We spray perfume just before we go out in the hope that our favourite fragrance will smell great on us throughout the day - however, by lunchtime it seems as though our perfume scent is just a distant memory.
No matter what fragrance you're spritzing, we're sharing with you our top fragrance hacks on how to get your perfume to last longer!
Choose a Higher Concentration of Perfume Oil
Is your favourite perfume an Eau de Toilette or Eau de Parfum?
This will contribute massively to how long your perfume scent lingers on you.
Out of those two options, the Eau de Parfum (EDP) will last longer than the Eau de Toilette (EDT) as it has a higher percentage strength or concentration of oil in the carrier (or base – usually alcohol).
Check out our Fragrance Concentration Guide for more information.
Some fragrances come in both EDP and EDT variations, such as Y by YSL - there is a men's EDT as well as the men's EDP - so be sure to check this out.
Moisturise Before Applying
After we step out the shower and moisturise, our next step should be to then spray our perfume directly on our skin. The moisture helps to lock in the fragrance molecules so much better than dry skin would, which will therefore hold the scent for longer.
Why not go one step further? We can use our favourite scented body wash that will compliment our perfume, dab ourselves dry (leaving a little moisture on our skin), use a scent complimenting body lotion and then spray our perfume onto our skin.
For best results, allow your skin to dry before getting dressed to minimise the chances of your perfume rubbing off your skin and onto your clothes - because then the fragrance won't last as long as it would on our skin.
Don't Just Spray a Cloud and Walk Into It
As we just mentioned, perfume doesn't last as long on clothes as it does when directly applied onto our skin, therefore spraying and walking into a beautifully scented cloud will just be ineffective in the hope for perfume scent longevity.
Instead, when applied directly onto our skin, the heat from it plus it's natural oils allow a fragrance to go through its full life cycle to a much deeper extent.
Apply Onto Your Pulse Points
We've all heard this one, but it actually does work!
Pulse points such as neck, wrists, heart, behind your ears or even ankles and knees have thinner skin, therefore they produce more heat. When a perfume is applied directly to these areas, this, in turn, will help the scent to radiate upwards - so applying on your knees or ankles will ensure the scent lasts for longer due to heat rising from these pulse points, wafting our perfume up into the air so we can smell it for longer!
Another fragrance hack alongside this one would be to apply non-scented lip balm to your pulse points before spraying your perfume, as the lip balm will help the improve the longevity of the scent even more, as well as ensuring the fragrance isn't overpowering.
Avoid Rubbing Wrists Together
We've all done it!
We try a new perfume on our wrist, then instinctively rub our wrists together; this will actually damage the fragrance molecules, which will then not only distort the scent as it should be, but the perfume also won't last as long.
Resist the urge to rub your wrists at all costs!
Spray Perfume On Your Hairbrush
By spraying your perfume on your hairbrush, when the alcohol dries out, it will leave the fragrance oil - this is much kinder to your hair than directly applying because the alcohol will dry out your hair.
The Finishing Touch
Finally, we spray our clothes - but not too much!
Over-spraying will not help with making your fragrance last longer, instead it may become overpowering for you, as well as passers by!
Fabrics can hold perfume for such a long time, so it'd be a waste not to spritz some on just before you leave the house for that extra boost of scent.