Apply your perfume correctly
The experts advise
Applying your perfume correctly to suit your skin and your choice of scent isn't always straightforward. Gents' customer advisor and fragrance expert Glenn here provides some tips on what you might need to consider.
WHERE SHOULD YOU SPRAY?
Finding the right level when applying a fragrance to the skin can be trickier than you might think. Many factors come into play, such as the choice of perfume, the occasion, the environment you'll be wearing it in, and how your personal skin chemistry interacts with it. But the first thing to establish is where on the skin you should spray the perfume.
When we test perfumes, this is usually done on the wrist, for several natural reasons. Firstly, the pulse works in that area, activating the perfume so that the different notes and fragrances are more easily exposed. It's also more practical to truly feel the character of the perfume we're choosing by sniffing on the hand.
However, I rarely spray on the wrists once I've chosen a perfume and am wearing it. The normal points to apply daily perfume are the glands behind the ears, which are the scent centres that primarily reach the surroundings. But also on the upper part of the chest, from where the scent reaches you when you're active and moving.
More and more people have also started to apply some spray on the neck, from where the scent spreads when you turn and move your head. Moreover, one is rarely there and touches with the hands, so the perfume can work freely without being disturbed by touch.
SKIN CHEMISTRY, ENVIRONMENT, AND CHOICE OF FRAGRANCE
The most important thing to consider is that different people's skin chemistry varies. Most perfumes of slightly better quality act, to say the least, personally on different skin types - this not only affects the character of the different scent notes but also how weak and strong the scent becomes. For example, if you have dry skin, an oil-rich extract may be absorbed by the skin and therefore disappear or become weaker more easily. Then you will likely need to increase the number of sprays, even if you may have read or been told that it should be a 'strong' perfume. Or choose a perfume that contains a greater amount of synthetic ingredients, such as ambroxan, which stays on the skin more easily.
Start with a spray behind each ear, one spray on the chest, and one on the neck as a starting point, then adjust according to the perfume and skin quality. If you belong to the category that struggles to make perfumes last, you may need to go for two behind each ear, three on the chest, and one on the neck, etc. Experiment, as every skin is unique!
However, if you have skin that exposes perfume very well and where even the freshest scent can last half a day, you should consider reducing the number of sprays or excluding some points on the skin and perhaps just focusing on the chest or behind the ears.
CHOICE OF FRAGRANCE VERSUS ENVIRONMENT
Also consider where you are and in what context you are wearing perfume. Are you sitting alone at home in front of the computer or TV? Then you can basically do whatever you want and - if you wish - drown yourself in your favourite perfume. If you're out in nightlife or at a party where you may want more attention, you can also apply a little extra there while being a bit freer in your choice of perfume and opting for something with more character.
However, this approach is unlikely to be appreciated if, for example, you are sitting in an open office environment, where you should both spray moderately and choose a perfume that does not stand out too much or could provoke. In addition to being sparing with spraying, it's a good idea to choose classic, clean, and fresh fragrances that work more intimately with the skin and less in the surroundings - if you have the type of skin that generously exposes fragrances, you should be extra careful with this. If you still want to choose a perfume with a bit more character, regulate this by being significantly more sparing with the number of sprays than you might have been in other situations. In short: adapt your spraying to the occasion and choice of perfume.
