How to Make Perfume Fragrance Last Longer

Suzanne has worked for many leading fragrance houses through the years, including Christian Dior, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein.

Perfume Fragrance

Wearing a perfume or perfume fragrance is something many of us do daily, but does it really last? Do we wish it would somehow last longer on our skin since it was not exactly cheap perfume?

Seen by many as an absolute must to adorn our bodies with, perfume or parfum is also viewed as a luxury item. In other words, do we want it? Yes. But do we need it? No.

I have worked for many leading fragrance houses through the years, including Christian Dior, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, and I love fragrance! Learning the tricks of the trade in selling perfumes and their associated products, you also pick up great tips about making your perfume last, which I will now share with you here.

A perfume which lasts is carrying the direction of the future!

— Michel Roudnitska

How to Make Perfume Last

Recently, a family member gave me a spray of her 100 ml bottle of Abercrombie fragrance, a gift at Christmas. Fresh and woody, it was ideal for everyday use and had unisex appeal. I fell in love with this magical scent, and, knowing the sort of prices perfumes go for, I was not shocked (well, maybe a little!) to hear it sells at €100 euro a bottle!

The point is that perfumes are not cheap, and there are three little words that cover the principles I use for extending the way my scents last:

• HOW we use and apply fragrance,
• WHERE we use and apply fragrance,
• and WHEN we use and apply fragrance.

If you are like me and love fragrant smells, be it from a bowl of homemade potpourrilightly wafting through your home or even a natural fragrant air freshener simmering on the stove, you will definitely want to extend the life of your favourite bottle of perfume.

Two things make the women unforgettable, their tears and their perfume

— Sacha Guitry

Layering Prolongs Perfume

Layering your fragrance is the first step in how to extend the life of your scent. Layering is a term used which does what it says; you basically are layering the same fragrance onto the skin in different products which releases different intensities.

1. When in the bath or shower, use soap, shower gel, bath salts, shampoo or conditioner in your chosen scent. Many brands will do a range of body products and are cheaper versions of the perfume.
2. After drying off, apply a body spray, deodorant, body lotion, body cream, body oil or even talcum powder again in the same fragrance.
3. Applying your perfume is the final stage.

I love using a shower gel and body lotion or body cream and sometimes just using the body products are enough which is more cost effective. You will generally buy two or three body care products for the price of the perfume. Why not use your body lotion for daytime and combine with the perfume for evening, to help extend your precious scent.

How to Apply Perfume

How you apply your perfume is vital. How many of you have gone into a store and taken a spray of the latest and greatest on your wrists and rubbed your wrists together?

Well, DON’T DO IT AGAIN! A common mistake made, the rubbing action totally bruises or destroys the many different fragrance notes used, thereby you will not get the true scent and it will disappear quickly.

• Spray the wrist lightly and leave to absorb naturally.
• If applying a dab-on scent, just lightly dab on the wrists or pulse points without rubbing it in.
• Fragrance lasts longer when applied directly after a shower or bath when the skin is warm and pores are open.
• Always apply fragrance before you put on any clothes and jewellery. Some perfumes will affect certain fabrics and leave stains. With jewellery, metals, stones and pearls could be damaged permanently. It is not worth risking and is wasting your prized perfume.
• Fancy a waft of scent through your hair then spray your hair brush and brush it through. You can spray a mist into the air 12 inches away and walk into it as another tip, before getting dressed.
• One for ladies is to spray a cotton ball with your perfume and place in your bra. This is great if you don’t want to spray fragrance into the skin folds where sweat glands between the breasts can cause sweat irritations.
• Storage of your fragrance is important. As much as we love having our bottles of perfume on display they should be kept in their original packaging, in a closed cabinet or in a drawer to avoid the damaging sunlight.

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Where to Apply Perfume

The Pulse Points are the best as they produce heat which is vital in releasing the different fragrance notes in the perfume.

Many people do not consider the pulse points when spraying themselves or dabbing on their scent but they are key to prolonging fragrance. These are:

• The wrists
• The temples on the face
• The base of the throat
• Between the breasts
• In the elbows
• Behind the knees
• Inside the ankles
• Jaw line close to the ears (better than behind the ears where the pulse point is because the ear has particular glands that will affect the way your perfume smells)

A woman should wear fragrance wherever she expects to be kissed!

— Coco Chanel

Soft, Supple Skin: Moisturizing Makes Your Fragrance Last Longer

Keeping the skin moisturized will help prolong your fragrance. We all know how oils, lotions or creams make our skins feel more moisturized, soft and supple. When we look at perfume, there is a certain amount of alcohol in most fragrances which evaporates on the skin and if the skin is dry it goes even quicker.

If you do not have the match just use an unscented body lotion, it will still be beneficial. Even apply a tiny amount of olive oil, coco butter or shea butter to the pulse points before applying perfume as it will help the scent last.

A perfume is an intimate object; it is the reflector of the heart

— Emanuel Ungaro

Which Type of Fragrance?

The type of fragrance you buy will also determine the concentration level which has a direct impact on a fragrance’s longevity The higher the percentage of aromatic compounds, the longer lasting the fragrance.

Most Popular Fragrance Types

Homemade Perfume Recipes

• How to Make Homemade Perfume
  Your favorite fragrance can tell a lot about your personality. Are you an outdoor type who loves the fresh scents, romantic or adventurous who loves some woodsy scents, a modern woman who enjoys changing it up and mixing up styles or the classic one

Perfume Poll

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

How to Make Perfume Fragrance Last Longer Comments

valentine on June 06, 2018:

i love the writeup about perfume.pls always keep me in touch of the new fragrances

Helene on July 18, 2017:

I love the idea of using perfume on a cotton ball and putting it in your bra. I've never heard that idea before.

healthystylish on March 25, 2017:

Perfume sometimes defines your personality. It has to say a lot. Thus, when choosing a perfume you should be extremely careful. There is one more thing. If you don’t like using the synthetic perfumes then you can even create your own natural and organic one. Follow the advice that we give you here at Healthy and Stylish and see how amazingly you can create your own perfume. We know that just like every other product, perfume also plays a vital role in your life. So, we just came up for helping you out! Fragrance can make your moods on and it can even make the opposite person feel better about you.

Nadia on June 28, 2016:

Thanks!

That was very useful. :)

Cherylann Mollan from India on February 21, 2014:

Hi Suzie! Very informative article. I was one of the blunder makers, rubbing my wrists after spraying perfume. I've seen people do that a lot and thought that's how it's supposed to be done. I'll give that a skip now. I particularly liked the layering technique you spoke about. It never struck me to do that as I've always used different soaps, lotions and perfumes. Will surely give this technique a try.

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on October 03, 2013:

Hi Celiegirl,

Delighted you enjoyed these tips!

Celiegirl on October 03, 2013:

Very informative!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on April 21, 2013:

Hi bookworm,

It works a treat as does layering your fragrance too. Glad you found interesting hope you give some o the tips a try! Appreciate your comments!

Sheene Kirlew from Jamaica on April 21, 2013:

Spraying on a cotton ball and placing in my bra? I must try that. I love perfume, so this article had me riveted. Great hub!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on February 21, 2013:

Thanks Cris Sp, your very kind I try to write from the heart and about what I enjoy so it is great to know it is enjoyed. Appreciate your link too!!

CrisSp from Sky Is The Limit Adventure on February 21, 2013:

Suzie, glad to connect with another brilliant hubber -YOU- and thank you so much for linking my hub. Appreciate the support and will be my absolute pleasure to link this back. Happy hubbing!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on February 21, 2013:

Hi dghbrh,

Great to see you again! Many thanks for your comments, lovely story about wearing fragrance to bed, something many do, believe it or not for a more restful sleep. Lavender is particularly good in fragrance for this. Appreciate your votes and shares so much. Happy Thursday to you!!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on February 21, 2013:

Hi Cris Sp,

Another perfume fan! Excellent! Thanks for letting me know about your hub I must drop in on it. Appreciate your thumbs up, share and pin, great to have the support!!

deergha from ...... a place beyond now and beyond here !!! on February 21, 2013:

This hub is so very much useful and interesting. You have done a very comprehensive work here. I loved mainly the layering thing you have shared here. Many thanks for this one. I am such a perfume maniac that even i prefer to wear a perfume while going for my sleep. As i prefer to sleep on the fragrance for a better and HAPPY sleep.......LOL. Thanks again and I am sharing it sure. Votes all ++++++++

CrisSp from Sky Is The Limit Adventure on February 20, 2013:

Ahh, perfumes! I have this crazy obsession on perfumes that I even have to hub about How To Make Homemade Perfume (no plugging intended). Thanks for all the great ideas...will keep them in mind.

Up and sharing on hubland, FB and pinning.

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on January 15, 2013:

Hi Daniel,

men's colognes definitely work similarly to women's fragrance in the pulse points of the skin. If using aftershave it is the least concentrated as it is designed to splash on the face after shaving whereas eau de toilette is stronger and too concentrate for this and may sting. Glad you enjoyed, thanks for the comments!

Daniel Johnston from Portland, Oregon on January 14, 2013:

Interestingly enough, I just came in to look at the pictures - but stayed because I realized I had pretty expensive cologne that this would work well with. I knew about three locations, four of them are news to me, and one I don't have.

Thanks for the enrichment (both knowledge and in less money spent with refreshing cologne)!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on January 08, 2013:

Hi Mama K!!

Good to see you back! Delighted you enjoyed this. Just a few little tips can make your favorite scent last so much better and when buying a fragrance as if you rub wrists or apply a few different scents to test you will not get the true fragrance. Even using the tester cards many stores supply are better when trying different ones. Thanks so much for your votes, lovely to see you back!! :-)

Sasha Kim on January 06, 2013:

A lot of fantastic tips here! Thank you! I have a particular perfume I love to wear every day and will certainly be keeping these tips in mind ^_^ voting a bunch!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on January 02, 2013:

Hi prasetio,

Delighted you enjoyed this fragrance hub and hopefully you will find useful for yourself and the family. Really appreciate you stopping by for a read and for your generous votes!! Cheers!!

Suzanne Ridgeway (author) from Dublin, Ireland on January 02, 2013:

Hi teaches,

Fragrance in the hairbrush is an easy but effective way of having a light scent over the hair. Many thanks for your comments much appreciated as always my friend.

prasetio30 from malang-indonesia on January 01, 2013:

Very inspiring hub. I love the smell of the fragrance. Suzie, you have useful hub and I am glad to follow your tips. Voted up. useful and interesting..

Prasetio

Dianna Mendez on January 01, 2013:

I like your suggestion to spray your hairbrush with perfume -- this is really a nice idea. I don't wear it often but your tips will be followed for the times I do!