This Is When To Apply Fragrance To Make It Last

When it comes to selecting a fragrance to wear, one of the most important factors is making sure it lasts as long as possible. After all, what's the point of a perfume that you have to reapply every five minutes? That's why it's helpful to know exactly when you should be applying your perfume so it lasts all day long. So to find out when that magic time-of-day is, I emailed with an expert.

Patti Kapla, fragrance expert and vice president of Business Development for Fragrance.com, let me in on a bunch of tips for making your scent last longer, including when exactly to apply it. Turns out, the best time to spritz on your fragrance so it will last as long as possible, is right after your shower. Kapla instructs that as soon as you hop out of the tub and dry yourself off, your next two steps should be to apply your moisturizer and follow up with your fragrance. She explains that this is because moisture gives your scent something to hold on to, thereby boosting its staying power. If you want to really optimize your fragrance's wear-time though, there are still some other tricks you can take advantage of. Here are five of them:

1. Layer, Layer, Layer

In addition to applying your fragrance right after moisturizing, Kapla also recommends making sure that your moisturizer is of the same scent to help increase the staying power. Layering soaps, shampoos, lotions, and any other body or hair product with the same fragrance will intensify your scent and make it last all day long, says Kapla. If you don't have matching shower gels and lotions though, Kapla suggests applying Vaseline or an unscented moisturizer to your pulse points before applying your fragrance to ensure you get the longest wear-time possible.

2. Aim For Pulse Points

As for the places on your body where your scent will really stick, Kapla says to spritz your pulse points. This includes areas such as your wrists, the insides of your elbows, the nape of your neck, and the backs of your knees. "The perfume will react with the natural fluctuations in your body temperature and emit scent throughout the day without it being overpowering," says Kapla.

3. Don't Rub It In

When you do apply your scent, to your wrists for example, make sure not to rub them together. According to Kapla, rubbing a fragrance to spread it around will actually break up the top notes. Instead, try lightly dabbing your wrists together or against other areas where you want to place your perfume.

4. Add Some To Your Hair

Although Kapla warns that spraying perfume directly into your hair could dry it out, it's still a great place to layer your scent. Just think of all those wiffs of your signature scent you could catch while whipping your hair back and forth. So instead of spritzing your scent onto your locks, try spraying it first onto your hairbrush before brushing your hair as Kapla suggests, or use a perfumed hair oil that will actually moisturize your strands.

5. Be Careful With Your Clothes

Another place besides your pulse points that Kapla suggests adding fragrance to is your clothes. While, like your hair, you should never spray perfume directly on your clothes as it could stain some fabrics, there are ways to lightly scent your things. Kapla recommends lining your dresser drawers with perfume-strips from magazines, or even tissue paper or cotton balls that you've sprayed with your favorite perfume to gently infuse your clothes.

Because when your clothes, hair, body, and pulse points have all been spritzed with your signature scent, you won't ever have to worry about your fragrance fading.

Images: kaboompics, skeeze, kropekk_pl, vylip, Unsplash/Pixabay; Miki Hayes (1)