Illustration by Sharon Watts

Hound Hacks

Find Your Perfect Scent

By Danielle K. Fleming '00
Founder and CEO, Note Fragrances; CEO, Olfactif
Scranton, Pennsylvania

As a psychology student at Moravian College and then Marywood University’s graduate school, I became fascinated with how scent evokes memory and influences our moods and behaviors. That led me to create Note Fragrances, a custom perfumery that connects men and women to the scent that is unique to them.
 Here are the steps to finding your signature fragrance.

 

  1. Make sure your skin is clean and free of lotions and any other fragrances.
  2. Spray fragrances on blotters first and narrow your options to your four favorites. Smell the lightest fragrances first (citrusy, fruity, light floral) and work up to heavier scents (spicy, woody, gourmand).
  3. Your brain can process only three scents before your sense of smell fatigues, so cleanse your olfactory palate by sniffing coffee beans or clean skin after every third fragrance.
  4. Once you’ve chosen your final four, try them on your skin, using your wrists and the inside of each elbow.
  5. When wearing your cologne or perfume, apply one spray on the inside 
of your wrists and to each side of your neck. As you become accustomed to your new fragrance, you can spray more or less based on how it wears on you and how long it lasts.

Fun tip: Spray the back of your hair. The proteins in hair bond to fragrance molecules to give you a lasting aroma and create a nice scent trail as you walk.


For more information, visit notefragrances.com and olfactif.com.