How to apply perfume: 10 expert tips

Applying perfume may sound like an easy task to do, but it actually requires a certain level of skill. It’s not as simple as spraying one spritz and being done, especially if you want to wear it well and make the most of its durability. 

You might think it's as easy as buying one of the best women’s perfumes and spraying it on yourself… but you'd be wrong.

A very common method of perfume application is spraying your wrists and rubbing them together, but this is bad practice according to Francis Kukdijan, who is the nose behind perfumes such as Christian Dior, and more who says this “heats up the skin, which produces natural enzymes that change the course of the scent... with floral scents for example, heat warm up everything ultimately causing it to lose its crispness,” he explains. Therefore, it’s best to spritz your wrists and leave them to set into your skin itself. 

A good way to know to apply perfume is by going over the common mistakes both men and women make in applying their scents. The first thing you need to ask yourself is how do your currently store your perfume? 

The most common mistake we all make without realising is how we store our fragrances. The environment your perfume is in can greatly age the perfume and affect its notes, so it’s important to store your perfume in either a perfume fridge, which can purchase online, or at a room temperature of 70 degrees. 

Storing perfume in direct sunlight or heat can change the composition of the fragrance so be aware of this. Another huge mistake often made is mixing way too many perfumes together. Although laying is good, sometimes mixing too many scents can be overwhelming or cause headaches.

It’s important to note that perfume doesn’t sit well on super dry skin, so if your chosen fragrance comes with a body lotion, it is encouraged to use it, or you any kind of lotion if your choice. Apply the perfume in areas that are exposed to air, for example, your pulse points.

Here are some tips and tricks when it comes to applying perfume:

1. Don’t rub perfume into your skin as you’ve seen many do.
2. Store your perfume in an environment that preserves it for a longer period of time.
3. Spray on your pulse points.
4. Try to spray into the air and walk into the scent.
5. Apply after your shower on damp (but not wet) skin, after moisturising.
6. Spray perfume into your hairbrush and comb through hair.
7. Apply Vaseline on areas you’re going to spritz to last longer.
8. Layer your scents.
9. Apply to your clothing, but be mindful of the material of your clothes (i.e. silk that can be stained)
10. Don’t feel pressured to have a signature scent, and in using the same perfume over and over, apply the scents you like on different days.

Now check out T3's recommendations for the best women’s perfumes and fragrances and best men’s fragrances and colognes.