How to Smell

You’re about to discover a new perfume. You might as well be on a blind date: Will you like it? Will it like you? Will it be love at first sniff? A total mismatch? Or a slow courtship that eventually develops into something lasting?

Perhaps you’ve read about the scent, the notes, and the person behind it. Even when the only thing you know is the name, your subconscious is busy developing expectations. You might think you’ll like it, or you might think you’ll hate it. You might even be comparing it to a scent you already know.

In perfume, as in love, one thing is true: You’ll never know until you try. These guides are designed to help you do just that: try. They're not designed to tell you what to think; you should make up your own mind. They're meant to help you discover the notes, accords, interesting compositional features, and even historical context of these scents, and perhaps help you consider a few things you hadn't considered before.

So push your preconceptions aside, apply one healthy spray to your wrist, and read on. You never know: This might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.