How to Apply Perfume

Perfume may be just the thing to finish off your outfit, even if it’s a T-shirt and your favorite jeans. Applying perfume can liven up a date night, and help attract your desired partner. However, there are some misconceptions as to how to apply perfume, where to apply it, and what types of perfumes to buy. The difference between applying perfume correctly and incorrectly is dramatic, and can change the course of how your evening goes. Luckily, the steps to correctly apply perfume are easy and simple.

Preparing to Apply Your Perfume

Find your perfect perfume. Make sure you absolutely love the perfume’s top notes and bottom notes.
Choose a daytime or nighttime fragrance. If you are simply going out on the town, going to work, or visiting the beach, try a daytime fragrance. If you are planning a date, or going out to dinner, you might try a nighttime fragrance instead.

Take a shower or bath. Your skin absorbs perfume better after it is nice and warm. Make sure when you take your shower or bath that the water is hot, so that your pores can open.[4]
Dry your skin off. After you take a warm shower or bath, make sure your skin is dry. If you do not, when you spray the perfume on it will not stick. Specifically, get the hard to reach places like the back of your knees, your neckline, and your hair. These are what are called “pulse points,” or places where your perfume goes on, and acts at its highest level.[6]

Hydrate your skin. If you did not apply moisturizer during your shower, definitely do this after you dry off. The perfume has a much better chance to lock on to your skin if it is smooth and soft, rather than dry and rough.[7] [8]
Apply the perfume before you put your clothes on. Perfume sprayed directly onto clothes can cause water marks which look unseemly, particularly if you are going out to a nice dinner date. Perfume also works much better on “pulse points” rather than clothes, because the molecules interact with direct contact with skin.[14]

Applying Your Perfume

Hold fragrance away from your body. You will want to be at least 5-7 inches away from your chest/body. Point the nozzle in the direction of your body. If your skin gets to wet from the spray, you are holding it too closely.
Spray perfume onto your “pulse points.” These points are places where blood vessels are close to the skin. There is extra heat at these points, and because heat rises into the air, your fragrance will more likely be smelled. Some of the most commonly used are collarbones, knees, and necklines.[15]
Dab your perfume on. If your perfume is not a spray type, you can always use your hands to add the perfume onto a “pulse point.” Simply shake a bit of perfume out onto your hand. Rub it between your hands. Gently apply to the skin, and rub gently in a small circle.

Let your “pulse point” dry without rubbing it. Keep your clothes off until the area is dry. Try and wait at least ten minutes.
Try not to overdo it with the perfume. A little bit goes a long way when it comes to perfume. It is best to put on too little, than too much. You can always sneak a bottle in your purse, and apply some later if you feel it is not strong enough.

Comb perfume through your hair. Fragrances latch onto fibers, so your hair is a great place to smell good for long periods of time.
Dab some perfume behind your ears. Veins are very close to your skin in this “pulse point.” Put a small amount of perfume on the edge of your fingertips, and dab it behind your ears.[19] Placing perfume behind your ears gets immediate effects and it best for nighttime perfumes.[20]

Familiarize yourself with your perfume. Skin reacts in different ways to different perfumes. Notice whether you can smell the perfume after a few hours is up. Check that your skin is not reacting negatively to a particular perfume.
Reapply scent every four hours. Even the best perfumes do not last very long. Ask a friend or family member whether they think you need some more. Oftentimes you can get used to the smell of your perfume, but it still might be strong.[24]

Keep perfume out of sunlight, and cool. This is because heat and light change the chemical make-up of the perfume.
Check the expiration date on your perfume. Like other products, perfume goes out of date. If you notice that there is a sharp smell when you open the bottle, that is another sign that your perfume is way too old.[27]