Fragrance is personal. “A fragrance specialist at any beauty destination can help you discover the right scent by having you experience the different olfactory families,” says Jamie Petrovic, regional training executive for Elizabeth Arden. He takes us through the steps to finding the right scent:
- Choose the family of scents that you prefer.
- Test just the fragrances that are available in that olfactory family.
- Spritz it on the inner wrist. In 10-15 minutes you will get the true scent of the fragrance.
- Spray it on key ‘pulse point’ areas such as the inner wrist, behind the ear lobes and inner elbows.
- Layer your fragrance with its complimentary body line of products such as the shower gel, body lotion or cream.
Another way to extend the life of your fragrance is to spray it on over a fragrance-free body moisturizer. Fragrances usually like to linger on skin that is humid or moist, which helps the fragrance emanate from your skin to the air.
A little goes a long way. All you need is a spritz on the wrists (avoid rubbing the wrist together since this action tends to break down the notes of the fragrance instead of it taking its natural pH balance course), and a quick spritz behind the ear lobes or even behind the knees.
Most perfumes have a shelf life of approximately three to five years, but it’s important to know how to take care of them. Store perfume in a cool, dry place away from any direct sunlight or heat. Keep your fragrance bottles inside their boxes and store in a cupboard or dark closet to ensure they don’t change in colour or scent.
You don’t have to spend a lot to get a good perfume. Fragrance gift sets offer a great opportunity since they contain complimentary deluxe body lotions or shower gels for people to get more bang for their buck. A tip for your groom? Jamie says, “A fragrance rule that guys should follow is: spray, delay, and then walk away. His scent should not be overpowering. If it is, he is not applying it correctly.”
Originally published in Today’s Bride magazine, Spring/Summer 2015.
