Have you ever wondered where you should apply your perfume, or how?

We’re here to help with some tips and facts learned from the professionals within the industry.

There is a lengthy thought and care that goes into this process than one would think.

Let’s start with where…

Fragrance can be applied to anywhere on the body you like, however it is recommended that the best spots are the pulse points. This would be the neck, wrists, behind the knees, and even the ankles. Pulse points are where your skin is thinner, and the pulse can be felt. The reason being is that these points are where our body creates heat and moisture, which helps the scent to diffuse naturally, warming and amplifying the notes.

Spraying fragrance on your clothing, can oftentimes make the scent last longer on fabric than it will on the skin. But keep in mind that a scent will not develop on fabric as it will on skin. You’ll also want to be careful with certain fabrics, as some can become stained by perfume due the oils.

Spritzing the scent on your hair, can dry out your tresses because of some chemicals.

Now the how…

There are differing opinions on how to apply your fragrance, and we recommend applying directly to the skin, spritzing from a few inches away. The higher the strength of the fragrance, such as Eau de Parfum or a Parfum or Extrait, the fewer sprays you will need.

Some people prefer misting the fragrance into the air and walking through it. Doing this will ultimately waste a good amount of fragrance, as half of that cloud will be falling and scenting your floor. 

Finally few tips and facts about the why…

You may have heard that you should not rub your fragrance, and we agree. Rubbing your fragrance creates a different type of heat from your pulse that will change the way your scent interacts with your personal body chemistry, changing it from how it would smell if developing naturally. Maison Francis Kurkdjian, as quoted in a Vogue article (2018), uses an example of wearing a floral perfume - “With a floral, for example, [heat] warms up everything, ultimately [causing it] to lose its crispness,”.

A further example of this comes from Nasreen herself - rubbing your perfume is like crushing a Rose. It changes the scent and makes it different. 

Climate can also play a role in the way your fragrance develops or changes. Natural oils produced when sweating can affect the way your fragrance smells. Because of the way heat diffuses a fragrance, a rich or woody scent can sometimes become too much for the senses, making you feel like you’ve sprayed too much. Changing the type of scent you wear based on the weather, or climate, you’re in can make a difference in how you feel while wearing it.

Longevity can be enhanced by using a shower gel and lotion or cream in the same scent as your fragrance and it can also help make your scent pop like Delina body cream by Parfums de Marly. An unscented lotion or cream will help with longevity as well, as fragrant oils can be absorbed more quickly, and seem to fade faster, if skin is dry.

Layering with another fragrance can help with longevity, as well as to help some notes flourish and others to soften. This also helps your fragrance become truly you by creating a scent that is all yours.

For example, Giordino Benessere has some single note fragrances like Amber, Sandalo E Mirra, Rosa Dorotea, White Musk, Tuberose that are pure extraits and can be layered with your fragrance to give it a twist. Petit Matin by Maison Francis Kurkdjian can be worn in the morning and layered in the evening with Grand Soir.

Reapplying your scent if you feel it’s faded too quickly or if you want a refresher before going out in the evening can also work. Ultimately, we think you should do what makes you feel best.

Fragrance fading. If you feel like the fragrance has faded away, it can be attributed to the strength of the fragrance being too light, which is attributed to the type of fragrance purchased (e.g. Eau De Toilette, Cologne, Body Mist).  Not always, but sometimes our own senses can play tricks on us, causing us to think that the fragrance is not strong because we have trained our senses with stronger aromas. There is also a concept called “Nose Blindness” which is essentially when our brain familiarizes itself with certain scents that have been exposed to you regularly. It is like the brain is categorizing familiar smells in an area and then when you are exposed to unfamiliar scent, it places that in another compartment until it is ready to accept that part of the norm. It is all part of the evolutionary trait, to accept the familiar and reject the non-familiar. However, in reality, no one really knows or understands why this occurs.

There are many factors to consider when it comes to wearing perfume. The time of the day, is it an event, special occasion, seasons or just because.  All these external factors come into consideration when actually selecting the fragrance that should be applied on you! 

We would love to hear from you if we have missed something that you are still curious about!

In the words of Coco Chanel, fragrance should be applied “wherever one wants to be kissed”.

-Valleri Ortiz