Having a year-round summer is terrific, but not with the obnoxious humidity. It takes effort to smell amazing all day long, and the knee-jerk reaction is to drown yourself in perfume once every hour. That’s bad, very bad. Impractical, too. So we figured, there must be ways to stay sweet-smelling and fresh even in the sweats of summer.
The new Azzaro Wanted is a great way to stack the odds in your favour. Created by Fabrice Pellegrin using mainly Guatemalan cardamom, Haitian vetiver and Brazilian tonka beans, the fragrance is a breath of fresh air. It is woody, spicy, fresh and not to heavy for balmy weather. It is bold, yet likeable. But the question is, how do you keep a scent like this going? Here are nine useful tips (we hope they are) to add to your fragrance arsenal.
Rub Vaseline on your pulse points.
Rather, petroleum jelly. The ointment in it helps to hold the fragrance to your skin longer. So rub it away on your wrists, neck, inside elbows and even your ankles. Avoid the crotch.
Moisturisers help too.
As long as they are unscented and a little oil-based. Oily skin retains fragrance much longer than dry skin. Another way is to drip some of your cologne into a bottle of unscented lotion. Just don’t moisturise your face.
Spray right after you shower.
And right before you dress up. Damp skin will lock in the scent. Spray it on, wait a few minutes then get dressed. Putting your clothes on immediately will only rub the scent away.
Less is more.
“Perfume should be discovered, not announced,” said somebody many years ago. You don’t want to walk into a room smelling like a duty-free shop from Chinatown. What you really want is a quiet aura of confidence.
Spray your pocket square.
Then stuff it back into your suit pocket to keep you smelling good for a long while. For similar impact, soak a cotton ball with the scent and tuck it into your jacket or trousers.
Don’t rub your wrists together.
As you might know, scents are typically a combination of top, middle and base notes. The top notes are delicate, light and dissipate almost immediately. The base notes, for obvious reasons, are heavy and longer lasting. By rubbing your wrists together right after you spritz, you will spoil those light top notes by rushing the experience right into the middle notes. That’s a waste.
Layer your scents.
Try a bunch of perfumes out and see if they complement each other. Always spray the stronger scent first before topping it with the lighter fragrance. This is so one doesn’t overpower the other.
What works for you, really.
The only way to know is to take a sample home and wear it for the day. A whiff of a perfume blotter is almost useless. As you know, the role of pheromones has arguable impact on how a kind of fragrance smells on another. Everyone has a distinct and unique smell, and this is why the same fragrance can smell good on one person but not on the other. Sweat is another factor. Know that summery scents like orange and grass mix well with sweat. These scents are further amplified and lingers on once the sweat evaporates.
Keep safe.
Store your perfume away from daylight. Heat, light and humidity are what will break your fragrance down. If it helps, keep it in a box and in the bedroom closet, far from the window and sink top of your bathroom.
Azzaro Wanted retails at $99 for 50ml and $132 for 100ml at selected Department stores and SaSa