Fragrance dos and don'ts

Whatever new scent you choose, the trade group known as The Fragrance Foundation offers these tips:

Keep fragrance safe from extreme cold and heat. Long exposure to strong sunlight or extremes in temperature can disturb the delicate balance of the fragrance and change its scent.

Don't try more than three scents at one time when you are shopping. Your nose will lose its ability to tell the difference.

Apply fragrance directly to the skin when you are testing new scents. You cannot get a true reaction to the fragrance from the bottle. Allow the heat of the body to develop the fragrance on your skin and then sniff. It's even better if you can wait 10 minutes because by that time the alcohol will have evaporated and the fragrance will have blended with your own skin chemistry.

Don't put fragrance directly on furs or fabric since it may stain.

Don't choose a fragrance because you like it on someone else. Fragrance is never the same on different people.

For a long-lasting effect, fragrance should be layered all over the body, starting with eau de toilette or eau de parfum. Because fragrance rises, apply fragrance onto skin from the feet to the shoulders. If fragrance is applied only behind the ears, it will eventually rise and disappear.