raawrr!   

SCENTS TO SPRITZ: Romantic Evening

Spending quality time with your special someone is the perfect excuse to wear something shamelessly girly. This really comes down to individual taste and your plans for the evening.

A lusty, glamourous fragrance will turn heads if the two of you take to the town… but if you are enjoying a quiet night in, your best bet is a sumptuous floral juice that is ultra-feminine and won’t overpower your partner. Orange blossom, sweet fresh fruits and berries, musk and flirty florals are my recommendations — but, like I said, it’s totally up to you and your situation!

SCENTS TO SPRITZ: Holidays

Scents have the power to transport us back to certain moments in time — so why not try a new fragrance next time you go on holiday? Every time you encounter it thereafter, you will be right back on that plane (Yay! Spark those senses!) Any new perfume will do the trick — if you are heading somewhere tropical, opt for fresh, light scents, whilst a strong, rich fragrance is a must-have if you are hitting a city or colder destination. 

Tips to ensure the sweet smell of success!

When choosing a fragrance… 

• Wear what gives you pleasure, find fragrances that complement your individual style, and don’t be afraid to experiment!
• A perfume will not smell the same on everyone, so unfortunately, just picking up the bottle and sniffing the contents isn’t going to give you the best indication of whether or not is it the right one for you. Test it out on your own skin to avoid making expensive mistakes.
• Try to shop for fragrance in the morning when your sense of smell is at its sharpest.
• Steer away from spicy foods or garlic the night before your scent-shopping expedition; they can alter the aroma on your skin.
• Give sales assistants a brief overview of your aromatic preferences and ask them for advice. Be aware of consultants who are working for specific companies and “pushing” products, and don’t ever feel pressured to make a decision on a fragrance if you aren’t 100% sure. Sample all you like!Give the fragrance at least an hour to develop. The top and middle notes will dissipate after about 15 minutes, and after an hour you will be left with the base notes, which is what you will ultimately live with.
• Prevent olfactory overload when selecting a fragrance by sniffing coffee beans between scents, or holding a wool sweater/scarf to your nose (I have no idea where I read the wool thing, but trust me, it works!) 
• Bear in mind that the climate you live in will actually affect how the fragrance will smell. Cool, showery weather will bring out the scent and strengthen it, whereas, strong, dry heat will make it more difficult to smell. Fragrance is intensified in warm, humid countries so choose a lighter scent and spritz it more frequently.
• The scented strips you’ll find on ads in magazines can be misleading, as they often fail to accurately convey the true fragrance. If you don’t absolutely hate it from first impressions, my advice is to test it out in real life!
• Don’t underestimate the power of perfume oils! They are a great alternative to buying a big bottle of perfume, and just a tiny dab will last all day! I have a massive crush on The Body Shop’s entire range, and highly recommend Dewberry and White Musk (check out their online store). BEEYOOTIFUL!

Wearing your fragrance…

• When applying your perfume, hold the bottle about five centimetres from your skin to combat wastage
• Spray the fragrance on your pulse points: wrists, backs of knees, front of elbows and behind the ears (although, Coco Chanel did once say “Put perfume where you want to be kissed,” so if I have forgotten anywhere…) ;D
• Don’t rub your wrists together as this can crush the delicate fragrance notes (apparently this is called “bruising” the fragrance)

Making the most of your scent

• Store it in a cupboard where possible, as heat and light will change the fragrance over time
• If you have enough room, store your glorious elixirs in the fridge — they will keep at least four times longer this way!     

Extra sweet-smelling delights!

• Purchase (obscure) perfume samples for a mere $3 on Lucky Scent!
• Check out the devilishly cool offerings on Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab!
• Sephora and StrawberryNET are both fantastic sites for purchasing fragrances online!

So, spill the beans! What’s your favourite fragrance, and why? Are you a loyal lover with a signature scent, or a fragrance flirt who plays the field? I’d love to hear about all the amazing aroma’s that spellbind and empower you!

Flirty, citrusy kisses!

Rach xxx

I think sometimes it’s nice to do a bit of an overhaul of the products we use on our bodies, which is precisely what I am planning to do in the very near future! One thing that always gets to me though, when I undertake a quest to find stuff that really works, is trying to cut through the marketing hype & “sponsored” reviews by beauty editors in magazines… wouldn’t it be nice to take a look inside their bathroom cupboards to see what they actually use?!

I’ll share with you what I’m currently using on my skin/ body & would love to hear a run-down of your regular routine & what you recommend for glowing, silky smooth skin, perfect nails, shiny hair & make-up that makes you look like a princess! Sharing information is the best way to discover new products, so don’t hold back!

      

SKIN & HAIR

Body:

I’ve been using Nivea Nourishing Care Lotion as a body moisturiser for as long as I can remember! I love how thick and creamy the lotion is, and the oily sheen it leaves on your skin after application — it’s particularly good for those times when your skin is feeling ultra-dry (or after a really hot shower where your skin feels zapped of moisture!). I can’t see this one falling out of my routine for a very long time — it’s really cheap (around $7 for a 400ML bottle) and definitely does the job!

Face:

Sunscreen

I love Nivea’s Age Defence Moisturising Facial Sunscreen Lotion & wear it daily under my make-up. It’s really light & not very greasy (actually, I find that the little bit of grease the product does contain actually makes my skin really dewy-looking, which is nice!) As far as sunscreens go, this one has my stamp of approval. Oh, and it’s 30+ which is great!

Cleanser & Scrub

When it comes to cleansers & scrubs, I’ve been using a Neutrogena duo of late, which seems to do a good job & leaves my face feeling fresh & super-clean. I use the Deep Clean Invigorating Cleanser/ Mask (which can be used daily as a cleanser & once a week as a 3-minute mask) & the Deep Clean Invigorating Foaming Scrub. My only complaint is that these products really sting if they get in your eyes, and for some reason, this seems to happen to me A LOT! I even have a little ’stingy-eyes’ dance, which basically involves me jumping up & down, frantically searching for a towel to rub my eyes with, and chanting a string of undecipherable words that sounds something like this: oohoohahhhOWWWWhahoooaaahh! Ha!

I know I should be using a separate eye make-up remover, but I find they really dry out my skin, and to be honest, I’m more of a ’splash-my-face-with-water-and-slather-on-cleanser’ type of gal! I have previously used Nivea Cleansing Gel which doesn’t sting your eyes at all, but I feel like I get a deeper clean from the Neutrogena products.

Moisturiser

I have had quite a long-standing love affair with rosehip oil & regularly use it as an all-over facial moisturiser! It’s great for plumping out fine lines & as you can imagine (being an oil & all!) it provides a great deal of moisture to dehydrated skin. If my skin is already a little oily, I will skip this as an all-over moisturiser & use Nivea Soft Moisturising Cream instead… then I just dab rosehip around my eyes.

Lips

Ok, this is quite an embarrassing admission, but I have actually taken to wearing nipple cream (yes, you read right!) as an intensive lip moisturiser! So we can all get past the fact that I have been wearing nipple cream on my lips, I’ll explain — the product is actually 100% pure lanolin & I started using it on the advice of renowned make-up artist Rae Morris in her book Makeup: The Ultimate Guide (which, as I think I have previously mentioned, is fabulous). Rae uses it on her clients to moisten their lips up, and also suggests using a combination of lanolin & a mix of cleanser & bi-carb soda as a lip exfoliant, which totally works! Try it! (An alternative method is scrubbing your lips gently with a dry toothbrush, which works a treat as well).

Hair:

Kerastase make amazing products, and since my hair has been feeling un-amazing (!) lately, I’ve been using their Age Recharge Masque… which I adore! My hair feels much silkier, I’ve noticed less breakage, and all in all, although it is a little pricey (around $50 for a small tub), you don’t need to use much so it actually lasts quite a while. It’s a keeper, me thinks!

MAKE-UP

Primer

Well, technically, primer should go in the ’skin & body’ section, but I thought I would group it with the make-up, because it’s something I usually only wear intermittently (as I use a daily moisturiser anyway, and I find the primer serves much the same purpose!) The primer I have is Napolean Perdis’ Auto-Pilot, which is one of the best of the bunch, and I will usually wear this on a night out or when I’m doing a long day at the office followed by a work function that goes into the night. Primers a great for increasing the longevity of your make-up & ensuring your foundation goes on smoothly — they really do give a flawless finish. 

Foundation

I am at the end of my bottle of Clinique Dewy-Smooth and I’m ready for a new foundation with a different level of coverage I think! I usually like to mix my foundations up once my bottle runs out, but I have been lazy lately and have gone with Dewy-Smooth a few times… which isn’t a bad thing, but I’d just like to try something new! Dewy-smooth is great for people who don’t like the “caked-on” look, as it provides good coverage but lets your own skin shine through. It feels really nice to put on & isn’t at all heavy… but I think I will do a bit of a shop around & see what I can find! I’ll probably revert back to M.A.C, but any suggestions are more than welcome!

Blush/ Illuminator

I use a lovely little Maybelline combination for my blush and illuminator. I just dab the shimmer in the middle of my cheeks and then cover with a few strokes of powder blush. I find that I look really tired without blush — it really brightens my face up, & having the shimmer as a base gives me a bit of a ‘glowy’ look, which, of course, is always desirable!

Mascara

I LOVE mascara & have tried possibly every brand under the sun, but I keep coming back to my old favourite, Maybelline Sky High Curves in Very Black! Although I go through these pretty rapidly because they tend to ‘clump up,’ they are awesome for extending and curling my lashes. The only other mascara that I have ever really loved was one I “borrowed” from my mother years back, which was a Christian Dior Midnight Blue (basically, navy blue) one, and had the best brush ever! Hello, voluminous, ultra-thick lashes… which reminds me, I must check if that one is still on the market…

Fragrance

I love citrusy fragrances and used to religiously wear Ralph by Ralph Lauren, but I have been mixing it up since my last bottle of Ralph ran out (quite a while ago). My latest fragrance was a gift from my mother, YSL Baby Doll, and I love it! It’s a beautiful combination of floral and fruity… and the best way I can describe it is ‘pretty.’ So nice & definitely one I will purchase again once the bottle runs out!

The Rest

You will notice I have left eyeshadow, eyeliner, lipgloss and nailpolish off my list — the simple reason is that I use too many different ones to list! M.A.C, Napolean and Dior are my faves for eyeshadow; for lipgloss, I favour Lancome Juicy Tubes and Face of Australia gloss pots; Australis, Maybelline & Rimmel do fantastic eyeliners; and for nailpolish, I covet Revlon, OPI & (sometimes) cheap & nasty ones from the likes of Sportsgirl!

A few other worthy mentions:

• Fish Oil (or flaxseed for vegetarians) tablets are amazing for your skin & hair — I pop a few every day and really notice the difference if I don’t take them.
• WATER, WATER, WATER. I drink about 3 litres (but probably more) a day & highly recommend that you do the same! Hydrate & radiate!
• Fresh fruit & vegetables — the first thing to go when my diet veers off into JunkTown is my skin. My face gets oily, my eyes get puffy, I get spots & overall, I feel like crap! I definitely notice the difference when I concentrate on eating well. I like to think that my body is giving me little reminder to get back into healthy eating by making me look weird when I’m eating badly! After all, our outsides are a reflection of what is going on inside… 

So, tell me, what do you use in your daily routine? What products line your bathroom shelves? Tell us your deep, dark beauty secrets!

To radiance & glowiness,

Rach xxx

Photo by nellyjie 
 

1. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

2. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

3. For beautiful hair, let a child run his of her fingers through it once a day.

4. For poise, walk with the knowledge you’ll never walk alone.

5. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anybody.

6. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

7. The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. 

8. The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to the heart, the place where love resides.

9. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives and the passion that she shows. And the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows.

Never truer words spoken!

Rach xxx