“No elegance is possible without perfume. It is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory.” Coco Chanel
The mystery of perfume: a beautiful, small, luxurious, glass bottle that holds a magical liquid with the scent of fruits, flowers, leaves, and woods.
The beauty of perfume lies in its diversity. The fact that it can be delicate yet audacious, subtle and seductive, fresh and feminine, and of course – elegant.
Perfume remains a woman’s greatest accessory. I could wear the most gorgeous of dresses, put on the most glorious heels, and display the most stunning necklace, but without perfume I’d feel as if an integral part of me was missing.
Perfume is like a seal of elegance. It puts the finishing touch to elegance; it creates an unseen aura that follows you and lingers behind you. Perfume is that detail that allows you to share a bit of yourself silently, without words.
“No elegance is possible without perfume. It is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory.” Coco Chanel
Without doubt, perfumes have earned a place of honour in every woman’s life; they constitute an invisible, timeless enhancement that can emphasize and complete any personality or appearance.
In this article, I will walk you through the tips and tricks that every woman of elegance must know when it comes to fragrance.
Moisturize your skin
To ensure your fragrance longevity, spritz on moisturized skin. Preferably right after your shower. Fragrance when applied on dry skin fades faster because of a lack of moisture to grip on to.
There are numerous recommendations to use Vaseline, but I personally prefer to use a regular body lotion or oil. It has a less sticky concentration and gets the job done nicely.
You can moisturize strategic areas of the skin that comes in contact with the perfume, or use the opportunity to give your skin a delicious treat.
Layer with care
Perfumes are carefully formulated. If you ply on different scented products, you may likely distort the scent of your favourite perfume for the worse.
Try replacing your fragrance-based products with unscented versions especially body oils and lotions; that way your fragrance won’t be overpowered by other scents.
Know the different types of fragrance
There are different types of perfumes. Each is designed for a specific purpose or setting; some are quite strong and long-lasting, while others are light and refreshing.
Before you go ahead and make a new perfume purchase, take out time to study the different kinds of perfumes according to concentration, and how their potency affects the longevity and intensity of the scent.
Parfum: Parfum also known as pure perfume, perfume extract, extrait de parfum, or simply perfume is known as the most concentrated form of perfume available to purchase. This fragrance contains about 20-40% of perfume oil.
Parfum has the strongest scent and grips better and longer to the skin. Due to its longevity and high perfume oil concentration, parfum commands the highest price tag and is usually sold in small bottles.
Eau de parfum: This is one of the most common types of fragrances. It has a concentration of about 10-20% of perfume oil, and therefore provides a slightly lower performance (in strength and longevity) compared to Parfum fragrances.
Eau de toilette: A light fragrance formulation of about 5-15% concentration of perfume oil. The fragrance strength and longevity are less when compared to parfum and eau de parfum. The difference is also quite apparent in the price tag. Eau de toilette are priced lower than the aforementioned two.
A fave in the summer season due to its light and refreshing feel. If you live in a hot climate, you might want to try this one.
Eau de cologne: Eau de cologne or cologne as popularly called, is a light fragrance with a potency of 2-5% perfume oil, and generally lasts for about 2 hours.
It is mostly inexpensive and often available in large bottles meant to be carried around and used throughout the day.
Less is more:
As is applicable to everything classy and elegant, less is definitely more. Apply restraint when spritzing perfume; its scent should only be noticeable to those in close proximity to you.
As earlier mentioned, perfumes have quite a high range of potency, and applying the right amount of perfume can be quite challenging.
Each perfume has a different scent concentration. The higher the potency or fragrance concentration you have, the stronger and longer lasting the scent and the less perfume you need to apply.
Identify the labels on your perfume and pay attention to them. Parfum only requires one to two spritz, While eau de perfume can be sprayed two to four times (depending on the strength of your fragrance). With lighter perfumes on the other hand, such as eau the toilette and eau de cologne, spray up to five times and reapply throughout the day where applicable.
When in doubt, remember less is more.
Wear your perfume on pulse points:
Pulse points and perfume; a magical union made in heaven! Pulse points are areas on the body where blood vessels are closest to the skin; these points are warmer than the rest of the body. Body heat help diffuse the fragrance, which makes pulse points the ideal location to apply your perfume.
There are a number of pulse points to choose from: the sides of the neck, the collarbone, the wrists, the inner elbows, behind the ears, and even behind the knees.
Perfume when applied to pulse points will noticeably be different. The scent will react to your body warmth throughout the day, it will amplify and the scent will diffuse gradually – leaving a gentle elegant aura wherever you go. Sophistication at It's peak.
Consider your clothing when applying perfume to your pulse points. For example, if you wear a classy turtleneck dress, you might want to spray your perfume behind the ears and on your wrists (rather than on your neck and inner elbows).
Do not rub:
Stopeeet! A very and I mean VERY common perfume myth is that you need to rub your wrist together after spritzing your perfume. The fact remains that rubbing your wrists does absolutely nothing to enhance the scent of the perfume, in fact it does exactly the opposite.
The friction created by rubbing breaks down the molecules of the fragrance and changes the composition of the scent. To maintain the integrity of your fragrance, and ensure longevity on your skin, spritz both wrists lightly and leave them be.
Perfume storage:
Perfumes are extremely delicate; humidity and dampness can easily break down their formula and weaken their pleasant scent.
Unfortunately perfume bottles have turned to decorative pieces in the bathroom. This shouldn't be the case. Though perfumes are usually designed beautifully and can look really stunning on our dresser, they should be stored only in cool, dark places.
Perfumes can be quite expensive, so ensure their longevity by storing them in a safe place. Your best bet would be the box they originally came in, far away from the harsh light and in a dry, cool room.
Know your notes:
Like it's music counterpart, knowledge of notes is integral to understanding perfumes. Perfumers and aromatherapists have adopted a musical metaphor to describe perfumes, quite fitting I might add. The foundational elements of every fragrance should be thought of as three sets of notes that are harmonized to create a scent melody.
Like musical notes, fragrance notes add depth and complexity to the scent experience. The notes – top notes, middle notes, and base notes – gradually unfold as the ingredients diffuse, so the scent changes over time, creating a scent experience.
Knowledge of the basic principle of perfume notes is key for any perfume lover, and it will help you find the scent that truly suit you and you love every single time.
Top notes: Also called head notes, are those scents that first hit your nostrils immediately after applying a fragrance. You can consider them as your introductory notes/scents.
They usually are made of light molecules and arrive like a burst of scent and form the initial impression of a perfume. They are also the first to evaporate, giving way to ‘the heart’ of the fragrance.
Keep in mind: the scent that you perceived at the store might differ a few minutes after leaving.
Middle notes: Middle notes, also called ‘heart notes’, form the body of the fragrance. In fact they are the fragrance; they contain the elements used to categorize and define the perfume family of the product.
The middle notes are revealed after the top notes have faded and can last for a few hours or days as the case maybe. They make up the strongest impressions of the scent.
Base notes: You can call them the heavy duty notes. They are the heaviest molecules in the perfume; they lay the foundation on which the perfume is built. Call them the foundational elements. Base notes help grip the fragrance to the skin and enhance the adhesivity of the top and middle notes.
Base notes gives depth and fullness during the prominence of the middle notes of the perfume, but when the heart notes fades, they take on a character of their own and give the last impressions of the fragrance.
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Do you have a favorite perfume hack as a modern elegant woman? Share in the comments below. I hope you found this helpful.
Thank you for reading!
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