How To Apply Fragrance?
December 5th, 2006
The answer to the question of how to apply fragrance might seem fairly self-explanatory to some – what do you mean how, just spray it on! In my experience, however, people tend to have their own preferred ways. For instance, I see women come up to the fragrance counters and spray the perfume right on their necks several times (which is also the most common way to do it) but what alarms me personally is the very short distance between the bottle and the neck. Why does it alarm me, you might ask? Well, I’m not quite sure – perhaps I sort of assume they’re either about to suffocate or the perfume will go right into their mouth. Another commonly observed method is to spray perfume on your wrists followed by instant rubbing (a big no-no, I hear). My personal preferred way is to spray or dab on the insides of my wrists, the top of my hands, on the general décolletage area, and the nape of my neck. I tend to not spray perfume on my clothes or my hair. With very potent perfumes, I’ve heard some people spray it in the air and promptly walk through it (haven’t tried it myself yet). How do you apply fragrance? What tricks work for you?
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19 Comments
1. newproducts | December 5th, 2006 at 7:42 am
My preferred areas, not necessarily all at once are: top of wrists (the inside gets used too much on top of computer keyboards, etc.), nape of neck, outer edge of clavicles, and lower abdomen. I have done the walk-through method with non-strong perfumes too, just to evenly distribute the scent or if I feel the top notes are too strong.
I’d be interested in reading everyone’s comments today.
2. March | December 5th, 2006 at 7:45 am
Well, I seldom wear fragrance like a normal person — I mean, I’m frequently sampling 3 or 5 things at a time. However. When I try to wear fragrance like a normal person, I do more or less what you do. I have used the “walk-through” with success on very strong things (Fracas) or simply when I’m dimming the wattage a bit (Chaos before yoga.) Some things smell better on my clothing than my skin, so I have applied there, although I don’t think you’re supposed to. Actually, one of my favorite winter pleasures is running across one or several scents lingering on some sweater or jacket… I’ve read that you’re not supposed to spray your hair, the alcohol is drying, but come on — we’re not soaking in it. I like fragrance in my hair, it lasts forever. L’Heure Bleue on my velvet jacket is pretty fabulous.
3. Elle | December 5th, 2006 at 7:48 am
I should preface this by saying I adore sillage on other people – it’s how I’ve discovered some of my favorite perfumes (running after them and asking). However, I gravitate towards quite many less than subtle scents and I also fly a lot (planes are the one place I feel sillage demerits should be handed out, especially if it’s Angel). I make up for my less than subtle tastes by never, ever spraying. I only apply w/ a pipette and I apply a miniscule amount usually. If I can’t remove a bottle’s sprayer, I decant into a small non-spray bottle. I also like to wear several different perfumes at once (too little time in this world for all my scents), so w/ small amounts on I can get away w/ wearing different scents on my wrists from what I have on my ankles or knees (where I can sniff them for my own enjoyment during the day – I basically do *not* wear scent for anyone but myself). Unless someone gets very close to me, like DH or people in a tight line or on public transport, they’re not likely to be curious about what I’m wearing.
4. Patty | December 5th, 2006 at 8:41 am
Depends on the day. Out for the day, just an all-over spritz. Staying inside and testing day, every available square inch of skin is utilized in testing something or other.
5. Christina H. | December 5th, 2006 at 9:12 am
If it’s an edt— I spray on arms, stomach,legs. Edps get full arm sprays and parfums get wrists only. My whole neck/bosom area seems much more sensitive to the alcohols in fragrance.
6. Judith | December 5th, 2006 at 9:49 am
For ages I had been using my wrists and my neck-hollow (there must be a word for this, but I can’t think of what it is), as well as sometimes the insides of my elbows. But recently I have noticed that the old neck-hollow feels strangely dry–undoubtedly from all the alcohol–so I am trying to switch to décolletage. Often I forget, though. Probably, like C., I should just avoid the area altogether, but old habits are hard to break:).
7. Kelley | December 5th, 2006 at 11:29 am
There are reasons why you wouldn’t want to spray anywhere near your nose…and yes, the neck area might be too close. There are scent receptors in the nose that get filled up. Once they are full, you won’t smell your SOTD (scent of the day) until the scent receptors are empty again which might be hours and maybe days (another reason to have more than one bottle of fragrance that you rotate and preferably more than 20 bottles–that’s how many bottles I have). Many men slather their fragrance all over their faces or spray directly to the neck (front and back) because they plan on hugging a woman and they want her to smell their colonge while they are hugging. This leads to overspraying because you can’t smell it after a while! It’s better to give the nose a rest by spraying on the wrists or back of the hand and tummy (decolletage would be perfect!) so that you get whiffs of your scent every now and then but it isn’t constant.
I also find it agrivating when you hug a woman and she has sprayed her clothes. All of the sudden I find I am wearing my SOTD and hers!!!
8. violetnoir | December 5th, 2006 at 11:58 am
I prefer to spray my wrists, elbows, chest-area, neck and behind the knees after by shower and the applying body lotion. I don’t believe in that stuff about rubbing the wrists together. It’s all good!
:)
In other words, I am a scent-wh*re, spraying liberally to all parts of my body every morning.
Hugs!
9. AngelaS | December 5th, 2006 at 12:14 pm
In the summer, I usually spray behind each knee and once on the decolletage. Mostly I wear cotton dresses in the summer, and the scent rises as I move around. In the winter, when my knees are more often covered, I spray my forearms. If I’m in love love love with the scent, I do my chest, too, and let it soak into my winter sweaters and underthings.
10. tmp00 | December 5th, 2006 at 1:19 pm
I usually only spray (or dab, depending on the bottle) one or two onto my sternum before leaving the house. This gets it ever sl slightly in the shirt I’m wearing but makes sure that even though I get whiffs of it during the day, most people around me do not.
11. greeneyes | December 5th, 2006 at 1:41 pm
I spray on each wrist (if a scent is strong, I will apply to one wrist and then gently press the other wrist against it–no rubbing), in the “neck hollow,” as Judith called it, and the nape of my neck (if the scent is a light one). I also avoid spraying it on my hair, because hair product and oil from hair can change a scent. I also do not spray perfume on my clothes…I’ve tried the walk-through method, and I find in general that it does not work! My theory is that only people who fear perfume do this…
12. Emotenote | December 5th, 2006 at 11:13 pm
With stronger fragrances I’m a thigh person, since I tend to wear skirts alot. With something more subtle the chest area. The only time I do wrists is when testing small amounts since I don’t like the smell of perfume when I’m eating no matter how beautiful. For a romantic night some might be on the neck. Since my sense of smell is pretty sensitive I’m not too fond of smelling fragrance on my clothing since it mixes with so many other oders and might spoil the actual fragrance for me.
13. Tommasina | December 6th, 2006 at 9:49 am
Am I too late to comment?
In no particular order, then… Wasn’t there some discussion of rubbing vs. not rubbing wrists, on someone else’s blog a couple of weeks ago? I seem to remember that the conclusion was that it’s a personal choice: the scent molecules can’t be crushed and all the action of rubbing does is (perhaps) hasten the perfume’s development.
For going to the gym – which I’m trying to do almost every day, in order to ward off excess pounds before they even happen! – I put on one of about 3 perfumes I have in rollerball (PdN Number One, JPG Classique, Borsari Violette) on the very tops of the inner sides of my arms. No, I don’t mean in my armpits – not quite; but in this place I get to smell my perfume in wafts as I do, say, pull-downs.
If that was too much information, then this may be worse; I’m not even sure I should be saying it, except that I read recently somewhere that this method is recommended in summer (it’s not clear why exclusively then). Anyway – I sometimes spray some on what, in my native country we call my knickers; this way I can get a nice – uh – draft whenever I go to do the necessaries during the day. When I wear a skirt or a dress, I also get nice wafts of it when walking, too.
Gawd, do I sound weird, or pervy, or what?
Other methods of application include backs of wrists for bed time, since I tend to sleep with my arms over my face; a couple of sprays on my solar plexus for general ‘waftage’ and for getting it nicely onto whatever I’m wearing (sometimes I then smear the insides of my arms across my torso to pick some scent up on them, too.)
This is sounding worse and worse, isn’t it?
OK, finally, this: I have long hair which I tend to wear up during the day and for concerts (I’m a classical singer); in order not to have perfume wafting up into my face – and thus, potentially, my mouth – I sometimes spray the back of my neck all along my hairline.
With any luck nobody will be reading yesterday’s posts and my strange habits will remain a secret…
14. tmp00 | December 6th, 2006 at 11:31 am
Oh we’re reading. And taking notes.
15. Tommasina | December 6th, 2006 at 12:52 pm
ARGH! – no! OK, so what are YOUR habits?
16. evilpeony | December 6th, 2006 at 4:06 pm
Knickers? hehehehe… I’ll try that out.
I generally spray my lower abdomen and my back (2 squirts each) …but I don’t get any waftage from that unless it’s EDP. I just let the fragrance soak into my clothes and enjoy the scent when I get home. I’m pretty much limited in the amount and location of perfume I can spray on myself since I have co-workers who are particularly sensitive to perfume…
17. SniffQ | December 6th, 2006 at 6:22 pm
Spray on the lower abdomen, touch each wrist to lower abdomen. No rubbing. Rubbing hastens drying and messes with the whole idea of spray dispersing droplets.
Spray behind knees. If I’m particularly arthritic, skip knees and spray in small of back.
If I’m a real spray slut, I’ll sprtiz once into the dryer load of towels. Before turning on the dryer. I know it sounds barbaric, but the dryer is right next to the studio and Ahhhhhhhhhhh. Studio smells heavenly and towels smell divine for a day.
If I’m flying or taking the metro, I limit sprays to lower abdomen and wrist pressing. I wear perfumes for myself and not everyone loves my perfumes. Now if only I could encourage all those Angel-wearers and the fruity-floral people to do the same. . .
18. Patricia Rojas | December 7th, 2006 at 7:33 pm
I love all these ideas, unfortunately for me right now I’m working at a place where this woman can smell perfume a mile away and it does something to her nose and her chest. This morning I was talking to her and she said “I love you but please get away from my desk because I can smell your perfume”. I told her I wasn’t wearing any (I had on Onix body lotion) and she said it must be on my clothes!! This bothers me. I love perfume and I want to wear it every single day but I have to be careful at work, because some people are very sensitive to it. I wonder, what do they do for fragrance? I could not live my life without fragrance. I know that sounds dramatic, but I really can’t fathom what it must be like to not be able to enjoy perfume.
19. Giselle | December 10th, 2006 at 11:27 am
After bathing or showering is the only time I apply serious scents. Still damp I apply body lotion. dry, I spray 6 to 8 inches from the body, back of knees, tummy, cleavage, behind ears, wrists, 1 spray each. then I am good to go.
When I am not seriously scenting self, I sample on a non-perfumed body. I wear short sleeves and sample 1 perfume on left wrist and back of left hand (1 spray each 6 inches from skin)
repeat process with another scent on right hand. This leaves room for 3 more sample scents (neck/ear area, and inside of elbows) so I can try 5 scents. I also use men’s linen handkerchiefs instead of paper to apray samples on, and my handbag always smells so good with one or two of those in various pockets.
I do the walk through spray once in a while (when I also don’t mind perfuming my bedroom) I dab some perfumes, but rarely, I only own a dozen or so dabbers.
As for people who tell you to get away from them –even if you are not wearing scent–”it must be on your clothes” they are just looking for negative attention–I know a woman who freaks out about perfumes, but other toxic smells –like dry cleaning fluid, bus exhaust fumes, etc…– don’t bother her at all. I mean she is fine with all these toxic fumes but if there is a TRACE of scent on your coat collar from a week earlier, she smells it and whines. OR she smells your freshly shampooed hair and starts whining– Stay away–SHE is toxic. It seems everyone has to have something they act phobic about. I say wear perfume on the back of your neck–at the hairline–that way you can smell it better than they can–
if they whine say “I’m sorry but it is the product in my hair
and it is hypo-allergenic.”
I love you but please get away…it must be on your clothes–
she just has to WIN and get you to stop doing something you love. Think about what motivates a person to insist like that. My cousin is freakish about scent and insists I’m wearing it when I am not, but she smells strongly of scented laundry detergent and bounce sheets. yuck.