Chiqio’s guide to the art of pairing your perfume to your fit
Written by Rochelle
Edited by CHIQIO
Keywords: perfume, scent, outfit, vibe, elevate your look
Meta description: Discover how to elevate your look by matching your perfume to your outfit with Chiqio’s expert guide. Find the perfect scent for any occasion and style.
So this is the scenario: you’re going out for this event, and everything is going well. You have a great fit, your hair and make-up is on point with your fit, your shoes and accessories all line up. Now you’re just missing a perfume. You ask yourself if you’re going to pick up your favourite going out perfume, or something reserved just for special occasions?
But what if I told you that you’re able to elevate your look by choosing a scent to match your look and the vibe you want to give off?
Understanding perfume psychology
Do you want to give off ‘a strong leader’ vibe at your next networking event? What about a soft, warm person at the next party? Oh, what about a fresh, fun, fruity just-came-back-from-the-beach vibe? How? Let me explain.
Take the image of the perfume above, Forest Child by Chiqio, for an example. Just by looking at the image you’re able to tell the perfume gives off a more natural, forest, woody and fresh scent. And if you were to smell this perfume you’d be able to tell without looking at the image that the perfume gives off a fresh and woody scent. You’d probably assume a stronger personality wears something like this because of how sleekly it pulls off the chypre notes.
Similarly, any scent you’re wearing can elevate your look, your personal brand, and your vibe. Like the example above, the ‘look’ can be solidified with the ‘scent’. Think of it like this: the scent backs up the look. Not only that, perfumes have a direct effect on our emotions, so keep in mind what kind of emotion you want to evoke before you put something on. People tend to visualise the things they smell, and according to a study, 35% of people can remember what they smell. So if you wear gym clothes and match that with a sporty scent, you smell and look sporty, making you seemingly ‘obvious’ that you’re heading to the gym.
You can use perfume psychology to your advantage. Brands often use this in their advertisements, and where people are seen you will notice their fits, the scene, the music tends to match the vibe the perfume is trying to give off. That’s how they sell it to you; and that’s how you can sell your vibe to others. So if you want to leave a lasting impression, you know what to do; solidify your outfit and vibe with a matching perfume.
The art of linking vibe, emotion, fits and scents: Exploring artworkism
To effortlessly link your outfits, intentions, events and scents is a skill, and we at Chiqio are here to help out. Our philosophy of artworkism is that treating life as a ‘continuous masterpiece’ doesn’t stop at crafting exquisite perfumes, but rather it never stops; it merges the ‘art’ with life seamlessly. We coined the term, so trust us when we say we know our thing *wink*
For a more confident look (and I mean attitude), you need to plan your look beforehand. It might seem like a lot of effort, but knowing your outfit beforehand gives you enough time to plan your fit based on what vibe you want to give off, whether it’s a corporate girlie, a beach bum, a forest child, or even a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows or a spicy cinnamon pie.
Here is when artworkism especially comes to play: you need to understand your perfume and your fit. If you’re going for a coffee date, do you want to give the impression of a sweet, kind person, with your outfit and a warm/sweet scent? Or what about a calm and collected person, with your fresh and cool scent? What about for dinner? Are you going to a fancy restaurant? Are you wearing something elegant? How about a musk to go with your fit? Or something spicy and scandalous?
To make your job easier, here’s a list of scents that can be used to match different outfits:
Floral
They contain summery, floral notes. Perfumes with floral scents have very powdery and even fruity scents. These perfumes work especially well in the summer and have a fun, picnic, summer and garden party vibe to them. They also have an underlying feminine touch to them. Flower and fruit notes like rose, lily-of-the-valley, and strawberries come under this category.
Perfumes that come under this category include Bloom by Gucci, Miss Dior by Dior, Paradoxe by Prada.
Fresh
Clean, citrisy, natural scents come under this category. Again, they’re perfect for the summer, and have a slight herb undertone. They give fresh-out-the-shower, beach day, playful and fun vibes. Fresh scents are often seen in sports and men’s perfumes. Fresh perfumes usually have citrus and bergamot notes in them.
Perfumes that come under this category include Chanel 1957, Light Blue Intense by Dolce&Gabbana, Fleur D’Oranger by Zara, Replica Lazy Sunday Morning by Maison Margiela, Omnia Crystalline by BVLGARI.
Amber or Oriental
Spicy, herbal scents come under this category. They give me luxury, casino, formal, intimidating, confident, oriental royalty and a dessert safari vibe. A lot of musks emerge from this category with notes of vanilla, cinnamon, oud, rose, sandalwood, and musk (yes, it’s a fragrance note!).
Perfumes that come under this category include Eau d’Orient by Rituals, L’Interdit Rouge by Gievnchy, Spice Blend by Dior, Tobacco Absolute by Molton Brown, and DEEP RED EDP by Hugo Boss.
Woody
These scents are warm and heavier. They give me misty mountains, deep in the forest, rainstorm, focused, strong, and headstrong vibes. They often contain notes of moss, sandalwood, Pine, resin and Patchouil. It is seen in a lot of mens perfumes.
Perfumes that come under this category include our very own Forest Child and Mountain Rain by Chiqio, Replica By the Fireplace by Margiela, Mojave Ghost by Byredo, Chance Eau Fraîche by Chanel, Poison by DIOR and Myrrh & Tonka Cologne Intense by Jo Malone.