Perfume notes are grouped by how fast they evaporate. Top notes are the lightest and leave first. Heart notes are the character of the scent. Base notes are the heaviest, stay longest and decide how long a perfume lasts. Judge a perfume by its heart and base, not by the first spray.
A perfume is a blend of scented molecules in alcohol. When you spray, the alcohol flashes off within a minute and leaves the molecules on your skin. Each one then evaporates at its own speed. Light ones lift off fast. Heavy ones cling.
Top notes are the lightest: citrus like bergamot and grapefruit, light fruits like apple and peach, and spices like ginger and black pepper.
Heart notes are the middle weight: flowers like rose, jasmine, peony, iris, lavender and freesia, and herbs like clary sage. They are the character of the perfume.
Base notes are the heaviest: vanilla, tonka, amber, amberwood, sandalwood, cedarwood, vetiver, patchouli, oakmoss and incense. They fix the lighter notes in place and are what people smell on your shawl the next morning.
Black Mayhem (Rs 3,290): apple and ginger on top, bright at the door. Amberwood, tonka and incense in the base, warm and smoky by dinner. A scent built for an evening event.
Très Belle (Rs 3,200): peony, iris and rose in the heart, tonka and vanilla in the base. Soft florals that settle into a creamy warmth, for close rooms and daytime.
Tsunami Chill (Rs 3,800): grapefruit and black pepper to open, vetiver and amber to finish. Cool start, earthy finish, built for heat.
On a paper strip you mostly smell the top notes. Paper has no warmth, so the scent sits still. On skin, body heat pushes the top notes off faster and brings the base up sooner, and Pakistani heat does this even more. Always test on skin and wait before you decide.
Your nose also adapts. After some minutes your brain stops reporting a scent you are wearing, but the people around you still smell it. The honest judge of lasting is the room, not your own nose.
The Houdini Discovery Box holds any five scents in 5ml for Rs 1,200. Wear one a day and smell your wrist at the start, after lunch and in the evening. You will notice the top notes leave and the base arrive.
The Discovery Box · Long lasting perfumes
Top notes are the lightest and leave first, heart (middle) notes are the main character, and base notes are the heaviest and stay longest.
Base notes such as vanilla, tonka, amber, sandalwood, cedarwood, vetiver, patchouli and incense.
Paper only shows the top notes. The warmth and oil of your skin change how fast each note evaporates, so test on skin and wait.
Your nose adapts and stops reporting a familiar scent. Others around you can still smell it.