Scentsational

No one really wants to bombard noses with the overpowering stench of too much perfume. Sometimes, the scent you love in the store smells completely different on your skin…especially if you’re not sure how much to spray on. While the right perfume in the right amount can be heavenly, it doesn’t always work out. Here are a few application methods that will give you a light touch or keep it off your skin (to avoid your natural oils mixing with it and changing the scent) so you can smell sweet and not overpowering.

No one wants to smell like they’ve bathed in perfume or cologne. It can give the people around you instant headaches or allergic reactions; some schools and workplaces are even designated as fragrance-free. Think of the people who will be smushed up against you on the bus like sardines in a can – be kind to their noses and apply your perfume with a light touch. The easiest way is to use a body spray instead of an eau de toilette; the body spray is less concentrated.

Instead of spraying your skin directly, spritz the air in front of you, then walk into the mist. Walking through just one spray is enough to give you a touch of scent that will last for an evening out.

You don’t even need to spray your skin. Spray your hairbrush with your chosen scent, then run in through your hair. This works if you need to cover up the smell of baby powder when you use it as a makeshift dry shampoo.

Not all perfumes will work on every body; the ingredients will react differently depending on your chemistry. Everything from your DNA to your diet can affect how a scent smells on you. To properly test how a scent smells on you, you should spray some on your wrist at the store (or rub it on from a magazine sample) and leave it on overnight. Check it out in the morning and see how you like the scent. Not only will it have mixed you’re your natural oils by then, but the notes of the perfume can change over time, so you’ll get to smell the bottom notes of the fragrance by then. If you didn’t test your fragrance out overnight before buying it and it doesn’t work on your skin, you still have some options to give yourself a hint of scent. Try spraying your clothing to surround yourself with the smell without it actually touching your skin.

Chatelaine has a creative way to carry a scent with you without it touching you: soak a small piece of fabric in your fragrance of choice and put it in a locket. When you wear the locket, the smell will be present without ever mixing with your body oils.

In the long term, one of the best ways to prevent over-scenting yourself is to switch up your fragrance regularly. If you use just one signature scent every day, soon you’ll become so used to the fragrance that you won’t smell it any more and will be forced t