FAQ's

All our fragrances are 100% genuine and produced by the original manufacturer for that particular brand. We pride ourselves on only sourcing our fragrances from reputable suppliers worldwide. We never sell anything other than 100% original branded quality fragrances.

Payment may be made either by EFT, visa or mastercard, or by making a cash deposit into our account. NO cheque deposits will be accepted. Orders will only be dispatched once payment has been cleared in our account.

For international shipping, please contact us via e mail so that we can ascertain the rate of shipping to wherever you are located. Please note that you will be liable for any duties payable on entry into your country.

Usually delivery for orders within South Africa will be within 2-3 working days once the order and payment has been processed. You will receive an e mail notification as soon as your order has been dispatched.

An e-mail will be sent to you notifying you of your tracking number and expected delivery date.

We respect the privacy of our customers and this information will not be divulged to anyone. Information collected by us is used for processing orders, keeping you informed about your order status and to notify you of products or special offers that may be of interest to you.

Our goal is to make your shopping experience safe, convenient and worry free. Credit card transactions will be acquired for MagnifiScents by VCS who are the approved payment gateway for Nedbank of South Africa. ShopDirect uses SSL3 and credit card information is stored per Visa and Mastercard guidelines on the website. Users may go to www.shopdirect.co.za to view their security certificate and security policy. Customer details will be stored by MagnifiScents separately from card details which are entered by the client on ShopDirect’s secure site.

If you do not want to place your order online, please feel free to e-mail us with your order. E mails will always be replied to within 1 working day.

We have a showroom in Bryanston where we offer our clients a personalised service so you can choose and purchase your fragrances. For an appointment, please call or email us.

The main ingredient in any fragrance is an alcoholic water solution in which the notes are suspended evenly to keep the scent potent. After this, it is the percentage of perfume in relation to the water that will determine its strength. These strengths are known as Parfum, Eau de Parfum, Eau de Toilette and Eau de Cologne.

• Parfum (pure perfume) is the strongest concentration of fragrance with a concentration of 15-30%
• Eau de parfum (EDP) which is the strongest mixture of eau, with a concentration of 8% to 15% of perfume oil.
• Less concentrated is Eau de toilette (EDT) with a fragrance content of 4%-10%.
• The least concentrated is eau de cologne (EDC) which used to refer to a perfume developed in Cologne, but nowadays signifies a perfume containing 3%-5% of perfume oils. The higher the concentration, the longer the fragrance lasts and the more sparingly it can be used.

Fragrance notes are the ingredients used to make up the perfume and can range from plant and flower extracts to synthetically created molecules. New technology can recreate the essence of almost any scent on earth. Each fragrance is comprised of three notes:

• The first being the top notes which are evident as soon as the fragrance touches your skin. These are usually lighter than the other ingredients and last 5 – 10 minutes.
• Shortly after application, the top notes give way to the heart or middle notes. These are usually floral as most fruity notes are too light for this layer. These middle notes make up the core perfume as it sits on the skin, and it is these layers that define the ultimate dry down, when the perfume settles on the skin. Middle notes become apparent in about 15 minutes after application and can last up to an hour or more.
• The final notes, the base notes determine how long a fragrance will last and provide a background on which the heart notes can be appreciated. Interestingly, most fragrances have similar base notes often including sandalwood, amber, musk and vanilla. This is because there are only a certain number of notes that will last long enough on the skin to form the base of a fragrance.

Looking after your fragrance is important if you want it to keep smelling great for as long as possible. How you store your fragrance will make all the difference. It is best to store your fragrance in a cool, dark place. Keep your fragrance away from heat and direct light as they can disturb the delicate balance of the perfume. I recommend you not to store your fragrance in the bathroom. Fluctuating temperatures and humidity levels will degrade your fragrance much quicker. Colognes and eau de toilettes may be kept in the refrigerator but parfums and eau de parfums should never be exposed to extreme cold.

Each of us has our own unique body chemistry based on our genes, skin type, lifestyle and environment that reacts with the substances of the fragrance. Your own body chemistry affects how different notes react on your skin. Anything that affects the “natural” smell of your skin, such as stress, hormonal changes, diet or medications, might change how a perfume smells on you. People also have different skin types such as dry and oily skin and all these factors work together to produce a unique scent and the way the scent is released will vary from person to person. With time, as ones hormone levels change, one may find that a fragrance smells different on them – it is not the fragrance that has changed but one’s body chemistry. The same applies to pregnant women.

Fragrance lasts longer on some people than on others because of differences in our skin – oily or dry - and our PH levels. Dry skin does not hold fragrances as long as an oily skin will. Because fragrance rises, spray or smooth fragrance onto skin all over the body. If fragrance is only applied on the neck or behind the ears it will eventually rise and disappear. Layering ones fragrance will also achieve a longer effect.

All our fragrances on our website have detailed descriptions together with available sizes and prices. If you require further information please don’t hesitate to e mail us.

Fragrance companies manufacture testers to promote their products. Testers are typically sold to stores for display and demonstration purposes and left on countertops for customers to sample. Testers are 100% genuine and original and contain the same fragrance that you find in the regular perfume bottles but usually have a product description containing the word TESTER. The only difference between testers and commercially packaged fragrances is that testers usually come in a white or brown box and sometimes have no cap and because of this they are cheaper. Otherwise they are exactly the same! The quality of the perfumes themselves are not affected at all.