Finding the Perfect Scent - So What's the Fuss?

Most people don't know that much about perfume and cologne. Combine basic ignorance with any of the following:

• A scent that once thrilled, but now annoys
  
• A discontinued favorite
• Confusion morphing to outrage as we accept the reality that manufacturers tamper with the formula and eau de wonderful is now eau de just ok
• Discomfort with the department store scene
• The search for one's very first fragrance -- a potentially joyful but intimidating rite of passage at any age

Goodness knows Adonis and Aphrodite in the glossy perfume advertisement (you know, the three pager with no scent strip) are not spilling the juice in the bottle. Her face says, “You bore me to tears, but I can’t live without Brand X perfume.” His face says: “It’s the body, stupid, and Brand Y cologne.” A picture is worth one thousand words and precisely zero smells.

Actually, the words don’t help much either. Perfume Advertising Bingo (scroll down the page, you won't miss it) spoofs the futility of seeking guidance from industry promotions. At any moment in time, a fragrance manufacturer, advertiser or retailer may not be motivated to promote the scent that is Perfect for You. You suspect that it exists. But how to find it…