How do you solve a problem like longevity?

Despite an earlier blog post casting doubts, I do firmly believe in the importance of a fragrance living up to the longevity that you should expect from it. For an eau de fraîche to be a 90 minute wonder, an eau de toilette to cling to skin for 3-4 hours, for an eau de parfum to give scent to my clothing from 9 to 5 and for a parfum to keep going strong for a solid 10 hours.

So what is one to do if one finds themselves with a 100ml bottle of perfume of whose scent you love and adore, but disappoints in it's ability to persist and persevere? Perhaps we ought to craft the question more carefully- can a perfume’s longevity be improved by a wearer?

Say our hypothesis is yes, and if yes, then how?

Way No. 1: Improve the skin's ability to hold fragrance. Skin pH and the presence of moisture, are two of several reasons why a fragrance might last 4 hours on one person's skin and 6 on another. Our skin is typically a tad acidic but highly alkaline soaps will distort that balance, which will in turn undermine how a perfume performs on your skin. Additionally, dry skin that is hungry for moisture and hair follicles for the oils your shower just stripped off, will absorb your perfume more quickly. So what's a fragrance lover to do? Switch your regular shower gel to something more pH balanced e.g. Dove Beauty bar, and introduce a moisturiser and/or body oil into your after-shower care routine. If you have some time to spare once a week, before you buff water off your showered skin, use a moroccan kessa (or body scrub) to exfoliate your skin. This will leave it soft, supple and hungry for hydration so remember to double down with a moisturiser and body oil before you apply your fragrance.

Way No. 2: Improve the experience of sillage. I'm sure that I will not be saying anything new to you by advising you to apply your fragrance to your pulse points- back of the knee, inner elbow, wrists, and base of neck. But it had to be said, just in case. You could also spray some fragrance to your brush and run that through your hair and spritz a bit behind your ears. Another trick is to apply vaseline (an occlusive that seals moisture) to the spots on your body where you'd like to apply your fragrance (this trick works best with perfume oils).

Way No. 3: Practice the art of layering. Perhaps you find that you have exhausted the first two tips and the longevity of your fragrance is still not up to par. Then may I suggest to you a different way of doing things- layering. If it is a vanilla heavy eau de parfum (EDP) you wish to address, why not first apply a vanilla leaning eau de fraîche or eau de toilette to your skin after moisturising it well, and then apply the EDP to your pulse points, hair and clothing. 

Way No. 4: By strategic timing. Timing as they say is everything. Nominally, fresh out of the shower is the best time to apply your fragrance, but if you will not be dashing out soon after, then why not delay your fragrance application until you're about to make your grand exit from your house or car?

Where there is a will, there is a way, and I hope these four ways of improving your perfume's longevity will be of service to you. I know that there are many other ways to skin this cat that I do not know of, so don't be a stranger, do share your means and methods in the Comments section. Bon Week-end !