When several years ago hajusuuri asked if longevity mattered, most of the respondents answered negatively. Many of you mentioned that it would not stop you from loving or buying perfume. But what if you could choose?
Saturday Question #160:
What Is Ideal Perfume Tenacity For You?
How long do you want your perfumes to last with the initial application?
My Answer
I didn’t remember that previous question (and it’s not surprising since it wasn’t mine). I came up with today’s SQ one morning recently when I woke up and thought that I liked that I could still smell the perfume I wore to a party the night before. And later, when I checked the list of questions we’ve done (as I always do), found that one and read through the discussion, I discovered that I gave the same answer back then.
I rarely wear perfume to bed intentionally. But when I wear perfume that stays on my skin and hair through the night, it makes me happy. Though, I’m glad that I have in my collection some perfumes that I can wear for 3-4 hours – and then replace with something else. Or reapply – if I feel like doing so.
How about you?
Undina's Looking Glass 
For me it depends on the perfume I am wearing. Sometimes I can still smell the perfume I wore the day before, or longer, and I love it. Heure Exquise is one of those, Dzongkha and Trayee. Other perfumes I love, but they wear me out after some time, most Ormonde Jaynes do that. Their tenacity is too much for me. I think generally speaking I prefer perfumes with a moderate tenacity.
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Heure Exquise is one of those perfumes that stays for a long time on my skin – and I love that!
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What a thought provoking question.
If I go out in the evening, which I rarely do, I tend to wear my vintage big hitters, but if they are too much they can disturb my sleep.
I don’t mind reapplying fragrance during the day, but found Shalimar Millesime Tonka frustrating when she waved goodbye after just 3-4 hours.
So I would choose longevity of 5-6 hours if I could. For me it would be just long enough for me not to be frustrated & the perfume not overstaying it’s welcome.
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With the number of bottles and decants in my collection, I also don’t mind reapplying perfumes – as long as the bottle is small enough to have it with me.
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I totally agree on the Shalimar MT, barely a couple of hours on me. I don’t have a problem reapplying but I expected more from this. I absolutely love the scent, though, so it’s not a total bust for me.
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I’m with you in adoring SMT. I only get 4 hrs longevity but I have a back up bottle so happy to reapply. Disappointing longevity but SUCH a beauty can get away with it (just)
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I don’t mind reapplying, but would be happy if my morning spray lasts for 6h, do i can choose to wear something different for the evening
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What happens more often – do you reapply the same perfume or another one?
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If i am still at work i reapply, at home i often choose another scent
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I feel so indecisive about this! Like some of you, I don’t mind if my fragrance fades after a few hours, so I can try something else. But I also enjoy getting wafts of a fragrance I love the morning after I’ve worn it. I guess I can say that I prefer my fragrance to last at least 4 hours, so I can make it from morning to lunchtime without reapplying. Eight hours gets me through most of my work day, then I can switch to a different fragrance. And I wouldn’t want most of them to last more than 12 hours, since I like variety.
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After thinking about it, I agree that I wouldn’t want all of my perfumes to last 12+ hours. But those that I love the most (and as a result wear for special occasions), I don’t mind waking up to.
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This is interesting. I don’t tend to wear more than one perfume a day, so I want it to last the day, 8-12 hours. However, I’m also glad to have some short-lived freshies around to top up with a bright layer or for those rare days when I forget to put on perfume until late in the day. Some perfumes smell nice the next day, but many don’t to me, as they’ll likely have separated and left one or two heavy base notes.
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I think that your perfume-wearing habits will change once your collection grows significantly.
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Probably! I’m already spraying more than I used to.
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I’d say 4 to 6 hours. That way I can wear 2 different perfumes in one day if I wish. Or, I can re-apply the first one.
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Same question as I asked Tanja above: what happens more often – the same perfume or another one?
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Sometimes the same one if it’s one I really love and sometimes it’s a new one that complements the first one and I’ll try layering.
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I like a good six hours. I’m totally fine with less, sometimes, because I love the idea of wearing an elusive fragrance.
In reality no-one here wears it. Not sure if it’s because it’s not readily available, people are poor, or if it’s the terrible no scents is good sense idea. I’ve said this before, but I’d rather smell some decent fragrance rather than aggressive laundry soap/dryer sheets/ functional products/cigarette smoke.
If I think i’ll have a rough day at work I’ll spray just my finger tips-that way I can have the comfort of fragrance, and the beauty of it sometimes helps me straighten my spine, but if it’s a really gross sort of day I can pretty much just wash it off :)
Great question as always, Undina. :)
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Thank you, Carole.
It’s interesting how we have similar approaches: when I want to wear just a little of perfume I’d apply it to the back of my hand.
I dislike scented laundry products and other functional products.
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I’m happy if my morning perfume is still discernible at dinner time. I don’t need it to stay on my skin overnight – I often like to have a second perfume, or use a calming scent to help me fall asleep. Sadly, way too many perfumes don’t make it until lunch!!
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Thinking about it, I don’t care much for how long my morning perfume stays. But evening/special perfumes I want to keep going and going and going… True Energizer Bunny :)
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4-6 hours is good for me. I normally don’t want anything to lost over 8 hours as I get tired of it.
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4-6 hours is a good longevity, I agree.
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I prefer longer tenacity, especially if going to work, as I do not want to re-apply it there.
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Do you ever bring any perfumes with you to reapply?
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Very rarely. Only if I am going somewhere straight after work, otherwise not.
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Like MMKinPA, I am also happy if my morning perfume is discernible at dinner time. I do sometimes get a pleasant surprise when a scent lingers on bedding overnight, but I wouldn’t necessarily want them all to do that as it could add up to a palimpsest-cum-dog’s breakfast on my bedlinen over time.
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Sometimes a combination of 2-3 perfumes on my robe create a very interesting combination. Too bad I cannot recreate it :)
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I think I’d like 8-10 hours. Long enough to last the day at work, and long enough to experience the dry down in the morning if I put it on before bed.
I’d also like a foolproof way to remove fragrance if I don’t like it.
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Oh, yeah… If I hate perfume, it’s almost guaranteed it’ll stay on my skin for hours!
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If I can still get wafts by earlyish afternoon I’m happy enough to top up around then. So about 5 hours is the least time I expect it to perform for. There are some perfumes I have that last a whole day but I have a chemistry that burns off the scent more quickly than most people.
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It would be interesting to do the experiment with several people with different (by their estimation) skin chemistry and the same perfume with the same wear conditions and the same “control sniffer” :)
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That would be the optimal experiment.
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I am very flexible on this one, dear Undina, often depending on my mood. Five hours is good for me. This brings up the dreaded “beast mode” thing and the increasing belief that strength and performance are synonymous with quality.
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Five hours is a good span.
Yeah… I wouldn’t go that far: we all know that many functional products have a scent that stays forever. Think about Tide, for example :)
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Hmmm! Ever since I’ve upped my spray volume to 8, my relationship with longevity had also shifted. I have to find the right balance where I don’t overwhelm yours truly, smell subtle on the train and in the office after an almost 1.6 mile walk each way and NOT have to re-up during the day. I’ve come to the conclusion that a longevity of 8+ hours is ideal on the days I work in the office (and this usually means 4 sprays) whereas on the work from home days, the sky’s the limit. Even at home I don’t re-spritz but I can if I wanted to and even wear a different perfume altogether.
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1.6 mile walk… It should be taking at least 45 minutes. I’m impressed!
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