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Fragrances can be a pricey cosmetic item to add to your daily grooming routine. So it can be frustrating when you need to refresh your perfume throughout the day to make the scent last longer. All those extra spritzes add up and reduce the life of your favorite bottles. Plus, sometimes, it's not realistic to carry around the bottle throughout the day to refresh the scent as needed.
So, how can you stop your perfume's scent from fading so fast? It all comes down to your application technique and the way you store your perfume bottles.
How to make perfume last throughout the day
Apply perfume after your shower
For optimal results, apply your fragrance immediately after your shower. The steam from the shower helps open the pores of your skin and absorb the scent better. The heat also maximizes the perfume's aroma, giving you a longer-lasting scent with a smaller amount of fragrance.
Your skin is also free of oils and dirt when fresh out of the shower, meaning that the fragrance doesn't react with sweat or grime, which can lessen the aroma of the perfume.
Moisturize your skin
Perfume sits on the surface of your skin when applied and evaporates throughout the day. The dryer your skin, the quicker the scent will evaporate. When you apply perfume on moisturized skin, the fragrance takes longer to evaporate, meaning the scent will last longer.
For optimal results, apply moisturizer to clean skin after a shower. Make sure that any body moisturizer you use is unscented. Moisturizers with fragrance can interfere with the aroma of your perfume as the two scents mingle. Since this makes your perfume last longer, you can apply a smaller amount, so you'll get more uses out of a single bottle of fragrance.
Apply your perfume to your pulse points
Your pulse points refer to areas including:
The inside of your wrist
The crook of your elbow
Your neck
These areas are where your blood flows closest to the skin's surface. As a result, the skin is warmer here than elsewhere on the body. Scents are more potent and last longer when heat is applied, so spritzing your perfume in these locations means your fragrance lasts longer. In warm weather, when wearing shorts or skirts, you can apply a summer perfume to pulse points such as the backs of your knees.
Apply petroleum jelly to your skin before spritzing
Using petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, you can combine the effects of moisturizing skin and applying perfume to pulse points. This method is an excellent alternative if applying body moisturizer to your skin is not an option.
Apply a small amount of petroleum jelly onto your pulse points. Spray the perfume onto your pulse points immediately after. Your skin absorbs the jelly for a moisturizing effect, allowing the scent to last longer.
Don't rub in your fragrance
While it's common practice to rub your wrists together or along the neck after applying perfume, it can fade the scent faster.
There are two reasons behind this. Firstly, the friction from the rubbing makes the fragrance's top notes fade quicker. The top notes are the more vibrant smells you get from perfume for around five minutes after spraying.
Secondly, oils naturally occur on the skin's surface. Rubbing perfume into the skin causes the scent's molecules to mix with these oils. Not only does this mean the aroma won't last as long, but it can also change the overall scent of the perfume on your skin.
Spray some scent on your hairbrush
Applying perfume to your hair can provide extra body to the fragrance. It's especially effective with long hair because movement throughout the day releases the scent.
However, perfumes contain alcohol and can dry out your hair if applied directly from the bottle. Instead, you can use a couple of light spritzes on your hairbrush or comb. Run the scented brush through your hair.
You can also comb the perfume into wet or dry hair, depending on your preference. This method is particularly effective if you comb right from the roots because the heat from your scalp helps to release the scent.
Store your bottle correctly and never shake it
Many cosmetic products require shaking before use to ensure ingredients are blended before application. While it might be tempting to give your perfume bottle a little shake before spritzing, shaking it can weaken the scent and allow it to wear off faster on the skin. It allows air bubbles into the liquid, which disrupts the molecules and the delicate chemical bonds that make up the fragrance.
Similarly, storing your perfume correctly goes a long way toward preserving the strength and longevity of the scent. Heat and light can both disturb the chemical balance of the molecules and weaken or change the aroma. So, keep perfume bottles in a dry place out of direct sunlight so that the light and heat do not disrupt the strength or odor of the fragrance.
What you need to buy to make perfume last longer
Vaseline is one of the world’s best-known brands of petroleum jelly. It dries quickly on the skin without leaving residue, and when it comes to application to pulse points, this 100-milliliter bottle will go a long way.
For those who prefer to apply all-over body lotion, this CeraVe moisturizer is fragrance-free, so it won’t interfere with your perfume’s scent. The hyaluronic acid helps to seal the moisture and your perfume into the skin for long-lasting hydration and scent.