How To Apply Your Perfume

You know it was the PR coup of a lifetime when a reporter for Life Magazine asked Marilyn Monroe what she wore to bed, and she replies "Why - Chanel Number 5 of course!"

Do you have a signature scent? A fragrance that defines you, that makes those that love you think of you when they smell it anywhere in the world? 
Dior believes that a woman's perfume is as important as her handwriting. I believe it's more important.

1953 Marilyn Monroe in bed

But just as important as the fragrance itself is the way you apply it.
A gorgeous perfume can be hideous if you overdo it, so here are the guidelines for How To Apply Your Perfume

Marilyn Monroe applies Chanel Number 5

* Spritz fragrance onto a couple of your pulse points ~ wrists, throat, behind the knees, inner elbows and behind your ears. There's magic when the beating of your heart meets with some body heat and your fragrance. Just don't put it on all your pulse points in one session.

* If you are wearing perfume you just need a couple of well placed drops.

* If your are wearing eau de parfum limit it to three cleverly placed spritzes

* If you have eau de toilette limit yourself to four spritzes, but make them count.

* Over time you become a little desensitized to your perfume, but everyone else can still smell it, so don't double up because you can't smell it!

And finally, with Valentine's Day just around the corner, a quote from Coco Chanel:

A woman should wear perfume wherever she wants to be kissed...

How To Apply Fragrance

Have you ever sat next to someone who absolutely reeks of fragrance overkill? Or equally hideous, someone who desperately needs fragrance?

After a nauseating experience the other day, I decided to do a mini "how to" on applying fragrance. 
(Some of the following is exerpted from an interview with Yves Saint Laurent perfumer Sophia Grojsman)

Marilyn Monroe applies Chanel No 5

Apply fragrance to your pulse points (wrists, inner elbows, backs of knees, behind ears, base of the throat) this way your pulse will gently emanate the fragrance as you move through your day.

In the morning:
Fragrance rises up as it evaporates, so applying a little behind your knees and on your wrists will help you to smell it all day.

In the evening:
Evening fragrances are typically more sensual, and need to envelope you straight away. Apply them behind the ears, at the base of the throat and to the wrists.

It needs to develop...
Hold the spray 5 to 7 inches (12-18cms) from your skin and spritz lightly. The idea is to mist it on, not saturate the skin. If the skin feels wet, the bottle is too close.
Within a few minutes the alcohol solution develops and releases the top notes of the fragrance. If at that point you can't smell it, add more.
Its a good idea to have someone else check how powerful your fragrance is. Sometimes it is difficult to smell fragrance on ourselves, and easy to overload with too much.