How To Smell Good For As Long As You Possibly Can
There's so much more to personal olfactory pleasures than a simple spritz spritz of your signature fragrance. It's a whole ritual – and it's worth it.
| May 11, 2018Scents are personal. They can be sexy, like the French idea of “sillage”, the fragrance you leave behind when you leave a room. Unfortunately, when a scent comes out of a bottle, it is also fleeting. It is worse when you find out that despite paying so much for said scent, it disappears before lunchtime.
Of course, there are ways to smell amazing for longer than long beyond the spritzing and reapplication overdrive.
The first and easiest thing to look out in a perfume bottle is whether it’s an “eau de toilette” or an “eau de parfum”. Yes, there is a difference.
The latter has more oils that cling onto the skin for a longer time and as such, diffuse the scent for a longer time. Another fun fact? Scents are also attracted to water, which is why they amplify when sweat is present.
Need another layer? Occlusives agents that prevent water loss are great products for locking in the moisture which can come in the form of a lotion or even the ever-so-handy lip balm. To make it even more long lasting, use perfumes that have matching lotions in the same fragrance.
Scents are also easily projected in the presence of heat, which is why perfumes are usually applied at warmer areas of your body like the wrists or behind the ears. One thing, though: don’t rub your wrists together like people do in shows and movies. Doing so actually crushes the top notes, skipping right to the base notes and essentially reducing the life and original character of your fragrance. Who knew?
Even if perfumes aren’t your thing, there are plenty of other options that can help you smell good. Since there’s usually a lot of movement with hair, it’s easier for the smell to waft through the air with a light breeze and is a good alternative for those seeking something lighter. Shampoos and conditioners, or even hair fragrances and oils.
But can’t we just use our normal perfume for our hair? After all, it makes sense. The answer is no, you can’t. The alcohol content in most fragrances are really high and will cause damage to your tresses. Go for light oils over damp hair instead.
A good rule of thumb to follow is to layer your fragrances – with similar ones, of course – like a matching body lotion or a citrusy shampoo to pair with a lighter perfume. It is important – and this comes from an expert consultation we once had – to not layer one commercial fragrance over the other. Unless these fragrances have very few ingredients on their own. Most commercial fragrances already have a multitude of notes and layering one over another will create a chaos of scents.
Our way to do it? A scented shower for the hair and the body, a light body lotion or oil to follow with just a few core ingredients, some light oil at middle section and tips of our tresses, a scented hand cream and finally, a spray of our favourite fragrance on the décolletage.
Philip B Scent of Santa Fe Balancing Shampoo
Bamford Rose Bath Oil
R + Co Television Perfect Hair Conditioner
Balmain Paris Hair Couture Silk Hair Perfume
Claus Porto Cedar Poinsettia Hand Cream
Le Labo Lip Balm
Chanel N°5 L’eau On Hand Cream
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