Storage is the unglamorous part nobody follows. Perfume degrades with light, heat and temperature swings, which makes a sunny bathroom windowsill or a shelf above a radiator the worst possible home for it. A drawer or a cupboard in a cool room keeps the composition intact for far longer. An older bottle that smells sharp, flat or oddly sour on opening has usually turned, and no amount of technique will rescue it.
If you have one fragrance you adore that simply won't stay put, consider wearing it as a top layer over something quieter and heavier — a simple musk or a soft woody base underneath, the beloved one sprayed over. The base anchors it, and you get the character you want for longer.
Does perfume really smell different on different people?
Yes, though less dramatically than the myth suggests. Skin temperature, how oily or dry your skin is, what you have eaten and what else you've applied all nudge how the notes unfold and how fast. The practical takeaway is to never buy a bottle based on a paper strip alone — wear it on your own skin for a few hours before committing, because the first ten minutes tell you almost nothing about the hours that follow.
Should I spray more if it keeps fading?
More sprays in one go rarely helps; it mostly creates an intense opening that still collapses at the same rate. A better approach is to layer underneath with moisturiser, spray fewer places but more strategically, and carry a small decant to refresh once in the afternoon if you want it. Also check what concentration you're buying — an eau de toilette is formulated to be lighter and shorter-lived than an eau de parfum of the same scent, and that difference alone explains a lot of disappointments.
