Imagine this scene: A girl boss is dressed to-the-tee for the meeting of a lifetime. She wants to make an impression so she surely won’t forget to spritz with her go-to power-fragrance. She wants the scent to last all day, so she gives a couple of extra spritzes for good measure. She rapidly rubs her wrists together, grabs her bag, and heads out the door.
For many of us, this scene is far too familiar. What you may not know is that the spritzing technique we’ve been using for years is all wrong! Applying perfume, much like choosing a fragrance that suits you, is a subtle art. It takes some practice to really make your scent glow. Here are 4 things perfume-applying faux-pas we should correct to make our scents last into the night.
- Bad timing
So many of us think of adding perfume as the last and final touch to our getting-ready routine, almost like the “cherry-on-top”. Like our Girlboss in the story above, most of us apply our perfumes when our skin is completely dry.
An ideal application method is to apply it just after you get out of the shower. When your skin is moist, which will help it lock in your fragrance. For extra longevity, apply an unscented moisturizing lotion before dabbing on your perfume. Moisturized skin helps to keep the scent anchored, making your favorite scent last longer.
- Forgetting your pulse points
Is our Girlboss the only one out there that applies perfume just on her wrists? We’ve done it too! Besides our wrists, there are other important places on our bodies that we should also be applying our fragrance.
A better approach is to dab or spray perfume onto the various ‘pulse points’ around your body. Think of these as the places where your blood flows close to the surface of the skin. The heat from these pulse points helps the perfume radiate evenly throughout your day. Next time you apply your fragrance, focus on applying to your wrists, neck, and over your heart. For an extra special occasion, give the back of your knees a spritz too!
- Rubbing it in
Contrary to just about everything we knew about applying our perfume, it turns out that rubbing is not the correct way. If you’re like us, we thought that if you rub it in, you’re really locking it into your skin! Well, we can just call ourselves older and wiser for learning that rubbing your perfume into your skin is a habit we’ll all have to ditch.
The friction caused by rubbing the wrists creates heat, which burns the fragrance off faster – especially the top notes. This makes your perfume evaporate much faster than it normally would. Some experts even think that rubbing your skin brings out enzymes which more quickly degrade the perfume.
Next time you apply your fragrance, resist the urge to rub! Instead, after you’ve dabbed, sprayed, or rolled your fragrance, just allow it to dry naturally!
- Using too much
When you want your scent to last all day, you might be tempted to spray a couple of extra times. While we may think that this packs on the fragrance to make it last longer, all it really will do, is make your smell too strong for a few hours. There is no guarantee that it will stay as strong for the entirety of your day (and quite possibly, you’ll still lose it by the end of the day).
The better method is reapplication! Give yourself little booster sprays (or rolls) throughout the day. When your first application has somewhat faded, perhaps after lunch or on your way to happy hour, spray on a bit more. A great on-the-go option is to have our travel rollies in your favorite scent on hand for these touch-up moments. Perfect for your purse, or in your desk drawer!
With these simple tricks, you'll be a perfume-applying pro in no time!
