The art of synesthesia when choosing a fragrance.

Shopping for a fragrance is never straightforward as it is a multi-sensory experience. Bombarded with big-impact scents, the fragrance you spritzed on your wrist 10 seconds ago innocently merges with another you tried just moments earlier – and just like that, it’s game over.

It either becomes impossible to remember the correct placement of each fragrance, or you completely run out of space on your arms. And that’s before you come to the real crux of the issue: top notes, those big scents that hit you when you first spritz, take 15 to 30 minutes to die down, by which time the fragrance smells completely different. Furthermore, if you smell too many fragrances at once, you will be overwhelmed with serious olfactory confusion.

The key to guarding against this? To experience all a fragrance has to offer, it must be given time. Mini collections are the best way to test out a scent on your skin, allowing it to react with your body’s natural oils and develop accordingly; the fragrance can unravel and expose each note as the hours pass by with minimal interference. You’ll notice many fragrances smell completely different on different people – you just need to find the right one for you. Brands such as Parfums de Marly have collections that are made just for this. For example, the eau de parfum Discovery Sets by Parfums de Marly have curated collections of feminine and masculine scents through a bespoke selection of five 1.5ml scents. The set is the perfect olfactory curation, as it allows one to explore the best in traditional and modern perfumery.

So, whether you’re on the lookout for a juicy scent full of succulent notes for the daytime, or provocative musk for the night, sample sets give you a chance to delve deeper into the intricacies of fragrance from the comfort of your home. After all, fragrance is an investment and a luxury deserving of a little extra time and attention.