Perfume Question

My wife wants to smell pretty this Christmas, and I figured I'd go with the top of the line. But they have two Chanel No. 5 products, and I don't understand which to buy. One is parfum and the other is eau de toilette. Does that mean one is watered down? I want to get her the best No. 5 they make, but it seems that the eau de toilette is a spray. Is that preferable for most ladies?

 

The eau de toilette is not as strong as the parfum, which is why it comes in a spray.

As a wearer of Chanel No. 5, I'd encourage you to get the eau de toilette. It's really, really, really easy to overdo the parfum because the amount that you need is sooooo small. Also, most women I know are used to a spray as opposed to a bottle.

Just my two cents worth.

 

Awesome information. Thanks for the tip. I had a feeling that I should just PM you or IJAG on this one. I mean, being that you're bumpy-chested and all. If you use No. 5, I must have good taste in gift-buying.

 

I echo SC to go with the eau de toilette.

Have you checked with her? Fragrance can be a very personal thing, and she may not like Chanel No. 5. Your very expensive bottle could end up sitting on the shelf, collecting dust.

Since she's told you she wants fragrance, take her out one day and do some smellings. Take note of what she likes: does it smell flowery? fruity? spicy? woodsy? Wait until another time to buy something, but at least you'll know you're on the right track.

 

You also want to make sure that the perfume smells as good on her as it does in the bottle. My skin reacts with a lot of perfumes and they smell terrible on me. Perfumes tend to smell slightly different on each woman.

 

Excellent choice though, to go with Chanel No. 5. Shows you've put some thought into this... good job, HM!

 

Yeah, I'm not a big No. 5 girl. I like very plain scents, and usually go with either Tommy Girl or CKOne. Just because, somehow, like sc said, on my body they react well. My mom hates them on her, loves them on me.

Was just talking to the bf and told him I was looking at colognes for him for Christmas, but wasn't going to buy any until I could get him in a store because everything reacts with people in different ways.

 

Channel makes another perfume that I really like. It is called Crystale (sp? the a sounds like all). I much prefer it over No. 5.
Have you guys ever smelled Happy by Clinique? I love it. It is light and fresh. Great everyday kind of perfume.
Great idea to take her smelling...
Or if you would rather surprise her w/ the perfume.. Go get a bunch of samples that you like and blind-fold her and have her smell each sample. Then she won't know what she is getting. Sounds kinda romantic with lots of 'fore-thought'!

 

I love Happy by Clinique, but because it's so great everyone wears it. You'll walk into a crowded room and smell it five times.

My personal fave is Maybe Baby by Benefit.

 

I kinda lost track of that post after "blindfold"

 

There's been a lot of good advice given on this thread.

Parfum is a more concentrated version of fragrance, and it will last much longer. Eau de Toilette is lighter and will need to be 'refreshed' more often.

Everyone's chemical makeup determines how the bottom note of a fragrance -- the lingering scent -- will be. There are three 'notes' to fragrance, the top note which you smell right out of the container, the middle note which appears in five minutes or so after application, then the bottom note, which appears in a half hour or so. When trying fragrances, you need to give them at least a half hour on the skin before smelling and determining how you like it. Another thing, never try more than three samples in a 'sitting,' because your nose will get confused and you won't get an accurate reading on the scent.

Another thing to remember when trying fragrance (or applying your favorite scent) is to not rub your wrists together. THIS IS A BIG NO-NO! You "crush" the fragrance, changing the scent.

 

I can't figure out if that's a fragrance review or a music review.