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24
May
May
Perfumery is well and truly an art form. In order to have a comprehensive evaluation system of a variety of fragrances, it requires a lot of thinking and effort from a person, because despite of the modern technology available to us, it is impossible for a machine to give justice to the quality of the scent of a perfume. Thus, perfumery is the field that requires more human output than tech.
This is the reason why the media often uses the influence of the celebrities when it comes to perfume advertisements, because it tries to appeal to the masses that if a celebrity favors one perfume, then it must be of high quality. However, when I read other people’s evaluation of different fragrances, I give little merit to celebrity endorsement and I focus more in the way the scents are described, its impact spell out in words, and this is how I do my own reviews.
As much as possible, I try to avoid highlighting the celebrities endorsing a certain perfume, instead, I aim to write about the different aspects of a fragrance that makes it so amazing, a part that makes me sub-standard, or just fair and leaves room for improvement, because this kind of information is more useful to my readers, trying to mesh my pragmatic perspective of a perfume and my view of a fragrance as an art.
At the end of the day, however, one’s tastes are highly personal, so it probably doesn’t matter what I or anyone else believes about a fragrance. If a scent appeals to you, no one can say otherwise. Still, I would like share with you a listing of criteria which are usually employed by perfume reviewers, including 1) quality, 2) creativity, 3) projection, 4) endurance, 5) comfort, 6) worth, 7) match frequency, 8) packaging, in addition to an 9) overall score and 10) recommendations.
I primarily take into consideration the first four when I am about to buy a perfume to become part of my private collection, but to begin with, you should know a little background about the rating scales.
Rating Scales
With regards to art, entertainment, and even in university set-up of the Western civilization, the 10 point scale is commonly used for evaluation of the quality of a goods, and within this scale almost any number below 7 factors is regarded as a bad score. However, I still prefer using the 5-star system, because it seemed more suitable for perfumery, although 0.5 stars are generally given, only because it seems cleaner, easier, and is often utilized by many reviewers. Moreover, the midway rating of 3 stars is regarded as a favorable review, whereas 6 or 6.5 on the 10 point scale process is considered as unwanted. As a side note, though I expect the majority of my subscribers are knowledgeable about Western rating scale, many might not understand that other cultures rate very differently. In Japan, for an instance, scales are usually in inverse sequence; over a 4 point scale, 1 is the highest and 4 is the lowest.
Side Notes
The typical rating for nearly all scents in the market is 2.5 and 3.5 stars. Fragrance with a 4-star rating are uncommon and often only given for a high-class type of perfume, with unique essential oils. As for the coveted 5-star rating, it is incredibly rare and finding one with such rating is like finding a diamond. Most 5-star fragrance would also have an eye-bugging price tag, limited availability, and can only be afforded by the elite class in the society.
It is difficult not to be biased in testimonials, as everybody is swayed toward something or another. I have a tendency to favor the pleasantly clean scents of oriental-type of fragrance, with a musky and spicy undertone, so it is difficult to be honest when it comes to florals. Even so, I would attempt to be objective while also voicing out something I personally love.
Criteria for Judging a Fragrance
1. Quality
The quality of a fragrance is the most essential but subjective of standards in perfumery. The class of the ingredients used is usually the top consideration, so colognes are sometimes shunned in the perfumery world because it has a really low concentration of essential oils.
But of course, critics are different from ordinary people who just wanted to find a scent that makes them feel good. So the greatest consideration you must have is how the smell of a certain fragrance makes you feel.
What mood does this fragrance communicate and what memories, if any, does it evoke? to surface?
Trying to rate the quality of an odor is quite complex, because the subjective and objective aspect must perfectly be in tune with each other. The complexity comes when you try to judge a scent by how well the various tones and undertones mix and how it speaks to you as an individual—if the scent reflects your personality.
The long-lasting smell of a perfume also speaks of its quality. When you first open a bottle, the scent would be potent and overpowering, but does it lasts for a long time? If you use the perfume and go about your day, would it keep you fresh until your day ends?
So if a fragrance lose its odor in a short amount of time, its score would naturally go down, because it is evidence of the low quality ingredients used. But then, there are some scents that are known to be linear, which means that it smells exactly the same from when you apply it, until the end of the day; while there are some scents that changes its tone, shifting from one scent to another, depending on environment and physical activity of the person.
How to Rate the Quality of a Fragrance:
1 out of 5 — Get it off my skin!
2 out of 5 — The odor is OK; generic and might be off-putting for many.
3 out of 5 — It smells great, but does not make an enduring impression.
4 out of 5 — It has an excellent odor that lasts all day.
5 out of 5 — It is a rare masterpiece — LOVE IT!
2. Originality
Does this odor smell like the abundance of average fragrances in the marketplace or does it stand out and surprise you in its own uniqueness?
Does this push the limits, setting new criteria, or can it be terribly ordinary and uninspiring?
Just because the odor breaks fresh ground and unique for you, doesn’t mean that it has heavenly scent for many, but this where the subjective aspect comes in. If it smells like paradise for you, then it must click well with your personality. Originality is variable that is so prized by many in the industry because countless aromas come into the market, yet majority of them are a mere replica of one another.
There are times, however, where classic is improved upon by modern perfumers. Traditional scents are being given a modern twist, making it more trendy and creating a flattering mix as a result. Despite the improvements on classic edition, I personally turn down this type of perfume, because I believe that imitations, in any form, is underserving of praise and money.
How to Rate the Originality of a Fragrance:
1 out of 5 — There is absolutely nothing unique about this odor.
2 out of 5 — You can easily find a scent similar to this fragrance.
3 out of 5 — Quite unique, but with some effort you might find something similar.
4 out of 5 — A first for me; might have trace similarities with other high-end odor.
5 out of 5 — There is nothing else like this—a true first!
3. Projection (Sillage)
A scent should be in position to work for more than one hour. Generally you need other people to smell you. However, everyone has a different skin type. I always try to put perfume on different parts of my body, usually on my pulse points, to make it lasts longer.
Of course, more projection is not always better, because it can become too overpowering. But if other people could not smell the perfume on you, what’s the point of using one? Hence, it is important to observe the projection of the perfume you are using and see if it is worthy to be part of your private collection.
How to Rate the Projection of a Fragrance:
1 out of 5 — faint; Others need to be real close on your skin to perceive your odor.
2 out of 5 — gentle; People intimately near you can smell your odor.
3 out of 5 — medium potency; People on your immediate area can smell your odor.
4 out of 5 — large coverage area; People will definitely smell you coming.
5 out of 5 — huge projection area; People can smell you from afar.
4. Longevity
This is a simple standard. How long can the odor continue on skin (or hair or clothes) after you first applied it? The fantastic thing about this is that in case a odor performs badly concerning longevity, you could always spray a few more!
How to Rate the Longevity of a Fragrance:
1 out of 5 — bad; two hours or less
2 out of 5 — 5 feeble; 3~4 hours
3 out of 5 — 5 average; 5~6 hours
4 out of 5 — 5 durable; 7~8 hours
5 out of 5 — quite durable; occasionally 12 hours or longer
5. Versatility
Winter, spring, summer or fall?
Day or night? Formal or casual?
Mature or young? Safe or daring?
Versatility in perfumery is a phrase that’s typically utilized in the context of becoming secure (not overly offensive). This often conflicts with creativity, but scents which are equally special and secure are a great way to choose a fragrance.
A versatile odor is one you may use for work, for some classy occasion, when going out of town, and also for casual events. It will not offend a lot of people and different genders and ages call pull off it in almost any season.
Fantastic luck finding only one which can do all that! Highly versatile aromas do exist, but they are not easy to find.
How to Rate the Versatility of a Fragrance:
1 out of 5 — It’s quite tricky to find an event to wear this fragrance
2 out of 5 — You can wear this fragrance seasonally and occasionally. Also calls for
gender and age consideration.
3 out of 5 — This fragrance can be worn for daytime or nighttime, for any seasons,
occasions, gender, and age groups.
4 out of 5 — Highly versatile; it functions nicely for night or day AND/OR multiple
seasons AND/OR several events, AND/OR functions for both woman and men of several ages.
5 out of 5 — Completely versatile; Fragrance can fit flawlessly for anyone, anyplace,
and anytime.
6. Value
This criterion, such as strength, projection and flexibility, is much more utilitarian. Yes, the cost of the perfume will finally decide whether I make a purchase or not, but it does not determine if I like the way that it smells or how it fare when I wear it, but I concede it’s an element that readily represents an important standard for a lot of individuals, so when I sense an odor is “too expensive” or a “real steal,” I immediately say so.
I intentionally avoid the words cost or price from the title of the criterion, like if I’m in love with a stunning, expensive perfume which has excellent sillage and durability, I will be more inclined to invest in it than waste money on something relatively cheaper, but does not deliver what I needed from a perfume.
If minimalism in possessions is not your thing and a thin pocket is not your problem, then this variable won’t ever be a standard. However, for most of us it has to be money is often the make or break and even if we love to add to our perfume collection, it is still always dependent on our budget. Niche fragrances might be rated more harshly than designer perfumes because of this, since they might be absolutely otherworldly and different from the rest, but maybe not worth the cost.
How to Rate the Value of a Fragrance:
1 out of 5 — OMG, my car cost over that!
2 out of 5 — This is a massive splurge for me personally.
3 out of 5 — normal perfume costs less than 100 USD for 100 ml
4 out of 5 — significantly less than 50 USD for a 100 ml bottle OR Oh, it is available?
Great!
5 out of 5 — Rather than catching a fast food meal, then I will get me a jar of the
stuff!
7. Compliment Frequency
For a lot of people, a perfume is worn to impress others than just to pleasure themselves. Not that getting complements is disagreeable, but I confess to wearing a fragrance for myself over the opinion of other people (and I guess at the end of the day, once I buy a perfume for my significant other, it is more for myself than for him haha!). For people who wish to smell great for many others, note that a high number of compliments can be an indication that your perfume is good.
Generally speaking, I prefer a more unique and elaborate niche aromas rather than designer perfumes, but the latter often create additional compliments since they’re just pleasant rather than “odd” in any manner.
How to Rate the Complimentary Frequency of a Fragrance:
1 out of 5 — People move away from you.
2 out of 5 — You never receive compliments on the scent you’re wearing.
3 out of 5 — Compliments about the scent you’re wearing are less frequent, but you
received praises occasionally.
4 out of 5 — You frequently receive complements about the scent you’re wearing.
5 out of 5 — You receive compliments all the time, frequently with people dying to
know what it is that you are wearing.
8. Packaging (Bottling)
It is stressed time and time again that you should never judge a book by its cover, however, in the perfumery world, most fragrance are judged based on their packaging. People who are hardcore perfume collectors gives a lot of weight to the bottling of a perfume.
In the modern world, however, aesthetic has become a very important criterion in almost everything. So if collecting elite fragrance is what you are after, you must take the bottling into consideration. Truly, I admit to getting pleasure at only taking a look at the perfume bottles in my collection in addition to using them.
To be certain, whether one enjoys the jar is totally subjective. I much prefer the contemporary Gucci Rush plastic container into the old-fashioned bottles out of Annick Goutal. In addition, I believe many delightful Middle Eastern bottles are hideously gaudy, but lots of these designs will delight others.
In packaging, nevertheless, you will find utilitarian elements to consider. Does the spray atomizer operate nicely? It the jar so fragile that it breaks easily when you accidentally lets go of it? Does it flow nicely? Does the heavy weight communicate luxury for you? Is it mild enough to pack for traveling if you choose to take the entire thing?
No, packaging isn’t the top element when deciding on a fragrance, but it cannot be ignored.
How to Rate the Bottling of a Fragrance:
1 out of 5 — The bottle appears cheap, trashy, does not spray nicely, and scent
escapes out of it, even when closed
2 out of 5 — The bottle has only 1 or two of the above mentioned attributes.
3 out of 5 — Everything is functional, but nothing particularly exceptional about it.
4 out of 5 — Stunning packaging; it is appealing and extremely functional.
5 out of 5 — The bottle is an absolute work of art that probably cost the same way as
the content that it contains; everything is perfectly functional.
9. Total Evaluation
After considering all of the above criteria, a fragrance may be awarded an overall score. That is generally NOT a mathematical average of all of the variables at hand, nevertheless; it is more of a general, general belief, where specific standards might be ignored. It’s plausible that odor quality and creativity would weigh the deepest for many raters.
How to Give Total Evaluation of a Fragrance:
1 out of 5 — Bad; Many perfumes really are not this bad, as well as any odor is going
to have a couple lovers, this is a very rare score.
2 out of 5 — Mediocre; Fragrance getting this score are not bad, but aren’t inspiring.
It’s more likely getting a terrible score because of a combination of being overpriced and unoriginal, and lacking in flexibility, projection, and endurance. Fragrances with this score can easily be worn by men and women without discriminating tastes, however, fragrance collectors will probably avoid them.
3 out of 5 — Great; The advantages outweigh the negatives, but there continue to
be far better fragrances on the market. This odor will interest people who enjoy a specific odor sufficient to tolerate its defects. Too little creativity, projection, and sillage are probably the key motives perfumes with this evaluation do not justify a rating of 4.
4 out of 5 — Recommended; This odor does just about everything you might ever
desire from a fragrance of its kind (meaning it is good enough to get a lack of flexibility to dismiss). There are not any substantial difficulties with the odor, but you aren’t left in complete amazement either.
5 out of 5 — Highly recommended; This odor isn’t just flaw free, it is
a genuine masterpiece, either a timeless type from ages ago that’s continued throughout the years or a revolutionary odor which will shape the business. It surpasses expectations and could be regarded as a staple for most collectors.
10. Recommendations
This is not put on a scale, but fragrance reviewers will frequently suggest actions in the conclusion of the testimonials as an inventory, examples:
Do not buy!
Sample this because [provide reasoning], but I do not suggest it.
Try before you purchase.
So good it is worth blind purchasing!
