At first glance, the perfume may seem like scented alcohol, water that you spray on yourself and that's it. However, it takes a bit of finesse to learn how to perfume yourself correctly.
If you've ever wondered why your perfume only lasts an hour or two, the reason may be that you don't wear it in the best way.
Francois Demachy, Dior's perfumer, says that "the best perfumes evoke a memory when you smell them."
This means that, in order to smell your favorite perfume, it is essential to learn the correct way to apply it.
This is a guide that consists of several parts so you can 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 really like will make everything else go to waste.
This is why it is important to test the potential perfume many times before buying it. Always spray the perfume on the skin when you try it on.
You can refer to our articles on " Finding Your Scent: Part 1 " and " Part 2 " to guide you in choosing a new fragrance.
2. Choose the right concentration
One of the most important things to do when finding your favorite perfume is to choose the right perfume concentrations.
You will know then that these concentrations vary from perfume to perfume and affect sillage and projection, along with a few other subtle things.
All scented 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 either Eau de Toilette or Eau de Parfum concentrations.
You can consult more about this topic in the post " Basic knowledge of perfumes: Perfume concentrations "
3. Choose the perfume for the right occasion or season
Another important point that you should take into account 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 tend to be lighter, citrus, fresh and last less. It is normal to associate this type of fragrance with spring and summer.
On the other hand, night fragrances are stronger and denser, with "heavier" notes. Heavier fragrances are often associated with the fall 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 better interact with our skin and our body heat.
That's why we recommend putting fragrances on the hottest 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 points
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 the heat of your body, which helps to spread the fragrance naturally. The neck area, behind the ears and the wrists will activate the perfume throughout the day.
6. Apply to hair
For those who have problems with the duration of the perfume on the skin, another alternative is the 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 that they are half of the usual ones, since perfumes with alcohol can dry out the hair.
An ideal way is to spray the brush or comb with perfume and comb your hair a couple of times.
7. Don't rub, massage your skin
We have seen this "phenomenon" everywhere. Your mother, your friends and your grandmother do it: rub the perfume on your wrists.
If you are one of those people who do this, we recommend that you stop doing it, from now on. Unfortunately, in this way you will only make the perfume dissipate faster, since the lighter molecules of the fragrance are dispersed, making it less lasting.
Instead of rubbing the perfume on the wrists, after spraying the perfume, you can gently massage the wrists a few times, and keep this habit without affecting the perfume.
8. Don't 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 6 to 8 inches will prevent those huge perfume droplets and potentially "perfume stain" on your clothes.
If you are using oils, or a fragrance without the spray nozzle, we recommend avoiding places where the perfume could come into contact with clothing.
9. Less is usually more
You found your favorite perfume and enjoy it to the fullest. Spraying generously envelops you in the cutest scented cloud. You are happy.
But one day, you realize that the scent bubble has shrunk so much that you barely smell your perfume and now you don't know if your perfume is spoiled or what could be the problem.
If this has happened to you, don't worry. Many people overspray their perfume and block their olfactory receptors. The solution is to spray no more than 2-4 sprays max. 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 the lasting power of your fragrance. The perfumes interact fantastically with the warm skin and the scent is easily absorbed through the open pores.
Make sure your skin is dry, and apply 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 apply an unscented lotion to your pulse point and the rest of your body before applying perfume.
A small amount is enough and preferably you should apply your moisturizer after you shower. This brings us to other great alternatives just below.
12. Apply Vaseline
A useful way to make your fragrances last longer is with Vaseline. Massaging the Vaseline into the pulse points will make the skin more oily, so the perfume "sticks", and because it will adhere to the Vaseline molecules, the fragrance will last longer.
13. Spray and don't do "fog walks."
Another romantic "strategy" we've seen in friends or in movies are those nefarious walks in the fog that people take.
In addition to 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 clothing or furniture.
14. Spraying on clothing is a double-edged sword.
Spraying your perfume on clothing is generally not something we recommend. The issue is that, although you are going to get a greater projection and longevity of the fragrance, this also has disadvantages.
Depending on the concentration of the perfume, it can leave unsightly stains on the fabric, and doing so will force you to wash that particular item the same day to avoid mixing fragrances.
Jewelry like necklaces, earrings, and even wristwatches can be damaged by perfume, so keep an eye on that too.
15. Combine your fragrances
The last piece of advice in this first part of the guide on how to wear a perfume is based on the overlapping of fragrances. Did you know that some perfume lines are designed so that you can combine two or more fragrances and get something completely different?
One such line is Tom Ford 's "Private Blend". The fragrances in this line enhance and complement each other. We recommend pairing Tobacco Vanille with Oud Wood to enhance the woody aspects of Oud Wood and give an added dimension to the pipe tobacco sweetness of Tobacco Vanille.