Scent Span
Prolonging the life of your fragrance on the skin is a key element to getting the most mileage out of your fragrance investment. Why do some fragrances seem to last a long while but others fade and fizzle out quickly? Scent span is a made-up name to describe how long a fragrance lasts on an individual.
One reason for the quick fade has to do with your own skin. For some reason, two women can apply the same amount of the same product and yet it wears longer on one than another. You can't really alter your skin chemistry, but there is one thing you can do. Moisturize.
Fragrance lasts longer on well hydrated and well moisturized skin. If your skin is naturally oily, scent will cling longer. If you don't have naturally oily skin, you should moisturize. You can use a scent-free moisturizer and then apply fragrance over it, or you can use a scented moisturizer and kill two birds with one stone.
Fragrance applied to well hydrated skin (fresh out of the bath or shower) lasts longer than fragrance applied to dry skin.
Next, consider the product you're using. Perfume is going to last longer than cologne, no matter what kind of skin you have. If you're using a cologne or even an eau-de-toilette, you should consider upgrading to a perfume or eau-de-parfum to lengthen the scent-span. For some skin chemistries, you may need to use a perfume or other very high grade product to get a decent scent span.
Another trick for enhancing scent span is layering. Just like layering clothes, the idea is to use different items one on top of the other. You can start with shower gel, then add a scented moisturizer, then a bit of scented lotion or cream on a few strategic areas, topped off with a spritz of eau-de-parfum.
Layering should be done in the same fragrance, but very bold and knowledgeable perfume lovers sometimes mix the layers up. Don't do this unless you know what you're doing (or don't care if you end up smelling like a French you-know-what-kind-of-house).
Last but not least, the fragrance itself can make a difference. Some fragrances just naturally have a tremendous scent span (Youth Dew Amber Nude by Estee Lauder is one of these long-lasting scents, so is Beyond Paradise from the same line). Other scents, particularly if they are lighter by nature (such as light florals) just never develop much scent span even in perfume form.
If you can't get good scent span but still love the fragrance, invest in a small spray bottle and touch up, touch up, touch up. Life is too short not to smell good.
Joanna McLaughlin is a freelance writer who frequently writes about perfume and fragrance. She often appears on the website http://www.theperfume-reporter.com .