Perfume Tester Extraordinaire

Hi Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Judy and i'll be guiding you through the wonderful world of perfume, testing as I go and letting you know the results of my fragrant excursions.

First off i'd like to start with a little introduction into perfume, where it came from , how it was made and the various different types to look out for.

Perfume has a very complex and chequered history, most of which has been charted in this Wikipedia article. However items of note are that perfume was perfected by the Romans (in between building roads) and that modern perfume differs from that made hundreds of years ago in that we use flowers in the creation whereas only herbs and nuts where used long ago.

The basic makeup of a perfume is scented oils taken from flowers mixed with an alcohol solution. The different types of perfumes are named based upon the amount of active ingredients they contain. The strongest being Parufm or Perfume.

Next in line comes Eau de Parfum (EDP), Eau deToilette (EDT) then Eau de Cologne.

Perfume is normally described using three distinct charachteristics, Top notes (or Head notes), Middle notes and Base notes.

Top notes are what you can smell immediately from applying the perfume. So if a perfume immediately smells sweet or of cinemon then this is its head note.

Middle notes are what you can smell once the top notes dissipate, it is the middle notes joined with the base notes that make up the main body of a perfume.

Base notes are as you would expect, the founding smell that the other 2 notes hang from. This scent lingers the longest and so is normally the most subtle.

For my first test I have chosen the Eau de Parfum Joy by Jean Patou.

The top notes of this perfume are Aldehydes, Peach and Leafy Green. With the middle notes being Rose, Jasmine, Ylang-Ylang and Tuberose. And the solid base notes of Sandalwood, Musk, Civet.

Some might say that it smells a bit of the 1980's and depending upon your perception of that time it could be good and bad. Personally I thought it smelled delectable, good enough to eat almost.