How to wear perfume

So you’ve found the right perfume, but where should you be using use it, and what can you use it on?! Here’s our guide!

On your skin:
In the words of one Coco Chanel: "Wear perfume wherever you want to be embraced.” Perfume reacts on contact with skin and releases a fragrance that’s unique to the wearer's skin. The effects of heat also make perfumes release their scents, so apply your perfume to pulse points and areas which get hot or moist: your temples, neck (including the nape), backs of your knees, between your breasts, ankles, small of your back, navel, behind your ear lobes, and the inside of your wrists. With each heartbeat, you’ll release your fragrance! Also apply to extremely mobile parts of your body too, so that every time you move you’ll waft your fragrance around.  

On your hair
Spritz your roots if you have short hair and your ends if you have long hair.

On your clothes
Of course you can perfume your clothes – but not just any old how! First of all, not all materials release scents in the same way. Natural materials like linen, silk, cashmere, velvet, cotton and linen ‘exhale’ perfume like a dream, but the same can’t be said for synthetic materials, which are produced much more quickly and harshly. Also, take care to avoid staining silk garments! To give your clothes your own siganture scent, spray your scarves, skirt hems and coat lapels from a 10cm distance. Scarves retain fragrances best. Don’t use several different perfumed products on your clothes, or they could clash badly. If you change your perfume regularly, it’s best not to perfume your clothes; the fragrance on your skin will be enough to keep you smelling sweet!

More ideas…
- When applying perfume, spray in front of your body and step into the mist so that it disperses all over. 
- Perfume your sheets, pillowcases and linen cupboard with your favourite scent.
- If you’re washing delicates by hand, add a couple of drops of your favourite scent to the water you rinse your underwear in.  
- Spritz a tissue and pop it in your pocket or handbag to keep them smelling sweet.

When should you put your perfume on?
A hybrid of clashing fragrances on public transport in the morning can be nauseating and strong enough to give you a headache. Don’t bathe in perfume before getting on the bus, Tube or even in your car – spritz on arrival! And remember: it's better to spray a few times throughout the day than to assault the nostrils of everyone around you with that 'full-on' effect first thing in the morning...