10 Perfume Hacks To Make Your Fragrance Last Longer

Some women change their perfume according to their age or their style. Others change fragrances according to the seasons. Whether they are still affectionate to Chanel N.5 or experimenting with new scents, all of them hope their perfume will last the whole day. 

How long a scent lasts on our skin, though, depends on several factors: the way we apply it, our pH, fluctuating hormones and diet, too. What’s more, it requires a little more than just a spray on our wrists: it’s more likely a combination of tricks we should get to know better if we want to be surrounded by our favourite perfume for more than just a couple of hours.

Making fragrances last longer

Here are some effective ways often recommended by perfumiers like Sylvaine Delacourte, former Perfume Creative Director at Guerlain, and now venturing out under her own name with a collection of extraordinary Eau de parfums, to make your fragrance last longer (even in summer!)

Apply perfume after a shower

According to experts, the best time to spray perfume on your skin is just after your shower. This is because moisture gives your fragrance something to hold on to; your open pores will soak up the scent and you will smell lovely. However, don’t apply the perfume while your skin is still wet as you may risk rubbing it off when you dry yourself.

Moisturise your skin 

Dry skin doesn’t hold perfume. The more hydrated your body is, the longer the fragrance will last. So, massage a bit of unscented lotion on your skin before you spray on your perfume.

Avoid misting

Some women enjoy spraying their perfume into the air and then walking through it. But most of the time, they’re just wasting the product and the scent will evaporate after a short amount of time.

Spray, don’t rub

Do avoid rubbing the wrists together after application, to prevent “crushing” the scent. The friction breaks down the fragrance molecules and can alter the true essence of the formula. Wait for the perfume to develop slowly.

Apply perfume on your pulse points

Pulse points — namely, the inner wrists, the base of the throat, behind ear lobes, in the cleavage, behind knees, and the inner elbows – are the warmest parts of our body and that’ll help diffuse the fragrance even better. 

Choose the right concentration 

When shopping for perfume, you’ve probably come across terms like Parfum, Eau de Parfum, Eau de Toilette, and Eau de Cologne. These terms actually refer to concentration which describes the amount of pure perfume oil within a fragrance. Generally, the higher the perfume concentration, the higher the longevity on the skin and also the price.

Spray it on your clothes

Don’t just stick to spraying perfume on your body, also spray it over your clothes as it’s a great way to keep your scent going all day long. Natural fabrics such as cotton and linen can be wonderful conductors of fragrance (avoid silk, it may stain).

Use oil and solid perfumes in Summer 

Oils and solid formulations are definitely the most long-lasting because they cling to the skin and are less volatile. These are ideal especially in summer when it’s so easy to sweat off every beauty product.

Layer products from the same line 

This is another effective way to make a fragrance last: you might use the scented shower gel first, then the body lotion, and finish by spraying the Eau de parfum on top. The combination of products will help the scent to extend throughout the day.

Store it properly

Heat, light, and humidity can all break down the compounds in a perfume. To keep scent unaltered, store your bottle in a cool place, away from direct sunlight, and ideally out of the bathroom, as the heat and humidity from showers and baths could damage it greatly.

Last but not least, make sure not to overdo it. Remember, even if you can’t smell your perfume after a few hours, that doesn’t mean other people can’t!

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