There is no doubt that there is a plethora of perfumes on the market. Whether it's for a new every day fragrance, or for a gift or special event, finding a new scent can definitely be an intimidating experience. There are, however, some tricks to help you if you feel overwhelmed. When you are sampling fragrances, there is a way to get the most accurate assessment of a new perfume.

Begin with a fresh nose. If you have smelled or tasted anything very strong recently, it could linger with you. The best way to cleanse your senses is to sniff coffee beans. The woman at the counter may even be able to provide you with a coffee bean sachet to smell. If she can't offer you an option, consider shopping somewhere else, or bringing your own.

If it is possible, smell the scent while it is still in the bottle. This can give you a good idea of the top notes of the perfume. Top notes are the way the perfume smells when you first put it on, and they fade within minutes.

It is a good idea to let the salesperson at the perfume counter spray various perfumes on the little pieces of paper they keep for that very reason. This is especially good to do if you want to smell a lot of different perfumes. Write the name of the scent on the paper, so you don't get confused. Next, put some perfume on your skin. How the perfume smells on your skin will not necessarily be the same way it smells in the bottle. The same perfume can work differently on two separate people. So you absolutely need a skin test.

Narrow your choices down in this way until you are down to one or two. Then it is time to do a skin test. You don't want to test too many perfumes on your skin at once, as your nose will get confused, and you won't get an accurate reading of the scent. It is important to do a skin test, because a perfume won't necessarily smell the same on you as it does the paper and can also smell different on one person than it does another. Everyone's chemistries are different.

After you dab or spray the perfume on your skin, wait a few minutes for the middle notes to emerge. You may not like something as much in a few minutes as you did at first; you may like it more. The middle notes will last a couple of hours and will be different than the base notes, which will emerge in a few hours. They are the undertones of the perfume and the notes that will last the longest.

If you are patient enough to experience all there is to smell in a new perfume, you will definitely find one that you love. It takes at least a few hours for the top, middle and base notes to all have their chance in the spotlight.

Once you decide which fragrance you want, it is time to purchase it. An easier and cheaper alternative to waiting around the store, or going back later, is to order your fragrance online. Not only will you not have to leave the house, you will probably get a far better deal than you would at the department store. Happy Hunting.