Perfume isn’t cheap. At least, the good stuff isn’t. And there’s a good reason for this. But without going into the details of how perfume is made and branded by various international designers, it’s enough to say that if you want to find a distinctive and high quality perfume, you’ll need to spend a considerable sum.

For most, this is more than worth it for all the benefits a great fragrance can offer. However, for others, the cost is simply too much when weighed against other of life’s essentials. So for those who see that perfume is simply not a luxury that they can afford, we’re here to offer some tips on how you can make your perfume last longer – making it a more affordable purchase.

With these essential tips, you’ll be able to make your favourite scent part of your life for longer, whether you have treated yourself to your all-time favourite eau de toilette or have received a lovely bottle of cologne for your birthday.

Choose the right scent

When it comes to selecting a fragrance, actually choosing the right smell goes beyond simply enjoying the fragrance of a certain bottle or matching it to your other cosmetics, such as your favourite bourjois lipstick.

It also requires you to choose a perfume that can work harder for you. If you opt for a stronger fragrance concentration of oils in your perfume, typically found in eu de parfum rather than eu de toilette, the smell will last longer on your skin after it is applied.

These products will also typically be a more original and natural composition of the perfume, designed to carry the various notes more powerfully and over a longer period of time. If the base note of the perfume is strong enough, it will last for a considerable amount of time, when other more temporary notes fade out.

While you might love citrus, popular with hundreds of discount perfumes, this kind of note typically fades out quite quickly. So keep this in mind when choosing your next perfume.

Learn to layer

One great trick is to provide a layer of oil on your skin before you apply your perfume. This can be done with a simple body lotion and the effect is that the fragrance will bind more closely with the surface of your skin, making it last longer. Following this general rule, the best time to spray is after a shower or bath, when you have applied some unscented lotion, which will hydrate your clean and fresh skin, allowing it to hold fragrances more effectively.

Some fragrance types also have matching body moisturisers or lotions that can be used to maximise the impact of layering. This will literally build up layers of the fragrance on your skin. To come back to your favourite bourjois lipstick or any other lipstick product you love, remember than there are deep olfactory ties between perfumes and lipstick, which, when applied together in combination, deliver a more complex and longer lasting overall aroma.

You can also choose to layer your perfume throughout the day, such as spraying one perfume in the morning and refreshing it with another one at a different time of the day. The combination between the two can create an effective layering, but be careful that you are choosing scents that match each other.

Avoid rubbing

The best way to wear fragrance is on the skin at the pulse points. These are the wrist, behind the ears, elbows and on the neck. The reason for this is because the skin is prone to warming up more at these areas, helping the scent to project itself. While doing this, simply dab your perfume in the right places, rather than rubbing, which could reduce the effectiveness of coverage. It’s far better to leave things to unfold naturally as the substance warms up on the skin.