Below are some good points to bear in mind when getting started, and some things I’ve discovered through my own experience, that I've not seen mentioned elsewhere.

 

• Sample, Sample, Sample

Samples are the best place to start, and can be had for a relatively low price. My advice would be to try a few fragrances from as many different houses as you can, maximising the variety of notes. This way you can start to notice any houses, or particular notes or styles, you are particularly drawn to. In the UK, Scent Samples has the best offering. Bloom also offer samples on every one of their very Niche fragrance offering, although they are not a sampling service.

• Fragrantica

Probably the best fragrance resource available. You can read reviews and see what other people have to say about a particular fragrance, noting the performance and other characteristics, browse a database of notes, take a look through their forum, and much more.

• Be open minded and try everything

Maybe you don't like the sweetness of violets, or don't think a heavier, middle-eastern-style scent smouldering with incense will be for you. You may not initially think you will like a certain note or style, but one of the great things about fragrance is that you can be opened up to things that you never knew, or thought, that you would like.

• For Men & For Women

These are arbitrary labels, and should really be read, respectively, as:

• More Masculine - Generally containing more prominent woods, and musk.
• More Feminine - Generally containing more prominent florals.

One of the great things about Niche fragrances is that the large majority (regardless of labels) are very much unisex.

• Eau de Cologne, Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum, Extrait

These terms indicate the levels of aromatic compounds. Generally, the higher the concentration, the more powerful, and long-lasting. But there are Eau de Toilette's which last all day, and Extraits which seem to disappear after a few hours.

• Absolutely try a scent on your own skin before you make a final decision about it

Your skin is not a piece of paper; it has a different chemistry, and fragrances react differently on your skin than on a thin piece of spliced wood. Different notes are brought out, and these evolve differently on skin than on paper.

• Everyone's skin is different

With a given fragrance, on some people it could last 12 hours; on others, only 6. Different notes may be more prominent. Some notes might be non-existent.

• Be aware of your nose becoming anosmic

This is where your nose has become used to the fragrance; you may not be able to smell it anymore, but other people around you might. I have had a fragrance that I just couldn’t smell after an hour or so, but was told it was projecting strongly hours later.

• Don't write a fragrance off

Always revisit a fragrance; weeks, months, years later, it may take you by surprise.

• Be aware of the season

Try lighter scents in Spring & Summer, and heavier ones in Autumn/Winter. Trying a fragrance clouded with incense and woods at the height of Summer probably won't elicit a positive reaction.

• Don't waste a fragrance by spraying it on your wrists

You can’t smell it as much, it doesn’t last as long, and it will get washed off when you rinse your hands. Apply a spray behind either ear, and two to the neck, and adjust if necessary on subsequent applications.

• Don’t overdo it

Don't apply so much that the fragrance advertises your presence before you’ve walked in the room. Don’t impose a fragrance on other people; its simply impolite. There's nothing like the awkwardness of sitting in a lecture room positively showering everyone within a 20 foot radius of you (including the lecturer because you were sitting in the front row) with roses and raspberries.

The case is almost on a par with the practice of regaling oneself with a perfume that exhales its odours far and wide. The man who pulls his perfumed handkerchief from his pocket gives a treat to all around whether they like it or not, and compels them, if they want to breathe at all, to be parties to the enjoyment, and so the habit has gone out of fashion.

• Paying full price is not always necessary

I did not pay full price for a single one of the roughly 20 full bottles I purchased over time. eBay can be a great place, but take note of the point below.

• Beware of fakes

The best thing you can do to prevent buying a fake is to familiarise yourself with the original product's design and packaging, but of course, this can change with time (as evidenced recently with Creed, whose fragrances are often faked and sold on eBay. Look for the inclusion of the two pieces of paperwork, and the design of the label on the bottom of the box.)

• Batch variations

With some houses, the same fragrance can vary batch-to-batch. This is usually the case if the house uses natural ingredients, in which case, availability can vary year-to-year, or the quality could decline. Creed is notorious for having batch variations, and I've experienced this personally.

• Reformulations

Unfortunately, there are restrictions placed on ingredients which houses can use in their fragrances. To my knowledge, this mainly relates to allergies. As a result, some vintage editions (cf. current editions) of fragrances can smell drastically different, last incredibly longer, and project much further. An example that I have experienced regarding this is Portrait of a Lady from Frederic Malle. I was lucky enough to sample a pre-reformulation version of this, and that was an insane fragrance. Compared with the current formulation, it smelled less dark, with the patchouli much less pronounced, and with a raspberry note much more prominent in the blend, which emphasised the rose. Even though the current edition lasts an incredibly long time, the longevity for the pre-form was off the charts. The first time I wore it I felt slightly sick the morning after because it was still so strong.

• Wear a fragrance for yourself

The only reason a fragrance should be worn.