You're Applying Your Perfume Wrong. We're Here To Help.

Stop rubbing your wrists together!

When putting on perfume or cologne, do you spray it into the air and walk through the "cloud?" Or do you mist it on as the final step of getting dressed? Believe it or not, there is a right way to apply fragrance, especially if you want the scent to last longer than five minutes.

We interviewed Patti Kapla, the vice president of business development at FragranceNet.com, on the do's and don'ts of applying perfumes. Scroll down for a refresher course on scents and an infographic that illustrates where exactly on your body you should be spritzing.

Photo: Getty Images | Infographic: Jessica Kane/HPMG

The best time to apply fragrance is after moisturizing. Once you've bathed or showered, gently dry yourself off, lather up with lotion and then spray on your perfume of choice. Kapla believes that moisturizer provides a base for your fragrance to latch onto.

Make it even easier by pairing with matching shower gels and body lotions. Kapla explains, "Using the shower gel, soap, shampoo, etc. of your fave fragrance will help make your fragrance last all day long! If you don't have the matching lotions offered with your scent, try applying Vaseline or a non-scented moisturizer to your pulse points before you apply your fragrance."

Never rub your wrists together. This fragrance expert strongly cautions against this habit. "You 'break up' the top notes, which are the lightest," she says.

For a lasting impression that won't stink, try the hairbrush trick. Simply spray your perfume or cologne onto a brush before stroking it through your strands. "Fragrance sprayed directly onto your hair may cause [your hair] to dry out," says Kapla.

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