HOW TO APPLY PERFUME THE RIGHT WAY

Borne out of a conversation about fragrances here at Gritty Pretty HQ, we discovered that not everyone applies their perfume the same way.

This has us a bit concerned because, unlike most things, there’s really no two ways about applying perfume. There’s a right way and a wrong way and despite the results smelling the same, it’s the correct way that’ll preserve your skin in the long run.

Here’s the skin-friendly way to apply your fragrance:

SPRITZ ON YOUR CLOTHES, NOT YOUR CHEST

To our work wife’s horror, spraying an alcohol-based fragrance (i.e. most of them) on your chest is actually doing you more harm than good.  Keep in mind that alcohol is drying and then add some UV and that compounds the whole drying effect. Do it for years and your décolletage isn’t going to look so pretty, so please stop spritzing your favourite eau de parfum on your neck and down your boobs and inadvertently on your face —and start misting your clothes instead. The scent lingers longer this way, too.

DAB BODY OIL ON PULSE POINTS

“Where should I apply perfume?”. “Where you want to be kissed,” said Coco Chanel. If you answered: the neck, wrists, behind the ear lobes, on the inner elbows and chest – basically anywhere but your mouth on the pulse points where the blood vessels are closest to the surface of the skin, then you’d be right. These warm points on the body will keep your scent emanating throughout the day as it reacts to your body heat.

Hint: we know it sounds strange but the back of the knees are a killer spot to apply your scent. By applying here, you’ll release your fragrance (also known as sillage) as you walk throughout the day.

APPLY STRAIGHT AFTER THE SHOWER

When you apply perfume to your pulse points or pop on a freshly perfume-misted shirt out of the shower while your body’s warm and your pores are open, this activates the scent and keeps the good smells a’ smelling good all day long. Applying perfume to dirty, unshowered skin runs you the risk of smelling like a high school locker room. And, nobody wants to relive that era all over again.

USE A LOW-ALCOHOL HAIR FRAGRANCE

We’d never spray fragrance directly onto hair because of the high alcohol content, instead, spray it up into the air and walk through the mist a few times like a child chasing bubbles. If you’re into making your hair smell as good as the rest of you, choose a low alcohol, conditioning alternative like Byredo Hair Perfume Gypsy Water or go for a less concentrated eau de toilette (EDT) over a more concentrated eau de parfum (EDP).

Now that you’ve learnt the best way to apply fragrance, here’s a thing we wrote on how to procure a signature scent here and here.

Tell us, how do you apply perfume?

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