Scent holds surprising power, as it can define you and become your signature, leaving a firm mark for people to remember you by. It can also help you to remember a specific place, event, person or period of time.
But while it’s great to smell nice the whole day long, it can be difficult to make the scent of your favourite perfume last that long. Experts say that this could be because you’re applying the perfume in the wrong way. To make your signature scent last longer, you need to make sure it is able to connect with your skin and stay put all day.
Luckily, with just a few simple tricks, you can get the most out of your favourite fragrance. Here’s how to give your perfume some staying power.
Target pulse points: Fragrance reacts to heat, so applying perfume to parts of the body that are likely to heat up during the day helps release and develop the scent. Choose a couple of these pulse points, like the wrists, the nape of the neck, inside the elbows or behind the knees. These are warm areas that will help to diffuse fragrance across the body and allow the scent to rise throughout the day.
Rub on Vaseline: To get extra life out of your fragrance, smear a small amount of Vaseline on the pulse points before spraying on your perfume. This will hold the fragrance to the skin longer than if you were to spray it onto dry skin.
Spray a hairbrush: Lightly spray a hairbrush with perfume and brush through your hair. The alcohol in the perfume can dry out your hair, so don’t apply it directly.
Store properly: Humidity, heat and light can break down perfume, weaken its quality and intensity, and cause it to expire faster. Don’t store perfume in the bathroom, but store it in a cool, dark and dry place instead.
Apply after a shower: The moisture on your skin will help to lock in the scent after a shower. Perfume will last longest if applied right afterwards when the pores are still open. Dry off and then spray on your perfume.
Moisturise: Oily skin retains fragrance for longer. After you towel dry, apply an unscented lotion to moisturise your skin before putting on perfume. Using an oil-based moisturiser first will help to lock in the scent.
Choose the right time: Wait a few minutes for the scent to dry. Moist skin will lock in the scent, but if you get dressed immediately it will rub off.
Spray onto bare skin: Apply fragrance directly onto your skin before you put on any clothes. Perfume smells the best and lasts the longest when it is able to meld with the natural oils on your body.
Never rub: Don’t dab fragrance on your wrists after spraying. Rubbing breaks down the perfume’s structure and ultimately weakens the scent and makes it disappear faster than intended.
Spray perfume on your clothes: Clothing fibres are able to hold in scent for a long time. So, spritz perfume on your clothes and don’t just stick to spraying your body for a long-lasting scent.
Layer your fragrances: To maximise your fragrance, apply the same scented beauty products to help make your scent last longer. Spray the stronger scent first, and then top it up with the lighter fragrance so that the first doesn’t overpower the second.
Line drawers with scented tissue paper: Line dresser drawers with tissue paper and spray them a few times with your signature scent. The tissue paper will absorb the fragrance and make your clothes and towels smell amazing.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 27 February, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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