When it comes to longevity, everyone wants to get the most out of their fragrances. Recently, I came across an article on Cosmopolitan about ways to make your fragrance last longer. The article specifically talks about perfumes for women, but a fragrance is a fragrance regardless of who it's for.
Most of these are pretty obvious, but some of them actually got me thinking. In the article, they discuss 17 specific things you can do, and while I think all of them make sense and deserve consideration, when it comes to making my fragrances last longer, I only faithfully use three tricks to help.
In today's post, I'm going to go into a bit of detail for each trick. Let me know if you agree with my list, prefer the ones from Cosmopolitan or have your own tricks not mentioned.
Let's get into it:
Spray your clothes but make sure to apply an equal amount to your skin
This one is actually probably the most common trick out there to increase longevity, and the very first trick according to Cosmo. Myriads of different reviewers emphasize the importance of applying a fragrance to your clothes, but what they don't tell you is that you need to make sure to apply at least an equal amount to your skin.
It is true that the fibers in your clothes can hold onto a fragrance for much longer than your skin-- depending on the fabric of course-- but a fragrance cannot project for long, or in some cases, at all, from your clothes. This is because the temperature of your clothes doesn't change, and what helps a fragrance project is your body's temperature, hence why you should apply fragrance to your pulse points.
To test this out, I applied Dior Sauvage EDT to my clothes only to see how it would effect its overall performance. The results were really no surprise: the fragrance itself only lasted half the time it does when applied to skin and it didn't project at all.
I tried this using a linen shirt and didn't try with other materials, but I would predict it to have similar results on different fibers.
So the way to get the most out of your fragrance is to apply to a few pulse points and your clothes. Typically, I apply 8 sprays: one to each wrist, two to my neck, one to my chest, and three to my shirt collar. I've found this helps me get the most out of wearing a fragrance, but regardless of where you apply, make sure to get both your skin and clothes
Know your fragrance
Number 12 on Cosmo's list is to familiarize yourself with a fragrance, and while it probably seems really obvious to most of us, I still think it's well worth noting. As with anything in life, the more you know about something the better you are at doing or using whatever it is.
Fragrances are no different.
As you probably knew or now know from reading my blog posts, there is a lot of information about fragrances ranging from specific terminology-- such as top notes, middle/heart notes, and base notes, as mentioned in the article-- to knowing the basics of when and where to apply a fragrance.
You definitely don't need to become an expert, but knowledge is power, and the more you know the better suited you are at making your fragrance last longer.
I recommend at least learning basic terminology and understanding the different notes in a fragrance. I talk about the differ kinds a bit in the first part of my signature scent guide, but if you want a complete overview, check out this article by Real Men Real Style which includes some potentially useful infographics.
Try not to mind the superfluous amount of ads if you do take a look at it!
Moisturizer 20 minutes before you apply
I've messed around with this one a bit and have found that 20 minutes is the ideal time between moisturizing and applying a fragrance. Why? Because that gives the moisturizer enough time to settle on your skin and help your fragrance perform it's best.
A moisturizer, typically unscented although not necessarily, will help by making your skin a bit more oily, which helps a fragrances perform better than if you applied to your dry skin. Along this same line of thinking, Cosmo, as well as myself, recommend that you apply a fragrance shortly after taking a shower.
I'm not certain why moist skin is preferable to dry skin, but if I were to take an educated guess, it probably has something to do with your skin not absorbing the fragrance as quickly when it's moisturized or damp. I'm not a science person, so if anyone reading this is able to confirm or knows why for sure, let me know in the comments!
Regardless, moisturizing really does help. It usually gives me at least an extra hour or two with a fragrance compared to if I just apply it on dry skin.
Unscented moisturizer makes the most sense to use, but if you want to get creative, try using something scented that could enhance your fragrance. For example, in my Dior Sauvage review, I mention how when I wear Sauvage I like to use the moisturizer first.
I actually use the moisturizer first regardless of what I decide to wear, but it particularly helps the Sauvage spray perform better.
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Conclusion:
There you have it: three tricks I frequently use to help improve the performance of my fragrance- spraying my clothes and skin equally, knowing the specifics about my fragrance, and using moisturizer.
If you haven't already, I definitely recommend reading Cosmo's list. While it's definitely more of a list and less explanation, they suggest a few things that even I had never heard of. Keep in mind too that their article talks explicitly about perfumes, so some of what they say might seem a bit strange, but in my opinion, is still worth trying.
Again, let me know what you think about my three tricks and let me know if you have any that you find to be helpful. Let me know in the comments, so everyone can benefit from your feedback!
-Ryan S.
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