As you know, I am a lover of Fragrance and a couple of years ago, I decided to start collecting perfumes.

I know there are a lot of people out there who loves smelling good. They may not be in the game of collecting colognes and or fragrances. However, I believe that most of them do not really have an idea on how to properly store or use the scents they own.

To start off, a fragrance has a general shelf life of 3 years, it's not made to last for an indefinite amount of time. But, if stored properly it is possible to enjoy it for a longer period. The essential oils and other ingredients used to make a perfume are sensitive to Temperature changes and direct sunlight. Therefore the first rule for safekeeping your scents is to put them in a dark place away from sunlight. Second, make sure that the room in which you are going to keep it has a steady temperature. It should not be too hot. Perfumes generally do well in cool temperatures, if you can afford a mini-bar great, if not a wooden cabinet will do just fine. Do not keep your fragrance in the bathroom, as the temperature when you're using hot shower affects the room and your perfume as well.

Aside from keeping it properly, it also good to know how to use your fragrance. Of course how much you want to use in the end will always be subjective. Each of us have a different level of sensitivity to odor. One spray may not be enough for Tommy but already offensive for Harry. Keep in mind that there are people who do not like very Heavy Fragrances, so certain considerations have to be made when wearing it. 

I typically use four sprays on average whether the fragrance is heavy or not. But there are those (myself included) who would sometimes use as much as 10 sprays. Is it bad? Like I said it all depends on what fragrance you wear and where you are wearing it. Heavy fragrances should be applied before you leave your home so that it has time to mellow before you get to the office. Use it sparingly if you will be in an enclosed space where the temperature could rise, and ventilation is poor. Certain places like hospitals typically admonish non-usage of perfumes, and there are some restaurants in the past who ban people who are wearing very heavy fragrances as this somehow affect the taste of the food they serve.

Fragrance can be applied to pulse points in the body, like the neck, the wrist or behind the ears. The pulse points are usually warmer or hotter parts of the body and the heat helps the fragrance to develop. You can also spray it on your hair or your clothes to keep the fragrance from evaporating quickly, making the scent last longer. It is more advisable to apply a cologne or perfume over clean skin. Applying lotion on your skin also helps the fragrance stay longer.