While most women give very little thought to how they apply their perfume, it’s important to note that how your perfume is applied is at least as important as the type of perfume that is being applied in the first place. You can purchase the best perfume available, but if you don’t use it correctly, you may have just as well purchased a generic brand. The perfume simply won’t provide the same impact or pop that you would expect.

Although part of the problem may be that you’re extremely busy, it may also be that you don’t know exactly how perfume is supposed to be applied. Which isn’t necessarily your fault, especially if your mother or some other woman you look up to taught you how to apply perfume in the first place. In that case, it’s just how you’ve been doing it your entire life.

Keeping those things in mind, we thought that it might prove beneficial to provide a guide on how to properly put on perfume. While it may seem like a laughable concept to some people, we feel that it’s extremely important to have this knowledge available. It will ensure all women reap the benefits that their current or prospective perfumes can provide.

Choose the Right Perfume

The first step to applying perfume perfectly is starting off with the best perfume available (see this top list for women) in the first place. That means buying a perfume based upon its merits and not upon its brand name or by the reputation of the celebrity endorsing it.

It means judging the perfume on its own merits and disregarding all rest as advertising noise. While there are a wide number of variables to consider when buying perfume, you should give more consideration to the top and bottom notes of the perfume. All perfumes available can be broken down into their top, middle, and bottom notes.

The top notes are the ones that you smell when the product is first sprayed on your skin. After these top notes fade, the middle notes kick in and then after that, the bottom notes come into play. Spray the perfume on the back of your hand to smell its top notes, but then wait about 30 minutes and smell it again.

This is when the bottom notes will begin to kick in. Remember, if you don’t like your perfume at home, then you aren’t going to like it anywhere else. Therefore, every perfume in your collection should be tested in this way to ensure that you like its scent profile.

You’ll also want to make sure that you use the appropriate perfume for the time of day it’s going to be worn. If you’re going to work or plan on spending the day shopping, then you will probably want to use a daytime fragrance. If you’re drinking with your girlfriends or are going out for a romantic dinner, then you are going to want to wear an evening or nighttime perfume.

Many perfumes will tell you explicitly on the label whether they’re recommended for either daytime or nighttime use, but if it doesn’t, there are other ways you can tell the difference. Check out the label and see what colors they use on the package. Usually, daytime perfumes have bright packages with lots of white, yellow and orange colors in it. Evening perfumes, on the other hand, usually have dark red or deep blue colors on its label or packaging.

Start With a Clean Slate

Once you’ve selected your perfume, you are going to want to make sure you apply it to your skin in the right way. If you have the time available, you should definitely begin this process by taking a nice hot shower. A nice hot shower will not only clean off old any old perfumes or beauty products off your skin but will also open up your pores.

Opening your pores is quite beneficial and will result in the perfume adhering to your skin properly. While you’re showering, make sure that you use soap that’s either lightly scented or has no scent at all. After all, you don’t want it to compete with your perfume’s scent profile.

Once you have finished showering, make sure that you dry off your body well. Make sure that there isn’t any lingering moisture on your skin as that can prevent perfume from adhering to your skin properly. Once you’ve accomplished that task, make sure that you apply moisturizer evenly over your body.

Supple, hydrated skin holds on to the essential oils found in perfume better than dry skin does, so be sure to keep your skin moisturized for the best results. Just be sure to not use too much moisturizer on your skin. Just a dab of moisturizer is usually enough. Using too much of an oil-based moisturizer can clog the pores, and this can result in poor perfume adhesion.

Apply to Pulse Points

When applying perfume, you will want to apply the product to the pulse points found around the body. This can include areas of your body such as on the neck, behind the ears, behind the knees, and on the inner wrists. These are all parts of the body where the pulse can be felt, hence the name pulse points.

Placing perfume on these points will allow your body heat to warm the perfume slightly, which will activate the scent and allow it to produce a scent for longer periods of time. Just make sure that when you’re applying perfume to these pulse points, you don’t make one of the more common mistakes made while applying perfume: rubbing your wrists together.

How To Apply Perfume & Common Mistakes

Why shouldn’t you rub your wrists together? The short answer is because you’re ruining the effectiveness of your perfume by rubbing your wrists together. Yes, it’s a motion that many women do while they’re applying perfume, and the act itself can be seen in dozens of different movies and television shows.

However, just because it’s widely done doesn’t mean its right. Rubbing your wrists together heats up your skin, and this will alter the natural enzymes found in the perfume. This means that if you’re using a common floral scent,  then it’s likely to lose it snap or crispness. Therefore, avoid rubbing your wrists together when you spray on your perfume.

The Most Important Tips on Applying and Wearing Men’s Cologne

A man paired with a complementing scent is a beautiful thing. Don’t believe me, ask the ladies! What you want to avoid is the most important tip on wearing cologne that can be shared with you: Don’t douse yourself in your cologne! Believe it or not, many men make this mistake and while they strut around feeling like a million bucks, they are actually unintentionally evacuating the building. Nobody prefers to be near an overly aromatic gentleman, whether it be in an office, at the bar, on the bus, or in an elevator. Luckily, by following the tips shared below you can avoid experiencing this embarrassing moment.

Don’t bathe in your cologne – As stated earlier, no need to douse yourself in your chosen fragrance. A little goes a long way here. Remember, don’t be “that guy”.

No need to be shy – On the flip side, you don’t want to wear so little that nobody can enjoy your aromatics. Always start out with a small amount and build up until you find the perfect balance for your chosen cologne. When somebody comes within a close distance of you they should be able to catch a faint whiff of the fragrance you’re wearing. It’s a sweet science that you will need to master.

Apply to the pulse points – Applying your cologne to certain pulse points will allow the fragrance to effectively emit from your body due to body heat. Places like the inside of your wrists, inner elbows, your neck area (throat and back of neck) work well. Some also spray on their chest and the back of their knees. A great spot to apply a dab of cologne is right behind your ears. If a woman wants to whisper something in your ear, or you are in an intimate setting, this will drive her crazy (in a good way of course)!

Mind your setting – It’s recommended to use different colognes for different environments. A more formal and lighter scented cologne works better when you’re at work. You should avoid fragrances that carry a heavy scent and possess strong sillage so you can avoid the possibility of disrupting a coworker’s or factory system. If your favorite frags have those attributes, just spray a little (or a lot) less than what you normally do. When you’re on a romantic night out, you may want to opt for a more heavier scent. I mean, you are trying to impress, right? This will take some testing so make sure you test a new fragrance on a day you have off to get a feel for it. You may also want to use different fragrances for the warmer months as opposed to the colder months.

Spray or Dab? To spray or not to spray, that is the question. You may think that this will ultimately depend on the bottle that the fragrance comes in, but keep in mind that you can always transfer a non spray cologne to an atomizer bottle which can be found relatively cheap. Spraying allows you to cover more area with less while a dab application style will be more concentrated to a couple of spots. If you go with a dab style bottle, simply put your finger over the bottle opening and flip it upside down to get some on your finger. Then you can apply to your pulse points without getting your hands covered in it. In the end either one works and it’s up to you which application process you prefer.

Fabric or Skin? You may be wondering whether to apply cologne on your clothes or on your skin. I usually recommend applying your fragrance to your skin so you can allow the scent to work with your natural odor and progress through the notes. But there are some reasons why you may not want to. For starters, some people react to the thought of voluntarily applying synthetic chemicals to their skin in a similar fashion to that of an easily frightened housewife when she’s vacuuming and notices a rat scurrying across the floor. So if that type of thing doesn’t float your boat, go ahead and apply to your clothes. Some people also have a low blood temperature so the pulse points won’t really help spread the fragrance and allow it to shine.

Some pros and cons of applying cologne to your wardrobe. The pros are that you will get better longevity and possibly better sillage when applied to clothes. As stated earlier, you will also avoid directly spraying your skin with chemicals. Some cons are that your juice may cause stains on white shirts. You can help this somewhat by not directly spraying your shirt from too close a distance. You also won’t get to enjoy the full progression of the cologne throughout the notes.

No rubbing – When you apply cologne make sure not to rub it in. This is known to greatly alter the scent of the fragrance. Just let it do it’s thing.

The spray and walk-through is for fools – Juice is money so don’t waste it! Many guys seem to have the propensity to do this and think it’s a practical way of applying their cologne. It isn’t. If anything it’s just a waste. Make those sprays count! Not applicable to dabbers 

Concealed carry – If you like a certain cologne, but it doesn’t project well with your body chemistry (or is just a lighter fragrance for that matter) you can carry a small atomizer with you and reapply with some spritzes if you notice it’s wearing off. Atomizer bottles vary in size so go for one that easily fits in your coat or pockets.

Make sure you’re clean, know what I mean – Fact: If you’re reeking, applying cologne will only exacerbate the odiferous stench that you be rockin’! Make sure to apply your fragrance fresh out the shower. Rubbing in a neutral or light scented moisturizer before applying cologne will also make the fragrant notes stick around a bit longer. Cologne is not a suitable replacement for a good ‘ol shower.

Experiment – There is no set in stone method to the madness here. Always take the time to experiment with different fragrances, especially trying out ones that have differing note profiles or one’s that belong to fragrance families that you’ve had little to no exposure to.

Colognes smell differently depending on your body odor/chemistry. It’s all up to experimentation to find that sweet spot that works for you. If you’re not sure where to start, check out some of the top cologne lists or the best men’s cologne chart on the front page to start out with ones that are very popular and work well with the majority of men.

So how does this Aromatic Gentleman apply his fragrance? I like a single spray on each inner elbow, toss whatever shirt I’m wearing on and a spray once on the throat (which also hits the collar of my shirt). This works well with a frag like YSL’s La Nuit de l’Homme. Something like Nautica Blue or Armani Code I can spray quite a bit more without being obnoxious smelling. Like I said, it’s a sweet science that you will need to experiment with