At first glance, perfume might seem like scented alcohol, water you spray on, and that's it. However, it takes a little finesse to learn how to apply perfume correctly.
If you've ever wondered why your perfume only lasts an hour or two, the reason might be that you're not wearing it in the best way.
Francois Demachy, Dior perfumer, states that "the best perfumes evoke a memory when you smell them."
This means that, to smell your favorite perfume, it is essential to learn the correct way to apply it.
This is a multi-part guide to help you learn how to get the most out of your perfume.
1. Find your favorite perfume
This may seem like a no-brainer, but not wearing something you truly love will make everything else in vain.
That's why it's important to try out a potential perfume many times before buying it. Always spray the perfume on your skin when testing.
You can check out our articles on "How to find your essence: Part 1" and "Part 2" to guide you when choosing a new fragrance.
2. Choose the right concentration
One of the most important things to do when you find your favorite perfume is to choose the right perfume concentrations.
You will then know that these concentrations vary from perfume to perfume and affect the sillage and projection, along with some other subtle things.
All perfumed products fall into one of these main categories:
- Eau Fraiche 1-3%
- Eau de Toilette 5-15%
- Eau de Parfum 15-20%
- Parfum / Extrait de Parfum 20-40%
Most perfumes come in Eau de Toilette or Eau de Parfum concentrations.
You can learn more about this topic in the post "Basic Perfume Knowledge: Perfume Concentrations"
3. Choose the perfume for the right occasion or season
Another important point to consider before buying a perfume is to choose the right perfume for certain occasions and seasons.
This will largely depend on your lifestyle, your workplace, and the part of the world you live in. Daytime fragrances are usually lighter, citrusy, fresh, and last less. It is normal to associate this type of fragrance with spring and summer.
On the other hand, nighttime fragrances are stronger and denser, with "heavier" notes. Heavier fragrances are usually associated with the autumn and winter seasons.
4. Spray perfume on the skin
The ideal way to wear perfume is by applying it directly to the skin. Perfumery products are made to interact best with our skin and body heat.
That's why we recommend putting fragrances on the warmest parts of your body, which will produce the best results, and here are six recommended places to spray your perfume:
- Spray above the ears
- Spray behind the ears
- Spray on the neck around the cervical area
- Spray on the back
- Spray on each shoulder
- Spray on the inside of the elbows
5. Know the right spots
This section is directly related to the recommended places to spray your perfume. Those places are your pulse points.
By spraying on these warmer parts of your body, you will maximize the effect of the perfume and prolong its projection and longevity.
This is achieved thanks to your body heat, which helps to diffuse the fragrance naturally. The neck area, behind the ears, and wrists will activate the perfume throughout the day.
6. Apply to hair
For those who have problems with perfume longevity on their skin, another alternative is hair. Hair is known to retain perfume longer than skin and is a fantastic fragrance carrier.
Be careful with the number of sprays; it is ideal to use half the usual amount, as alcohol-based perfumes can dry out hair.
An ideal way is to spray your brush or comb with perfume and comb your hair a couple of times.
7. Do not rub, massage your skin
We've seen this "phenomenon" everywhere. Your mother, your friends, and your grandmother do it: rubbing perfume into their wrists.
If you are one of those people who do this, we recommend that you stop doing it, right now. Unfortunately, this way you will only make the perfume dissipate faster, as the lighter molecules of the fragrance are dispersed, making it last less.
Instead of rubbing the perfume into your wrists, after spraying the perfume, you can gently massage your wrists a couple of times, and maintain this habit without affecting the perfume.
8. Do not spray too close to the skin
If your skin gets too "wet" after spraying your perfume, you are probably spraying too close to the skin.
Spraying from a distance of 15 to 20 centimeters will prevent those huge perfume drops and, potentially, your clothes from getting "stained with perfume."
If you are using oils, or a fragrance without a spray nozzle, we recommend avoiding places where the perfume could come into contact with clothing.
9. Less is often more
You found your favorite perfume and you enjoy it to the fullest. Spraying generously envelops you in the loveliest scented cloud. You are happy.
But one day, you realize that the scent bubble has shrunk so much that you can barely smell your perfume and now you don't know if your perfume went bad or what the problem might be.
If this has happened to you, don't worry. Many people spray too much perfume and block their olfactory receptors. The solution is to spray no more than 2 to 4 sprays at most. At the same time, stop applying in areas close to the nose to avoid olfactory saturation.
10. Spray after showering
First things first, skin hydration is a big factor in your fragrance's lasting power. Perfumes interact fantastically with warm skin and the scent is easily absorbed through open pores.
Make sure your skin is dry, and apply it after showering or bathing. This will make your fragrance last all day.
11. Moisturize dry skin
Oily skin retains fragrance better than dry skin. That's why it's a good idea to put unscented lotion on your pulse points and the rest of your body before applying perfume.
A small amount is enough, and preferably, you should apply the moisturizer after showering. This leads us to other great alternatives right below.
12. Apply petroleum jelly
A helpful way to make your fragrances last longer is with petroleum jelly. Massaging petroleum jelly into your pulse points will make your skin greasier, so the perfume will "stick," and as it adheres to the petroleum jelly molecules, the fragrance will last longer.
13. Spray and don't do "mist walks"
Another romantic "strategy" we've seen in friends or movies are those infamous mist walks people do.
Besides wasting money and spray if you do this, you are also not applying the fragrance correctly.
Alcohol-based perfumes are made to be applied to bare skin for many good reasons, and none of them is to stain your clothes or furniture.
14. Spraying on clothes is a double-edged sword
Generally, spraying your perfume on clothes is not something we recommend. The thing is, while you will get greater projection and longevity from the fragrance, this also has drawbacks.
Depending on the concentration of the perfume, it can leave unpleasant stains on the fabric and, by doing so, you will be forced to wash that particular garment on the same day to avoid mixing fragrances.
Jewelry such as necklaces, earrings, and even wristwatches can be damaged by perfume, so keep an eye on that too.
15. Combine your fragrances
The last tip in this first part of the guide on how to wear perfume is based on fragrance layering. Did you know that some perfume lines are designed so that you can combine two or more fragrances and achieve something completely different?
One such line is Tom Ford's "Private Blend". The fragrances in this line enhance and complement each other. We recommend combining Tobacco Vanille with Oud Wood to enhance the woody aspects of Oud Wood and add an additional dimension to the pipe tobacco sweetness of Tobacco Vanille.