There’s nothing more frustrating than getting a new perfume, only to find the scent will last a whole of five seconds before it fades into the wind. We give you a few simple ways to help make your fragrance last longer and stronger, especially for your big day.
A clean slate
Timing is everything, so spraying on your perfume after a hot shower and a layer of moisturiser is the best way to lock in that scent. After a shower, your pores are clean and skin is moist, making it more susceptible to hold onto the fragrance.
Layered levels
To achieve the maximum scent profile of your favourite perfume, try layering the same scent with its matching body wash and body cream. The products work in harmony to last as long as possible and also reach areas you wouldn’t normally spray your perfume on. For that added punch, lightly mist your hair at the nape of your neck with the scent as well.
Pulse points
These points on our bodies are where blood flows closest to the surface, i.e. behind the ears, along your neck, your inner wrists and behind the elbows and knees. It is always preferred to target these areas with the scent as the skin is thinnest here and they emit natural heat from your body. This heat helps the perfume scent to evolve as the day progresses and works with your natural body scent.
Dab, don’t rub
When spraying perfume onto your skin, always dab instead of rubbing it into your skin, or better yet, just leave it. While the pulse points release heat, rubbing those points together (like your wrists) has the potential to break the perfume’s molecular structure.
The perfect distance
As obvious as it sounds to spray more perfume if you want a stronger scent pay-off, try to not overspray your perfume in one particular area. However, in that same breath, don’t spray into the air and completely miss it landing where it should. The ideal should be the perfume bottle at an angle, half an arm’s length away from your body so that it can settle evenly onto your skin.
Store away from light & heat
Lastly, always keep your perfumes away from direct sunlight and intense heat or humidity. The light and heat break down the perfume itself which causes it to fade faster than usual. One would hate to spend thousands of rands on a beautiful perfume that won’t even last you the month if it’s already broken down.
By Yashna Balwanth
Feature image: Unsplash