7 Fragrance faux pas to avoid

Don’t beat yourself up if you’ve made one (or more) of these perfume blunders in the past. We live and we learn, right?

You rub your wrists together after spritzing

No one is entirely sure why half of the universe believes that you should rub your wrists together after applying perfume. You should not. We repeat: you should not. When you rub your wrists together you create friction and generate heat – this breaks down the fragrance’s delicate notes and makes it develop in a way that was not intended. When you spray a fragrance, the top and middle notes should appear (and disappear) first, while the base notes will last the longest. Don’t damage the fragrance profile by slamming your wrists together. Just spritz and let it settle. 

You only spray perfume on your wrists

When applying perfume, you should layer it and spray on various pulse points. Fragrance is activated by heat, and different parts of the body warm up at different times, meaning your scent will be regenerated throughout the day. Spritz your wrists, neck, behind your knees, ankles and over your heart – but not all at once. Choose three pulse points at a time. A light spritz in your hair is good for a special occasion – as your hair moves you’ll get a whiff of scent (just don’t do it too often as alcohol in perfume can be drying).

You over do it

One short spritz per pulse point is all you need. Don’t get trigger-happy and spray continuously all over yourself – you don’t want to overpower your colleagues or guests. Also, if you’re using a cologne or EDP you can spray on less than you would when wearing an EDT or body mist.

You layer your products haphazardly

Your deodorant, body cream, face oil and perfume should not be competing. If you want your scent to stand out, use odourless or fragrance-free deodorants and body products. A mango body butter coupled with a fruity floral scent does not a winning combination make. 

You store your perfume incorrectly

Heat, light and humidity can all affect your perfume. Your fragrances may look pretty on your vanity or bathroom shelf, but to preserve them, rather store them in a cool dark place away from heat and direct sunlight.

You gift someone a scent that they loved on you

You may think that you’re the best friend ever when you gift Chloe a bottle of Lady Million that she absolutely adores on you, but you could be mistaken. Fragrance smells different on everyone – scent particles react differently to all skins, so the way a scent smells on you is not necessarily the same way it will smell on someone else.

You test a fragrance on a blotter and not on your skin

A piece of paper is never going to effectively tell you how a fragrance will work on your skin. It’s great to get an idea of the notes and whether you like the overall scent, but to be sure it’s the right one for you, you need to test it on your skin – and leave it on for a few hours to see how it develops. 

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