JULIAN ROUAS

Have you ever gotten ready in the morning, spritzed on your favorite scent, and a couple of hours later you got nothing? This can be exasperating. Why bother to apply scent if it's not going to last? In order to make sure that your uplifting scent lasts through the day or your sexy perfume lasts until the end of your romantic date, follow some or all of these suggestions.

First, be aware that there are different types of scent formulations. Each has a different concentration of fragrance oils. If you use body splash, it literally means to splash it on your body. It is the most diluted type of fragrance. Perfume is the strongest. Depending on the scent itself, it takes very little perfume. You could be having the opposite problem and overwhelming everyone. Be certain that you don't overdo it.

Second, be aware of pulse points. These are the areas of the body that have blood vessels very close to the skin. As the blood pulses, it produces heat. This in turn releases the scent of your perfume. The pulse points are located at the temples, behind the ears, the base of the throat, between the breasts, the wrists, the bend of the elbow, the backs of the knees, and the ankles.

Pay particular attention to the pulse points at the backs of the knees and the ankles. Since scent travels upward, these scent locations are very important. And most people skip these pulse points when applying perfume.

Another reason scent evaporates quickly is because of dry skin. Perfumes contain alcohol. So they can evaporate quickly. A way to prolong this is to apply lotion before perfume. A lotion that is the same scent is an excellent way to extend your perfume's lasting power. But if you don't have a matching lotion, apply an unscented lotion. If you decide to use a lotion with a different scent, make sure that it doesn't clash with your perfume. Often you can come up with unique and pleasing scent combinations. An example would be vanilla scented lotion applied before using a musk perfume.

Along the same line as using a lotion with the same scent is using soaps, body washes, powders, and even shampoos with the same fragrance as your perfume. Many more perfumes are coming out with extended product lines of their scents using additional bath products.

Your perfume can also be extended by spraying some onto your clothing. This should be tested first on a small inconspicuous area on the inside of your garment. Check to make sure that the perfume will not stain before applying it to the outside of your clothes.

An alternative to actually spraying perfume onto your clothing is to wear a scent locket or a scent ring. If you like this type of jewelry, it works great. A scent locket or ring contains a small compartment to place a small piece of cloth or cotton ball which has been sprayed liberally with your perfume. The rings are often called poison rings. An internet search turns up many websites that sell this unique jewelry. The heat from your body releases the scent as you wear the jewelry.

Then, of course, as a fail-safe guarantee, carry a small travel-size spritzer bottle of your favorite perfume to give yourself a quick spritzer during your lunch break or while in the powder room.


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