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Thursday, 24-05-2012 10:08

How to Test Perfume Like a Beauty Editor

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I have a good nose. Not a perfect ski-jump nose (it's actually more Roman), but a nose that is very sensitive to fragrance, which is a blessing in my line of work. And less of a blessing wandering around New York City, where I pick up on rotting fish, stale alcohol, delicious pretzels, roasted nuts, and Lord knows what else on a daily basis. But then I get to work, where there's an endless array of perfumes to smell, up to a few dozen in a single sitting, all of which I need to be able to remember, to write about now, or to save for later. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it. Here are a few tips I've learned along the way for getting the most out of a quick whiff of perfume.

Coffee beans will help reset your nose but not always. It's conventional wisdom in the business that the strong smell of coffee is good for clearing your palate, like sherbet between courses at dinner. But as Jake Nagle, creative marketing manager at Firmenich for L'Oréal Group, recently told me, "Coffee beans work best when smelling floral fragrance, but they're not useful when smelling gourmands." That's because coffee or coffee-like notes are sometimes present in those scents, like Bond No 9's New Haarlem, Thierry Mugler's Angel flankers, and in many men's colognes.

Take stock of your own aroma. Nagle says his professional colleagues often ask to test fragrances on his skin because it's neutral and has no discernable smell. The oilier the skin, the more likely it is to have a scent. So if you have oily skin, or skin with its own distinct odor, try spraying fragrance samples on your sleeve or on a friend.

Business cards make the best blotters. The other day I was chatting with Francis Kurkdjian, one of my favorite perfumers, who has the chicest fragrance blotters I've ever seen: off-white heavy card stock with gold lettering. He told me he got the idea from using business cards. They have enough texture to really absorb a scent. So check your desk drawer; there are sure to be some old ones lingering inside.