Tips for Effective Application
Coco Chanel once said that a woman should apply perfume in those areas where she would like to be kissed. While this is most likely true (and utterly French), consider the follow guidelines as well.
The Pulse Points
The "pulse points" are locations on the body where the blood vessels are closest to the skin. These spots emanate heat, which can help fragrance to emanate from your skin into the air. (It's the same principle used by essential oil diffusers). Apply your perfume to these points - namely, the inner wrists, the base of the throat, behind ear lobes, in the cleavage, behind knees, and the inner elbows. As you wear your perfume throughout the day, it will react with your body heat and continue to emit scent.
A Word of Caution
Despite the great Chanel's maxim, perfume does not taste good. Keep that in mind when applying yours, and avoid any areas that may be enthusiastically nibbled.
How to Apply Perfume
Applying perfume is the simplest of matters - simply spray, dab, or in the case of a solid perfume compact, swipe. (Do avoid rubbing the wrists together after application, to prevent "crushing" the scent).
Some women enjoy spritzing their perfume into the air and then walking through it. While this does work, it also lets quite a bit of the fragrance go to waste, so it's not the best method if you're on a budget.
Always apply perfume before putting on your clothes and jewelry. Some fragrances will leave permanent stains on fabrics, metals, and pearls. (If you want to risk perfuming your clothing - say, spraying some scent on a scarf - be sure to test it on a hidden area of the fabric first, and spray lightly).
Perfuming the Hair
Misting the hair with fragrance is a great way to leave a gentle scent in your wake, as you move through your day. Those who you choose to get closer to be will also be rewarded with a fuller scent. Be careful only to apply perfume to freshly-washed hair, or the natural oils (and any lingering hair products) will affect the odor. Since perfume contains alcohol and can be drying to your strands, apply sparingly and from a distance. A spray or two from 8 inches away will do.
Making Fragrance Last Longer
There are a few tricks to help your fragrance last longer. For instance, a scent will fade faster when skin is dry. Applying fragrance-free moisturizer to your body is an excellent preparation for applying fragrance, and will help you get more bang for your perfume buck.
You can also help your perfume to go the distance by applying some petroleum jelly to your skin, and then applying your scent on top of that. The perfume droplets will cling to the petroleum jelly - rather than sinking into your pores - which can reduce or eliminate the need to reapply fragrance later in the day.
Layering products from the same line is another effective way to make a fragrance last. You might use the scented body gel, treat skin with the body lotion, and then spray the eau du parfum spray on top. The combination of products will help the scent to maintain fullness and extend throughout the day.
Where should I apply my perfume?
Apply your fragrance where ever the skin is especially warm and where there is good blood circulation. These are called the pulse points, where your body heat helps diffuse and magnify the aroma of fragrance. These “pulse points” on the body are the real activators of perfume. As fragrance rises in the air, it should be applied to several pulse points lower on the body and not just, for instance, at the base of the throat.
Where are my pulse points?
The main pulse points are found inside the wrists and inside the elbows. There is another one at the temple and another below the ear lobes, but not behind. At the base of the throat is another pulse point. Behind the knees is also a good place and anywhere else you can feel your heartbeat.
Should I spray or rub on perfume?
Both ways of applying fragrance work equally as well. Mists are fine and sometimes you can waste precious drops of perfume when you dab it on. This problem is minimized by getting it in a spray because that delivers a fine, even application of fragrance. An atomizer also minimizes waste but its spray is not as consistent as a spray that comes from a bottle.
What is the best way to spray perfume on?
Hold the bottle about 10 inches away and spray on your skin. An even coating of spray can happen over a wider area and this will help your fragrance last longer than just simply applying a generous amount in a small area. Should you rub one wrist against the other to dry the fragrance? No, you do not want to risk bruising the notes or do anything that might dull their development.
Where else can I spray perfume, apart from on my skin?
Try the spraying the lightest spray through your damp hair before you blow dry it, or try misting your hairbrush and comb it through with fragrance. Perhaps you might also want a touch of perfume on your handkerchief or in your purse. A spray of essence helps on padded hangers. Some people like to add a few drops of perfume to the water in a steam iron to make their clothes fragrant, and some rinse their lingerie in scented water.
Can I wear two fragrances at once?
Preferably not because each perfume is a balanced as a complete original creation. If you wear several fragrances on top of one another, you may create a sensation but, more likely, you’ll produce an odor.
What is the right way to try a fragrance?
Apply a on your skin a few drops or the lightest spray to your wrist or the back of your hand. Don’t just sniff a flacon directly because perfume comes to life only on your skin. Wait a few moments after application to give the fragrance time to bloom on your skin, then wait to let the notes ‘talk’ to you.
How should a woman choose a fragrance for a man?
Men’s fragrances are categorized into exactly the same groups as women’s. Therefore, it might be helpful to try a few different mens fragrances from the same families as your favorite name-brand scents. Of course, remember that the man for whom you are choosing this gift needs to be comfortable with the fragrance you select, so if he loves your fragrance, you will know that you’re on the right track.
How do I select a fragrance gift for a woman?
One sure way is find out which fragrances she especially likes, find out the brand names of her favorite perfumes. Once you know those magic brand names, an informed consultant or perfume expert will be able to help you select another fragrance from the same family or families of fragrance that she especially likes.
If you don’t know the actual names of her favorite fragrances, ask a consultant for advice. Describe to the lady for whom you’re buying the gift - not her hair color nor her age, but her style of dress, her personality, and her activities. Ask this consultant to suggest three fragrances, just three, never more. Take the time to test their scents on testing papers. Decide which fragrance ‘talks’ to you. Try not to be logical about this decision. Relax and let your instinct take over. Nine times out of ten, you will find that your nose will select the perfect match for her.
How do I choose a new perfume that I will enjoy?
Changing perfumes can be difficult. “Finding the right fragrance is almost as hard as finding the right man,” complained Allure magazine. Often there can be no logic in your choice of perfume because your sense of smell is so emotional, but remember that the fragrances you will most enjoy will probably belong to just one or two of the fourteen different fragrance families. Like most good things, it only takes a little effort to find a new perfume that suits you just right. Start by understanding the difference between the fragrance families. To see other fragrances in the same family, visit one of the department store fragrance finders. Check, for example, Nordstrom.com
How long will an open bottle of perfume last?
Depending on the fragrance that you buy, a fragrance stays fresh after opening anywhere from six to 18 months, if it is stored correctly. Once a bottle of fragrance has been opened it should be used up because all fragrance deteriorates with time, often because of light, citrus-based perfumes degrade in as little as six months and floral scents in about a year and a half.
How do you store perfume?
Keep your storage of fragrances in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and heat sources (such as radiators). Extreme heat or cold will upset the delicate balance of the oils and possibly change their scent. Once a bottle of perfume is opened, use it up as quickly as possible. A spray bottle lets in less air than a dab bottle and evaporates slower than a bottle with a cap but even the finest essence fades with time. If you prefer one fragrance in winter and another in the summer, you will be able to extend their life between seasons if you store the bottle in the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator.
What packaging helps keep perfume the longest?
Spray forms last longer than regular bottles because an atomizer admits less air into it than a bottle with a screw-on cap, which in turn limits the amount of air contamination and slows down the evaporation of the perfume.
How can I tell when a perfume has gone bad?
When its color has changed, or when it seems thicker than usual or when the initial notes seem to have soured, you can be assured that the fragrance is almost ‘off’.
Why has my perfume suddenly gone cloudy?
Like anise liquor, your fragrance can go cloudy when a drop of water accidentally got into it. If you keep your perfume in the bathroom, be careful that droplets of water don't condense on the inside of the bottle. Any impurity, not just water, will make fragrance go cloudy, but this does not immediately make it go bad.
What is the best way to clean out an atomizer and refill it with a new perfume?
To clean an atomizer pour some rubbing alcohol into the empty atomizer and swish it around. Let it stand for a few minutes, and then rinse out with clean water. If the atomizer is still laced with the old scent, you should repeat this step and leave the alcohol in the bottle overnight. Remember to rinse with water and dry thoroughly before pouring in the new fragrance.
How do you remove the stopper on a perfume bottle?
Try tapping the stopper in the bottle gently against a wooden surface, not against a mirror or glass. A few small taps on all sides should be enough to loosen it.
Should men use a cologne or an eau de toilette on their face?
Use neither. They can be terrible to a man’s skin. Because the act of shaving is a daily pruning of some 16,000 whiskers, which scrapes away layers of dead skin cells to expose new skin that is unprotected and very sensitive, if you use a cologne or eau de toilette it will create `shaving shock’ if splashed onto freshly shaved skin. Its high concentration of alcohol will burn your skin and dry out the new, raw skin. Instead, use an aftershave or shaving balm on your face and reserve the cologne or eau de toilette for your body.
Is there a golden rule when it comes to men and men’s fragrance?
‘Less is more’. Fragrance is always more potent than one imagines, especially when it comes to men. A man often uses a fragrance more liberally than a woman because his sense of smell tends not to be as acute. Also, men become used to splashing on an aftershave and forget that a cologne or an eau de toilette has a more concentrated, far more potent fragrance of oils.
