How to (properly) use fragrance
Photos Rachelle Simoneau
Words Horace
Translated by Sébastien de Turenne
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The best methods to smell good, and for a long time.
This morning, as you stand with your bottle of perfume in hand, you suddenly ask yourself: what’s the best way to put on perfume? How do I ensure I smell good all day without going over the top and making my daily commute painful for everyone around me? Obviously choosing a long-lasting perfume that doesn’t smell obnoxious is a good starting point. That doesn’t do it all, though: you also have to know where to spray it. As always, we’re here to help with that.
On pulse points
When applying perfume, not all areas are as effective. The best possible places to spray your perfume are the pulse points. These are the warmest areas of your body. The heat these areas radiate will help project the scent throughout the day. Focus on the inside of your wrists, your elbows, your temples, your earlobes, and the back of your knees. Anywhere you can feel your heartbeat, basically. Last tip, you’ll get your perfume to last even longer if you spray several pulse points rather than just one.
On your clothes
If you want to spray your clothes, there’s really only one way to go about it properly, and it’s pretty easy. Spray the eau de parfum 10 cm from the clothes you’re wearing. Natural fibres such as wool and cotton will capture the scent more effectively than synthetic fabrics. That’s why your favourite jumper seems to smell like your perfume for ages.
In the air
It’s a well-known technique, widespread among those who prefer to only wear light and subtle touches of perfume. It’s very easy: simply spray your perfume in the air and walk through the cloud of scent. This will ensure, light and complete coverage. Unfortunately, this method entails wasting a large portion of your fragrance on the floor. And that’s just silly.
What about spraying my neck?
That’s probably the very first thing you learned when you started spraying yourself to smell good: spray your neck several times. It’s not the most effective technique. First off, it limits the use of pulse points to a single one. And secondly, you’ll never quite get the dose you were aiming for. If you really want to put perfume on your neck, go about it differently: spray your wrists and rub them - gently, you don’t want to take all the scent off - against your neck. Two birds with one stone. Or four pulse points with two sprays, you get it.