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Perfume\u2019s persistence can be a blessing or a curse. It\u2019s Murphy\u2019s Law among perfume enthusiasts that the fragrance we loathe the most will be the one that wears through a night\u2019s sleep and a shower, and clings to our coats through two thunderstorms and a dry cleaning. Conversely, the fragrances we love never seem to last long enough. Sure, I like to wear more than one perfume a day, but it would be nice if a perfume could soldier through a full workday without my having to rummage for a decant for a midday boost.<\/p>\n
So, I loaded an atomizer with Guerlain Vol de Nuit<\/a> Eau de Toilette and experimented:<\/p>\n One spray of Vol de Nuit Eau de Toilette<\/span> alone lasts about four hours before I really have to press my nose to flesh to smell it. It\u2019s lovely enough to be worth it, but no one except me, with effort, can detect it after lunch.<\/p>\n Surprisingly, Eau de Toilette sprayed over shea butter<\/span> gives a maximum two hours of fragrance. After breakfast, I thinly spread pure shea butter, which doesn\u2019t have a lot of odor on its own, over my forearm and misted it with Vol de Nuit. By the time I got to work, the shea butter had eaten the fragrance, and the faint \u201cnutty-stick\u201d odor of shea butter was a little more robust, like it had just had a good meal. Meanwhile, the arm with Eau de Toilette alone was still going strong.<\/p>\n Eau de Toilette on clothing<\/span> lasts all day, but with drawbacks. Fragrance on cloth doesn\u2019t wear as warm nor personal as it does on skin. Something about the effect of a person\u2019s body chemistry, the blood coursing through her skin, brings a perfume to bloom better than the cold but efficient fibers of a sweater. Plus, if you spray your sweater or the inside of your coat with fragrance, it will stay smelling that way for days, even when you might want to switch perfume. Unless you have a signature scent or enough coats to dedicate one to each fragrance, think twice about spraying your clothing.<\/p>\n The one exception is if you spray fragrance on a scarf<\/span>. I\u2019ve heard that at Caron<\/a> in Paris, the SAs will spray your scarf with perfume so you can try it for a day. A scarf is an exception because (1) it wears close to your skin so it can warm and diffuse something \u2014 although not exactly \u2014 like skin can; and (2) unlike with a coat or sweater, on day two you can trade in a scarf for a fresh one and scent it with another fragrance. But how many of you wear scarves? I do, but looking around I know I\u2019m in the minority.<\/p>\n Here’s another questionable way to wear fragrance: spray Eau de Toilette on a cotton ball<\/span> and tuck it in your bra. Robin told me about this trick. I tried it, but I only lasted a few hours before I yanked it out (although I admit it was an awfully nice-smelling cotton ball to toss in the trash). A bra that fits well tacks to the rib cage. It shouldn\u2019t hold anything except a tampon on a quick trip to the lavatory when you don\u2019t want to be obvious by carrying your purse. Stick a cotton ball in there for long and it\u2019s an itchy distraction.<\/p>\n Eau de Toilette over fragrance-free moisturizer<\/span> adds a third more life to the fragrance. I used First Aid Beauty\u2019s Ultra Repair Cream, which on its own smells faintly medicinal but goes on like whipped cream and absorbs quickly. Over the cream, Vol de Nuit continued its vol<\/em> straight and true for about six hours. Not bad.<\/p>\n Parfum over Eau de Toilette<\/span> is marvelous and burns quietly from breakfast until dinner \u2014 a good nine hours. This isn\u2019t the budget-friendly way to wear fragrance, but with Vol de Nuit it\u2019s a magical combination. The Eau de Toilette is crisp and diffusive, but a drop of Parfum over it adds warm, sweet, sandalwood-rich depth. It wears off just in time to top it off with more Vol de Nuit parfum for the evening, or switch to something complimentary with wood or patchouli, like Chanel Bois des Iles<\/a>, Caron Nuit de Noel, Chanel Coromandel<\/a>, or Christian Dior Dioressence<\/a>.<\/p>\n Parfum over Eau de Toilette over fragrance-free body cream<\/span>. With this combination I won the double prize of endurance plus depth of fragrance.<\/p>\n Since I don\u2019t have Vol de Nuit lotion, I didn\u2019t try Eau de Toilette over same-scented lotion or cream, but I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if it were effective, too, at making perfume last. To some extent that defeats the purpose \u2014 body cream is usually expensive enough that why not just buy another bottle of perfume? \u2014 but I could see where it would work well. Please comment if you’ve tried it.<\/p>\n Do any of you have your own tips on how to make fragrance last? I\u2019m listening\u2026<\/p>\n Note: top image is\u00a0SDIM0553_sfx3<\/em> [doubled & reversed] by pha10019 at flickr<\/a>; some rights reserved<\/a>.<\/p>\nThe baseline<\/h3>\n
The fail<\/h3>\n
The questionable<\/h3>\n
The winners<\/h3>\n
The ultimate<\/h3>\n
Possibly of interest<\/h2>\n
Canvas & Concrete fragrance primer ~ product review<\/a><\/div>More ideas for fragrance layering: vanilla scented lotions<\/a><\/div>Perfumista tip: on perfume layering<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n