Choosing a perfume, especially an artistic one, takes focus, imagination, and patience. Because of its complexity and often higher price point, it’s not something to buy on impulse. Selecting the right fragrance should be a personal journey, guided by awareness, sensitivity, and careful listening to your own senses.

An artistic perfume reveals itself slowly. Apply it on your skin, give it time to unfold, and pay attention to the layers and nuances it develops. It’s a sensory experience, where emotions emerge and a personal connection with the fragrance takes shape.

This article aims to offer a practical, accessible guide to navigating the world of artistic perfumery, including tips for shopping online, so you can make a choice that truly reflects your personality and style.

What makes an artistic perfume different

An artistic perfume is conceived to tell a story and to reach straight to the heart of the person who wears it. It expresses itself through a multifaceted, never ordinary composition, capable of evolving over time and revealing itself slowly, waiting to be understood and savored.

It is not designed to appeal to the masses, but speaks to those who recognize its value and seek an authentic olfactory experience. Its formulation comes from a careful selection of the finest raw materials, often innovative and rare, while production happens in small batches, prioritizing quality over quantity.

Unlike commercial perfumes, which are designed to be immediate and universally appealing, artistic perfumes invite discovery, careful listening, and a conscious choice.

Not a trend, but a personal language

An artistic perfume is conceived as a form of individual expression, a way to showcase your identity. Artistic perfumery encourages experimentation, layering, and blending multiple fragrances to create your own unique olfactory signature.

It’s that refined scent that defines us, speaks for us, or reflects our mood in the moment. A subtle and sophisticated language through which we express our deepest personality, communicating how we feel and how we wish to present ourselves to the world.

The first step: listening to yourself

If you’re looking for a starting point on how to choose a perfume, it’s always best to look within yourself, listening to your own sensations, memories, and emotions that a fragrance can evoke. The revolution of artistic perfumery lies precisely in this: shifting the focus from the outside in, from market trends to your personal tastes and current moods.

To navigate how to choose a perfume, it helps to consider:

• Personal memories: A fragrance can bring back the smell of the sea during summer holidays or the aroma of cookies baked at home.

• Emotions: Choose a perfume that conveys serenity, confidence, energy, or sensuality, depending on how you want to feel.

• Seasonality: Light and fresh fragrances for summer, warm and enveloping scents for winter. These are general guidelines, but there’s no need to stick to rigid rules. A gourmand scent, for example, can be delightful in summer if enriched with coconut or fruity notes, while a fresh and luminous fragrance can bring lightness to heavy winter days. The true criterion is always your personal sensitivity and pleasure.

• Time of day: Consider the moment of the day when choosing a fragrance. Rather than following the rigid idea of delicate scents for the day and complex ones for the evening, ask yourself: What do I want to express today? What do I want to communicate at the office? Which fragrance will help me face a meeting or interview with confidence? How do I want to feel at the park with the kids? By reflecting on these questions, choosing a perfume becomes a conscious act, one that reflects your mood and accompanies you authentically throughout the day.

Emotion, memory and everyday life

Our sense of smell often leads us to fragrances that bring back wonderful memories. That’s because the olfactory system is closely linked to the limbic system, the part of the brain that handles emotions and memories. Just one note can transport us to a special place, a cherished moment, or a loved one, instantly awakening emotions.

Choosing a perfume is never random—it’s about rediscovering feelings and personal stories.

In your personal fragrance collection, you likely have signature scents you can’t live without, fragrances that define you, make you feel confident, and accompany your daily life.

Alongside these, it’s fun to explore occasional fragrances for special moments, to surprise, express a different side of yourself, or enhance unique experiences.

A perfume isn’t just a scent—it’s your silent companion, making everyday moments and special occasions unforgettable.

Understanding olfactory families

Fragrance families offer a practical way to understand and classify perfumes, helping you navigate the world of artistic fragrances. Each family groups scents with similar olfactory characteristics, providing a starting point to explore what truly appeals to you.

The main fragrance families include:

• Citrus: Fresh, sparkling, and light, often featuring lemon, bergamot, or orange.

• Floral: Elegant and delicate, dominated by rose, jasmine, violet, or lilac.

• Oriental: Warm, sensual, and enveloping, with notes like oud, amber, or incense.

• Woody: Robust and long-lasting, with cedar, sandalwood, vetiver, or patchouli.

• Gourmand: Sweet and indulgent, reminiscent of chocolate, caramel, vanilla, or honey.

• Green/Aromatic: Inspired by nature, with herbs, tea, mint, or green leaves.

• Spicy: Vibrant and lively, including pepper, cinnamon, or clove.

• Fruity: Juicy and inviting, with apple, peach, apricot, or red berries, sometimes tangy or sweet.

Knowing fragrance families helps you identify scents that match your preferences and discover new ones while staying true to your personal taste.

When choosing an artistic perfume, it’s important to focus on your own feelings, not just what is traditionally associated with a note. Fragrances evoke emotions differently for everyone: a citrus note might remind you of a sunny vacation or a carefree moment, while an amber accord could bring to mind a warm, intimate evening.

This subjectivity is what makes perfume truly personal. Childhood memories, comfort, or joy can emerge from gourmand, spicy, or floral accords, depending on your experiences.

Paying attention to what a fragrance awakens within you allows you to find a scent that speaks your emotional language, making it a personal signature rather than just a smell.

When to step outside your comfort zone

Artistic perfumery is a playground for experimentation, allowing you to explore bold combinations as well as more comforting accords. Even if you already have a favorite fragrance family, it can be exciting to step outside your comfort zone and discover new olfactory horizons.

Without compromising your identity or personal style, a smart approach is to seek fragrances that blend familiar notes you love with unexpected or innovative accords. This way, you can expand your fragrance repertoire, unlock new emotions, and make the perfume experience truly personal and surprising.

Every fragrance can become a journey of self-discovery, turning your perfume into a tool for expression, emotion, and exploration.

Testing a perfume: time, skin and patience

A perfume, especially an artistic one, takes time to be discovered, understood, and truly savored. Its natural evolution across top, heart, and base notes unfolds on the skin just as sentences and paragraphs build the story of a novel.

At first, we perceive the top notes: usually fresh, citrusy, green, or marine, these initial impressions capture attention like a gripping opening line, drawing you into the fragrance. Composed of the most volatile essences, they typically fade after about 15 minutes, giving way to the heart notes—the soul of the perfume. Rounded, persistent, and expressive, they define the fragrance’s true character, often featuring floral, gourmand, oriental, or spicy accords, and accompany the wearer through much of its evolution.

After 30 minutes to 2 hours, the base notes emerge: deep, enveloping, warm, woody, amber, or musky, creating structure and lasting memory on the skin.

Only time can reveal the true character of a perfume. Discovering a fragrance is an exercise in patience and attention: you need to return to it, smell it repeatedly, and listen to its evolution to truly recognize it.

Its transformation is also highly personal. A perfume’s evolution depends on skin chemistry and pH, meaning the same fragrance can express itself differently on different people, highlighting certain notes more than others. It is this uniqueness that makes the olfactory experience so intimate and unforgettable.

Trying perfumes online: samples and discovery sets

Buying a perfume online requires patience and a thoughtful approach. Samples and discovery sets are invaluable tools, allowing you to explore a fragrance without rush and test it multiple times on your skin.

Trial formats, such as mini sizes and discovery sets, make it easy to compare different compositions and discover which ones truly resonate with your personal taste. They also give you the freedom to experiment and step outside your olfactory comfort zone without committing to a full-size purchase.

A balanced approach that combines experimentation and reflection helps avoid impulsive purchases and supports a more personal, lasting choice.

To welcome you into our olfactory universe, even from afar, we created the Fragrance Finder on our online store. Our virtual expert will guide you on a delightful journey to uncover the perfume that truly reflects your essence. By exploring your scent preferences and the subtle nuances of your habits, she will reveal the fragrance that best harmonizes with your skin and transforms discovery into a personal, unforgettable experience, bringing you closer to the world of SS. Annunziata 1561, wherever you are.

Intensity, longevity and sillage: matching your lifestyle

Evaluating a perfume means paying attention to its concentration, longevity, and projection. Concentration refers to the percentage of essence in a perfume, giving a sense of its intensity, though not its quality. Lighter concentrations are perfect for daytime or warm seasons, while stronger ones work best in cooler weather or intimate settings.

Longevity indicates how long the scent lasts on your skin. To assess it, apply on clean skin and follow its evolution over the hours. Active lifestyles often benefit from perfumes with lasting power, capable of accompanying you all day long.

Projection measures how a fragrance spreads in the air and is perceived by others. Testing it at different distances helps you understand its presence. In work or everyday settings, a moderate projection is often ideal—but these are guidelines, not rules. You can absolutely wear a perfume that boldly says “I’m here” if it reflects who you are and how you want to present yourself.

Common mistakes to avoid

Choosing an artistic perfume shouldn’t be guided by trends—it’s a thoughtful, personal journey.

Here are three common mistakes to avoid when selecting an artistic fragrance:

1. Buying because it smells good on someone else. Perfumes react differently on each person’s skin, so what works for another might not reveal the same character on you. Always test the fragrance on your own skin.

2. Choosing based only on the fragrance pyramid. Individual notes might appeal to you, but it’s the combination of notes that defines the perfume. Test how they harmonize, which ones stand out, and how they unfold on your skin.

3. Following trends. Fashion may influence purchases, but a perfume should reflect your own taste and personality, not what’s popular.

Farmacia SS. Annunziata: guiding the choice

At Farmacia SS. Annunziata 1561, we have always championed conscious perfume choices, guiding each client to find the artistic fragrance that best reflects their personality and style. We want our creations to be silent yet powerful companions throughout your day and during special moments.

Whether in-store or through our online customer service, we guide each client personally, helping them explore, discover, and connect with the fragrance that suits them best.

We dedicate the time needed so that everyone can discover the fragrance that truly tells their story, harmonizes with their skin, and accompanies their gestures and emotions, turning every application into a unique and deeply personal experience.

Conclusion: choosing a perfume as an act of awareness

Choosing an artistic perfume is a personal journey, meant to be savored, not rushed. Each fragrance is a story that unfolds on your skin, evolving over time and reflecting who you are.

Let your sense of smell and intuition guide you: the right perfume doesn’t look for attention, it accompanies you, whispers softly, and leaves a lasting impression, becoming a subtle yet unforgettable signature of your presence and personality.