Fragrances are an invisible part of a person’s style, and they have a very powerful effect on how the people you interact with remember you. A good cologne will give you innumerable benefits that range from boosting your self-confidence and attractiveness to fostering deeper emotional connections with people. Simply put, a good fragrance will boost the overall impression you make. All in all, how you wear your perfume will have an impact on the end results. If you want to learn how to properly wear perfume, you must start by understanding the two main types of fragrances followed by the dos and don’ts.
Linear versus non-linear fragrances
Linear fragrances are those that smell exactly the same from the time you spray them on to the time you wash them off. The non-linear fragrances, on the other hand, change and go through various notes over time. Most of the cheaper perfumes are linear because the manufacturers don’t have the budget to invest in the complex orchestration of scents. Cheap perfumes, thus, smell the same throughout the day.
If you want citrus or clean smell in the morning, musky leather smell during lunch, and nice unoffensive fresh citrus smell in the evening, non-linear perfumes are what you need. Now that you understand the two main types of perfumes let’s take a look at the dos and don’ts of wearing perfume.
Things You Should Do
Apply perfume immediately after a shower
If you want the perfume to last longer, you should apply immediately after a shower. Completely dry your skin and then spray the perfume on. The moisture on your skin will lock the scent in and keep fragrances from staining your delicate clothes. Hot showers also open up the pores, which help your skin to absorb the scents and cause them to last longer.
Apply directly to the skin
While some people will argue that applying perfume on clothes makes the scent last longer, the best way to apply perfume is direct to the skin. The skin contains oils that will combine with the fragrance to exude a more impressive scent. In addition to that, your body heat will push the sweet scent from you throughout the day, thus creating a scent trail.
Dab the pulse points
Even though applying perfume directly on the skin is crucial, some areas offer the best results. With that in mind, your focus when applying perfume should be on the warmest parts of the body. These include the neck, chest, lower jaw, wrists, inner elbow, shoulder, and forearm. Don’t spray all of these spots at once. That will be too much. 2 to 3 spots will be enough.
Rub Vaseline on first
Vaseline is your friend when using perfume. It helps lock in the scents and makes them last longer. Prior to applying perfume, rub Vaseline on the pulse points. Rubbing unscented lotion before spritzing on perfume will also do wonders. Oilier skins tend to retain scents longer, so oil-based moisturizers will help lock the scents in better. While it may seem weird, spraying behind the ears will make the perfume last longer. This is because these areas are oiler.
Hold the perfume away from the body
To get the right amount of perfume, you need to hold the perfume about 5 to 7 inches from the body. The general rule is if your skin gets too wet from the spray, you are holding the spray too close. You also need to remember that a little bit is enough.
Check the expiration date
Just like most products, perfumes also have an expiration date. If the smell is sharp when you open your perfume bottle, there is a good chance it has expired. For obvious reasons, you should not use expired perfume.
Things You Should Not Do
Don’t rub, just spray
Some fragrance myths have been around for so long they seem scientific. One of these myths is that of rubbing the wrists together after applying perfume. Rubbing perfume onto the skin only succeeds in causing the scents to fade much faster. This is because rubbing breaks the molecular bond in a fragrance. If you will not be spraying, simply dab but never rub.
Don’t spray on dry skin
When your skin is too dry, it will not hold the scents for long. As aforementioned, the best time to apply perfume is immediately after a shower. This is when your skin is moist, and the pores are open. Applying on dry skin means the alcohol will not be absorbed and will thus evaporate faster, taking the scents away with it. If it is inconvenient for you to take a shower now, you should use lotion or rub Vaseline on your dry skin before applying perfume.
Don’t apply non-linear fragrance on clothing
When using a non-linear fragrance, you must never apply it directly on the clothes. The reason for this is applying on clothes keeps the fragrance from mixing with your body oils. This will prevent the fragrance from going through the stages of notes as it should. When sprayed on clothes, even the most expensive non-linear fragrance will end up with a monochrome and flat scent. The oils in the fragrance may also stain your clothes.
Don’t mist, spritz
It looks cool to spray perfume into the air then walk through, doesn’t it? The problem is this method only leads to wastage. Most of the perfume will evaporate, and only a small amount will actually land on you. To save perfume and make the scent last longer, you just need to spritz directly on your bare skin.
Conclusion
While the above points will help you wear perfume properly, the culture and environment you are in will play a huge role in the fragrance game. For example, when the weather is hot, strong fragrances will be a bother both to you and the people around you. This is because when it is hot, the scents tend to rise faster and spread further. You may have to reapply your perfume in hot and humid regions. All in all, the way you wear perfume is both personal and subjective. It all depends on your preferences.
