How To Make Your Perfume Last Longer

How to make your scent last longer on your skin, plus other pro perfume-wearing tips.

Impermanence is part of what gives fragrance its poetic appeal. But lest the pleasure of your perfume feel a little too fleeting, here are some tips from Lancôme's fragrance team for making your perfume last longer on your skin, along with a few essential lessons in perfume-wearing etiquette from the pros.

How to Make Perfume Last Longer: Dos and Donts

Do

Spritz on your fragrance immediately post-shower. Freshly-washed skin absorbs perfume more readily—just be sure to let your perfume dry down completely before getting dressed.
Double down with a complementary moisturizer. Fragrance tends to cling to emollients, which is why keeping your skin well-moisturized can help it hold onto scents longer. Any unscented moisturizer will do, but to take things to the next level, try layering your perfume on top of a matching lotion. Lancôme’s La Vie Est Belle is available not just as an Eau De Parfum but as a body milk, a moisturizing mist.
Strategically apply perfume to items of clothing. Scarves are usually a good choice as you can take them off while your scent is still fresh on your skin, then put them back on once it begins to fade. Just be sure to spritz your fragrance from a distance, and avoid spraying onto delicate, easily-stainable fabrics like satin or silk.

Don’t

Don’t spritz your perfume and walk through the mist. Sashaying through a cloud of scent feels glamorous, but doing so will give you only the slightest hint of fragrance that fades in a matter of hours.
Don’t rub your wrists together. Perfume pros wince at this widespread (but mistaken) gesture. Rubbing perfume into the skin crushes its delicate scent molecules, altering the scent and causing it to fade faster.

How To Apply Perfume: Dos and Donts

Do

Considering the context,you have to adapt your fragrance to the moment. Indeed, not every occasion calls for the same level of intensity. Have a job interview, traveling by plane, or visiting someone in the hospital? Keep it light (or forgo the fragrance altogether). Got a date? Go ahead and cover all your pulse points.
Consider the season. Fresh, citrusy fragrances like Ô de Lancôme, as well as fruity florals like Miracle Blossom work well in spring and summer, while more intense, spicy, or musky scents like La Nuit Trésor or Trésor Midnight Rose are ideal for autumn and winter.
Spray your perfume from a distance of at least 15 centimeters. This will disperse your scent more evenly, preventing it from ‘pooling’ in any one concentrated area of your skin.

Don’t

Don’t expect a scent to smell the same on you as it does on someone else. Your body chemistry, as well as your skin, diet, lifestyle, and environment can all affect how a given perfume translates on you.
Don’t apply perfume to your underarms. Perfume doesn't work like deodorant: it has no antiperspirant or odor-banishing properties, and the alcohol can leave you with an unpleasant burning sensation. Not fun.

Looking for a new perfume? Shop Lancôme fragrances here.