Smelling good is as important as looking good and perfume and aftershave can be a big part of that. Once you've left the house, though, how long that scent lasts might be affected by any number of things that you can't control. We’ve compiled this list of handy hints to help you get the best from your scents.

Matching Sets

If you can find a perfume with other matching products like shower gels, moisturisers and wipes, these will enhance the scent all over.
Our own range has several matching sets including:

• Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Gift Set including a perfume and body cream
  
  
  
• CK One Gift Set including a perfume and body wash

• Paco Rabanne Lady Million Gift Set including a perfume and body lotion

Petroleum Jelly

A little dab of petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline, in the places where you spray will help preserve the scent, keeping it stronger for longer. The base of the jelly absorbs the scent but sticks to you, helping you use less while keeping your scent fresh.

Spray Your Brush or Comb

The alcohol in perfume can dry your hair out if you apply it directly, but spritzing your favourite scent over your brush or comb before use will still allow the fragrance to cover your hair. This means that even when you’re sitting, your scent will be noticeable to people passing by.

Storage

To ensure that the oils in perfumes are not affected by light or damp, perfumes should be stored in a cool, dry place. Cupboards are fine and a great tip here is simply to keep the box for storage purposes, as this can be easily carried around.

The Time

Perfume is best sprayed onto slightly damp and moisturised skin, so after a bath or shower is the best time to spray. To ensure the scent is not rubbed off by your clothes, ideally wait just a few minutes between spraying and dressing and try not to rub where you have sprayed, as friction can affect how long it lasts.

The Places

A lot of us like a good all-over spritz but that can be wasteful. There are certain areas where the heat of your body will help enhance and release the scent. Spraying just these areas will save your fragrance without affecting how strong it smells. Behind the ears, the front of the neck, inner elbows and wrists and behind the knees will all have this effect.

The Last Drops

When you’ve reached the end of the bottle and those last few drops are teasing you, just out of reach, try opening the bottle and adding those drops to an unscented moisturiser to use on your hands. This cuts down on waste while giving you a few extra days of your favourite, too.

At Perfume Direct, we have a great range of perfumes and aftershaves as individual items and available as gift sets. We also have hair and skin products from luxury brands like Clinique and Tigi, so check our full range now.