How to test a fragrance properly (and why the paper strip lies)

Short answer: Test a fragrance on clean skin, one scent per wrist, and judge it at three points, 10 minutes, 2 hours and 6 hours, over at least two separate days before buying a bottle.

Test on skin, give it hours, and do it twice. The first 10 minutes of a fragrance are basically the trailer. You're here for the whole movie.

Step by step

1. Start with clean, unscented skin. No scented lotion, no body wash with a strong smell.

2. One scent per wrist (or inner elbow). Two sprays from a sample, or a dab from a vial.

3. Don't sniff it right away. The alcohol needs about a minute to evaporate.

4. Check at 10 minutes: the opening (top notes). Bright, citrusy, sharp. This is what a paper strip in a store shows you, and why people blind buy and regret.

5. Check at 2 hours: the heart. This is the personality.

6. Check at 6 hours: the drydown, plus your answer to "how long does it last on me?"

7. Repeat on a second day, ideally in different weather. Heat makes many scents louder and sweeter; cold makes them quieter.

8. Ask yourself on day three: do I still want it? If yes, buy. If you've forgotten about it, that is the answer.

Why the paper strip lies

A blotter strip has no warmth, oils or chemistry, so it shows the opening clearly and almost nothing after. Your skin changes how a fragrance projects and how long it lasts, which is why the same scent can be a beast on your friend and a whisper on you.

Common mistakes

• Testing five scents in one store visit. Nose blindness kicks in fast; by scent four, everything smells like "perfume".
• Judging longevity by smelling your own wrist. You stop noticing a scent you're wearing within an hour. Ask someone, or spray a little on a scarf to check.
• Deciding at minute two. Fragrance is not a TikTok; you have to watch past the first three seconds.

Next: which sample size to buy and should you blind buy?