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Perfume is a luxury item and its cost can vary hugely between products. Some perfumes are under 20 dollars while others cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Before you go shopping, decide how much money you want to spend on a perfume. If the perfume is a gift, consider both your personal finances and your relationship with the recipient of the gift. If you are giving perfume to your wife, you may want to spend more than you would on perfume for an acquaintance you don't know very well. Perfumes have different names depending on their lasting power. Typically, the most expensive perfumes are the ones that last longest, while cheaper perfumes don't have as much staying power. You can usually see the type or concentration of the perfume under its name on the front of the bottle.  Eau de cologne has the lowest fragrance concentration, lasting about two hours. It is 3-5% oil in a mixture of water and alcohol. Eau de toilette is a slightly more concentrated type of perfume and will last three to four hours. It is a about 4-8% oil. Eau de parfum has a higher oil concentration than eau de cologne and lasts around six hours. It is 15-18% oil mixed with alcohol. The perfume with the highest concentration is simply called perfume or parfum. It has great staying power and will last all day. It is 15-30 oil mixed with alcohol. Consider which scents you or the perfume recipient enjoy. Perfumes generally are separated into four scent categories, though many perfumes contain a subtle mix of scents. If you are buying perfume for someone else, see what kinds of perfumes they use. If you have no idea what kind of scents you like, don't worry: you can figure out what scent family you prefer when you are trying perfumes in the store.  Floral/Sweet perfumes smell like freshly-cut flowers. Common scents used in floral perfumes are rose, lavender, carnation and orange blossom. Floral perfumes are the most popular perfumes for women because of their sweet, feminine scent that most enjoy. Citrus/Fruity perfumes smell like fruits, particularly citrus fruits. Common tones are citrus fruits like orange, grapefruit and lime, but also other fruit like apricot, apple or peach. In general these scents are bright and refreshing. Oriental/Spicy perfumes smell musky and complex. Many of them contain tones of spices like star anise, cinnamon and vanilla. Woody/Chypre perfumes smell woody and earthy. Many contain scents like bergamot, oakmoss and patchouli. Be conscious of the scents people around you are wearing, no matter if you're at work, on the train or in class. If you catch a whiff of something you really like, ask the wearer what kind of perfume it is. You never know, you could find your new scent without even stepping into a store. If you don't like the scent of your friends' perfumes, try to pinpoint what about them you don't like. This is valuable information that will help you narrow down your options.

Summary:
Decide on a price point. Choose a scent concentration. Narrow down a scent family. Ask others what kind of perfume they use.