How to make perfume last all day!
As part of this week’s contest, I asked for readers to submit their questions about perfume and fragrance. Already, I’ve gotten some great ones, so it’s time to reach into the question bag and shed some light on the subject.
Many fragrance wearers have found a scent they love, only to find that it evaporates several hours later. This is so disappointing! It’s hard enough just shopping for perfume. Fortunately, there are several tricks one can use to make perfume last longer on the skin.
There should be a two-step approach to getting perfume to last all day. First, you need to make sure the formula you’re using is a high quality. This means a parfume, or eau de parfum, not eau de cologne. The higher the concentration of oils in the formula, generally the longer it will last. However, perfumes aren’t meant to smell the same just after application and at the end of the day. The lighter molecules, called topnotes, evaporate first. These are the citrus and other “bright” notes. The heart and basenotes form the endgame of the perfume. Look for floral notes such as rose and iris, and basenotes like amber, patchouli, vanilla, and woods. The stronger the base notes, the longer the perfume will last (provided, of course, the scent is concentrated as I mentioned above). You may also want to see if there are similar perfumes to your Holy Grail that seem to be stronger than your current formula.
Second, you need to prep your skin and get ready to layer. Many women “of a certain age” experience dry skin and suddenly old favorite perfumes just waft away in the breeze. The natural oils on your skin grab onto the scent molecules and oils in the perfume, while the alcohol or other carrier evaporates. If bath oil, creamy body lotion, or other products are available in your favorite scent, layer up. I wouldn’t be afraid to mix and match, for instance, a rose or vanilla bath oil would be a great starting point to layer with a scent containing one of those notes. You may want to test-drive the combos you come up with, on a dear friend or family member. Hopefully they’ll give you an honest opinion.
Also, you can become acclimated to your own perfume and be “smell-blind” when in fact you are still smelling lovely to others. It’s always better to err on the side of too little perfume, and lure perfume lovers in closer to sample your scent!
So, thanks Jenny for your great question! Keep them coming!
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1 opinion for How to make perfume last all day!
Jenny
Jul 8, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Thank you for answering my question!! I will make sure my skin is prepped for a long lasting scent now!
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