You should know within a few minutes after putting it on your pulse points whether you like it, or it it is just falling off your skin." Further, Knotek suggested that it is important to try something you're not sure you will like, and to that end, always try it on your skin, as what's in the bottle might not smell the ...
The most crucial part of finding your new favorite fragrance is, of course, trying it on. Spray it on a pulse point where your skin is naturally warm, like your wrist or elbow, so the fragrance will really heat up and reveal itself over time.
Its called 'nose fatigue'. After a few minutes of spraying a perfume on yourself, you will not smell it. The nose registers that smell and in a while gets saturated with the same smell. Hence in perfume shops they offer to smell coffee beans, which breaks the smell so your nose can smell other odours.
Olfactory adaptation
When we wear a fragrance regularly, the brain associates it with our own body odor. The fact that we no longer smell our perfume is part of a physiological process of olfaction. With our own scent, the stimulation of our olfactory sensors is permanent.
Proximity is the number one indicator of whether you or someone you know has gone overboard in the perfume department. A person should be relatively close to you before they comment on how you smell. If you are constantly smelling the fragrance on yourself or someone around you, it's a clear sign it's too much.
Don't Rub—Just Spray
Why? The friction created by rubbing, he continues, “heats up the skin, which produces natural enzymes that change the course of the scent.” Most impacted are the top and middle notes, along with the dry-down, or the last and longest period of your fragrance's unfolding.
Perhaps one of the most obvious spots to avoid spraying perfume is near your eyes. Alcohol-based perfumes contain ethyl—some even consist of up to 95 percent, which can cause irritation and stinging if it comes into contact with sensitive areas, like your eyes.
Don't spray perfume on the clothes
Spray the perfume directly on your skin, not on your clothes, because the fragrance can leave some stains. Make sure that your perfume dries on the skin, and only then put on the clothes. You can also apply your perfume to the pulse points, which are not covered with your clothes.
Moisturize First
"Fragrances will 'stick' to moisturized skin longer, and you will smell the scent throughout the day." For best results, shower, pat dry, then moisturize before spritzing.
But your own underarms could reek and you might not be able to tell: Humans are prone to what scientists call olfactory fatigue; our sense of smell just gets plain tired out by familiar odors and stops detecting them. Believe it or not, that can actually be a good thing.
Everyone has their own scent—just think of how differently your grandma and your boyfriend smell when you lean in for a hug. But can we smell ourselves? For the first time, scientists show that yes, we can, ScienceNOW reports. Our basis of self-smell originates in molecules similar to those animals use to chose mates.
Every person has a unique scent. “It's like a fingerprint,” says Johan Lundström, a neuroscientist at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. “There is a large genetic component to body odor. Even trained sniffer dogs have a hard time distinguishing between identical twins, unless the twins are on different diets.”
The taste buds of the tongue identify taste, and the nerves in the nose identify smell. Both sensations are communicated to the brain, which integrates the information so that flavors can be recognized and appreciated.
An individual's odortype is determined in part by genes in a genomic region called the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), which plays a role in the immune system and are found in most vertebrates.
After a shower, your clean pores will open up in the steam, making it the perfect time to apply your perfume. As soon as you step out of the shower, gently towel-dry your skin and spray on your scent to your pulse points. Your open pores will soak up the scent and leave your skin smelling fabulous all day long.
"Your ankles are always in motion, so it helps project the fragrance wherever you go," says Claisse. "It continues the scent from head to toe." Claisse recommends applying your scent on your body before putting on your clothes, so that the fragrance can absorb into your skin.
The answer has to do with hormones—specifically, pheromones. “Pheromones are chemicals that animals and humans produce, which change and influence the behavior of another animal or human of the same species,” says Erica Spiegelman, wellness specialist, recovery counselor, and author of The Rewired Life.
You should avoid spritzing and rubbing for two reasons. First, rubbing your wrists together can dull top notes (or the scents you smell in the first five minutes of applying perfume). Secondly, it mixes the perfume vigorously with your natural oils, which can change the way it smells.
Wondering exactly where to spray perfume? Focus on your pulse points. These are areas where your veins sit closest to your skin, so you can (literally) feel your pulse. It's places like the inside of your wrists, inner elbows, below your belly button, behind your ear lobes, and the back of your knees.
While that is true in some cases (and utterly French), pulse points should be your guidelines for applying perfume. These are locations on the body where the blood vessels are closest to the skin. These spots emanate heat, which helps fragrance project from your skin into the air around you.”
On the Wrists
Perhaps the most popular place to spritz your perfume, your wrists can help trap your scent. Simply give a direct spray to either wrist (don't rub them together—this breaks the fragrance molecules down!) and let the perfume dry down for a fragrance experience you'll be able to smell all day.
Perfume will stay longer on textile than on your skin. If you want your perfume to last longer, praying some on your clothes or scarf is a good idea. But be careful: some perfumes can cause stains on your clothes, especially the more concentrated perfumes with a darker, ambery color.
The bottom line
Spraying your favorite perfume on your hair might help short term, but it can damage hair in the long term by drying it out. For a quick fix, try a formula made for hair, such as a hair mist, dry shampoo, or hair serum.