HOW TO STORE AND APPLY YOUR PERFUME WITHOUT OVERTHINKING IT

YOUR PERFUME RITUAL

There are plenty of opinions about how perfume should be worn. Some are useful. Others have been repeated so often that nobody remembers where they came from.

Our position is simple: your perfume should please you first. Spray a little. Spray a lot. Wear it somewhere expected or somewhere that makes absolutely no sense to anyone else. The point is to enjoy it.

Knowing how to store and apply perfume can help it last longer on your skin and remain at its best inside the bottle. A few practical choices can help. Beyond that, you make the rules.

HOW TO STORE AND APPLY PERFUME

Perfume develops differently on every person, so there is no single correct place to apply it. Pulse points are popular because they are naturally warm. Try your neck, wrists, inner elbows or behind your knees. The warmth helps the perfume evaporate and move through its different stages.

You can also spray your clothes or the ends of your hair, where the fragrance may remain for longer than it does on skin.

As perfume contains alcohol, spray hair lightly from a distance or mist your hairbrush before running it through the ends. Avoid saturating your hair or scalp. When applying perfume to clothing, test it first on a discreet area. Natural extracts and deeply coloured materials may leave a mark on delicate, pale or porous fabrics. Silk does not enjoy surprises.

CAN YOU RUB YOUR WRISTS TOGETHER?

I see you clutching your pearls, but relax.

Contrary to what you may have been told, rubbing your wrists together will not “bruise” or destroy your perfume.

However, friction creates heat. That additional heat may encourage the most volatile parts of the fragrance to evaporate more quickly, potentially shortening the opening and reducing how long you experience it on your skin.

If you want to follow the perfume’s full development, simply spray and let it settle naturally.

But if rubbing your wrists together is part of how you enjoy perfume, the fragrance police will not be arriving.

HOW TO MAKE PERFUME LAST LONGER ON YOUR SKIN

Perfume generally holds for longer on moisturised skin than on very dry skin. Apply an unscented moisturiser before your fragrance, then spray once the moisturiser has absorbed.

You can also layer the fragrance across different areas rather than concentrating every spray in one place. A little on the neck, clothing and ends of the hair can create a softer scent trail around you.

Your skin, the weather and the perfume itself will all affect longevity. Heat usually makes fragrance project and evaporate more quickly, while cooler weather can keep it closer to the body.

More projection is not necessarily more longevity. And more sprays are not necessarily better, although who are we to tell you what to do.

HOW TO STORE YOUR PERFUME

We tint our bottles navy blue for more than eye candy. The dark glass helps protect the fragrance inside from light.

Light, heat, humidity and repeated temperature changes are not a perfume’s best friends. Store your bottle upright in a cool, dry and dark place where the temperature remains reasonably stable.

A bedroom cupboard, drawer or wardrobe usually works well. If you are saving a perfume for special occasions, keeping it inside its original box provides another layer of protection.

SHOULD PERFUME BE STORED IN A BATHROOM?

It may be convenient, but the bathroom is rarely the best place for perfume. If you can write your name in the steam on the mirror, find another cupboard as hot showers cause humidity and temperature to rise and fall repeatedly. Over time, those fluctuations can affect the freshness and stability of a fragrance.

The same principle applies to windowsills, cars, radiators and anywhere exposed to direct sunlight. Your perfume does not need a view.

SHOULD PERFUME BE KEPT IN THE FRIDGE?

For most homes, a cool, dark cupboard is enough however, if you live in an extremely warm climate and your indoor temperature regularly becomes very high, a dedicated cosmetics fridge may help maintain a cooler, more stable environment. The important word is stable.

Avoid repeatedly moving the bottle between intense cold and heat. A normal kitchen refrigerator is not essential, and the coldest section is unnecessary. Wherever you keep it, store the bottle upright, replace the cap and limit unnecessary temperature changes.

NATURAL MATERIALS MAY CHANGE SUBTLY

Perfumes containing a high proportion of natural materials can develop subtle variations in colour over time. Botanical extracts, resins and essential oils are complex materials, and some naturally deepen as they age.

A slight colour change does not automatically mean that a perfume has spoiled. A dramatic change in smell, texture or clarity may indicate that the fragrance has been exposed to unsuitable conditions.

When in doubt, trust your nose.

FOR EXTERNAL USE ONLY

It seems slightly silly that this needs to be mentioned, but it is perfume so, for external use only.

Do not ingest it. Avoid contact with your eyes, mouth or any other orifice, as the alcohol and fragrance materials may cause considerable irritation and an extremely memorable kind of discomfort.

Apply perfume only to intact skin and discontinue use if irritation occurs. Allow it to dry before approaching flames or other sources of ignition, and keep it out of reach of children.

Follow the instructions provided with your fragrance regarding sun exposure. If advised to avoid direct sunlight after application, apply it beneath clothing or choose areas that will remain covered.

THE ONLY RULE THAT REALLY MATTERS

Keep your perfume somewhere cool, dark and stable. Apply it wherever you enjoy experiencing it. Then let it settle, move and become part of your day.

What happens after you spray it is entirely up to you.