Image Source – Carmine Sorrentino
Shopping for perfume requires diligence. There must have been a time in your life in which you were entranced by the scent of a friend or acquaintance, and eagerly asked “what are you wearing?” in order to hunt it down and reclaim it as your own. But to your dismay, the smell had quite the opposite effect on your skin.
There is a science to this; different skin types have their own properties and differing pH balances, which have unique reactions to individual scents. As well as this your lifestyle can be a factor, down to your diet, whether you smoke and even the medication you take can have an effect on your natural aroma. If you resonate with this and feel puzzled as to why you cannot identify with a suiting scent, we’ve categorised different skin types and paired them with harmonising Czech & Speake colognes, to better help you understand your own skin.
Oily Skin
If your skin is more oily by nature, fragrances tend to magnify on contact. This is because perfume ingredients are attracted to oil. As certain elements of the formula are heightened, it is likely that you will find sweet notes to become insipid, while top notes that usually disappear more rapidly, (such as citrus), are able to hold for longer and smell truly divine.
We recommend:
Neroli and Oxford & Cambridge
These two Czech & Speake scents are light and refreshing, but not without impact. With both opening on a citrus note, neroli and orange for Neroli and bergamot for Oxford & Cambridge, your oily skin will take hold of these delicious fruits and project them in the most pleasing way.
Dry Skin
On the other end of the scale, dry skin requires heavier fragrances with a strong base to ensure the notes will last, as delicate scents can disappear. Dramatic chypres, spices, woods and orientals are your best bet of holding out, with a truer reflection of the bottled aroma as less alteration has occurred from your skins pH balance.
We recommend:
Cuba and Vétiver Vert
Many Czech & Speake fragrances would suit this skin type due to our highly concentrated formulas designed for the purpose of quality. However our favourites at the moment are Cuba and Vétiver Vert. Cuba is smoky and spicy with big base notes such as frankincense and tobacco that will sing through beautifully. While although Vétiver Vert is green, its sandalwood base and the earthy note of vetiver gives it a muskiness and intensity.
Normal Skin
If you are lucky enough to have normal skin, meaning it is neither dry nor oily, you will find that most fragrances will smell fairly true on the skin. As mentioned before, this can vary dependent on your consumption and lifestyle habits.
We recommend:
No.88
If this is your skin type, we advise a trial and error process with perfumes from a whole range of fragrance families, until you find the perfect fit for your nose. If we were to recommend, our classic No.88’s clever, complex formula is one that appeals to many.
If you have oily skin discover our Citrus and Herbaceous Collections. If you have dry skin, explore our Woody and Oriental Collections. If you have normal skin, view our full niche fragrance range.