LET’S NOT STINK!

Do you know how NOT to apply fragrance?

Have you ever smelled someone before you saw them? Whether the smell is pleasurable or not, we never want people to smell us before we have the chance to say hello. We want to captivate people with our ideas, not our fragrance!

Scent is extremely powerful! To help you successfully manage this influential tool we are sharing our Top Two Tips on Fragrance.

Tip 1: Don’t wear too much fragrance.

Scent is incredibly powerful – so much more powerful than we realize! Scent can evoke emotion and memory without our conscious awareness. It can overpower rational thought and influence us in ways we don’t realize. This is why professional athletes use scent to create specific moods and target behavior. It is why companies use scent marketing to get us to buy stuff (hello popcorn smell in movie theatres and freshly baked bread in supermarkets). One American hotel chain sprays the smell of apple pie in its lobbies to make guests feel at home! The same scent can remind one person of the grandmother they loved and another of the bully they feared, which is why less is always more with fragrance! You never know what memory your fragrance will trigger or who might have allergies to your chosen scent.

How do you know if you are wearing too much? Conduct a fragrance audit. We don’t realize how many different scents we wear or how strong they smell. Think beyond your perfume or cologne and consider your deodorant, soaps, lotions, essential oils, and hair products. Our body itself also produces a unique scent that is like a fingerprint. These scent layers combine to produce a fragrance that is much stronger than you realize. The problem is that you can’t really smell yourself!

ASK SOMEONE you trust to tell you if your fragrance is filling the room before you do. Your scent should be discovered, not broadcast.

Tip 2: Don’t put fragrance on the wrong place.

Ideally, fragrance should be applied to your bare chest before you get dressed. If you choose to put fragrance on your pulse points, be cautious of how much you apply. Whatever you do, don’t apply fragrance:

• Directly on your clothes, especially those that must be dry cleaned. The chemicals used in dry cleaning can create a reaction with the residue from the fragrance that stains your clothes. I speak from experience; I had to toss a beautiful yellow jacket years ago!
• On fine jewelry, especially pearls. Fragrance will damage them over time.
• On your hair. The scent is particularly overwhelming and alcohol in the fragrance will dry out your hair.
• On your hands. The scent will transfer with every handshake and touch.