How do you apply perfume so it lasts?

There are a couple of things you can do to make a perfume last longer on your skin . Firstly, make sure you apply the perfume to bare skin—you don’t want any clothing or accessories to obstruct the fragrance. Secondly, it’s a good idea to apply the fragrance to your pulse points, including wrists, neck, inner elbow, and back of your knees. This is because fragrance reacts to heat, and applying the perfume to these various spots will help the scent emit throughout the day. Finally, try not to rub the fragrance into your skin when you spray it. Just allow it to sit on your skin so that it doesn’t absorb and lasts longer. Keep in mind that perfume oils have better lasting power than traditional perfumes.

The 10 Best Celebrity Perfumes

It turns out celebrities have many more talents outside of singing, acting, and dancing—they have created some wonderful, iconic fragrances, too. What is so incredible about celebrity fragrances is that the truly outstanding ones have stood the test of time. Some celebrity scents have been best-selling fragrances for over 30 years.

Lucky for us, we were able to test out a bunch of classics (as well as some newbies) that brought us back in time. Some picks delighted our senses, while others had us wincing. To help narrow down the plethora of perfumes, we’ve saved you time and picked the best celebrity perfumes on the market.

01 of 10

Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely Perfume

Buy on Amazon $22 Buy on Walmart $68

What We Like

Classy-looking bottle
Good price point

What We Don't Like

Loose-fitting cap; potential to spill

02 of 10

Jennifer Lopez Glow

Buy on Amazon $25 Buy on Walmart $27

What We Like

Low price point
Smells clean and soapy

What We Don't Like

Not long-lasting
Packaging looks and feels cheap

03 of 10

Fenty Eau de Parfum

Buy on Sephora $140 Buy on Fentybeauty.com $140 Buy on Kohls.com $140

What We Like

It has a unique spicy, floral scent
Elegant bottle
Scent lingers

What We Don't Like

The high price tag

Rihanna has once again nailed another category in the cosmetic industry: perfume. The Fenty Perfume boasts a lovely warm, spicy floral scent that will have you hooked. The top notes include magnolia, musk, tangerine, and Bulgarian rose. We love that this pick is very long-lasting and comes in a simple yet elegant bottle. One of the biggest downsides is that this perfume is expensive. At $140 per bottle, it’s our priciest pick on this list.

Price at time of publish: $140

Type: Eau de parfum | Size: 2.5 ounces | Top Notes: magnolia, musk, tangerine, Bulgarian rose

04 of 10

Ariana Grande Cloud Eau de Parfum Spray

Buy on Amazon $65 Buy on Ulta $65 Buy on Walmart $44

What We Like

Very fun packaging
Warm, sweet, spicy scent

What We Don’t Like

Scent doesn’t last very long

05 of 10

Dolly Parton Scent from Above

Buy on Amazon $40 Buy on Walmart $40 Buy on Boscovs.com $40

What We Like

Pretty bottle

What We Don’t Like

The scent is very sweet and powdery

06 of 10

Katy Perry Killer Queen

Buy on Amazon $35 Buy on Walmart $28

What We Like

Scent lasts all day

What We Don’t Like

Bottle shape is not practical

This fruity pick from Katy Perry includes top notes of forest fruits, plum, and bergamot. It’s a playful, fun scent that’s anything but “old lady.” We love that the packaging gives off Queen of Hearts vibes, but the actual bottle is a bit impractical. It doesn’t sit upright on its own, so you’ll have to have it lay on its side when displaying in your perfume collection. That being said, we do love the price point for the amount of product you get (the bottle is larger than you expect) and love the originality of the elegant-looking bottle.

Price at time of publish: $35

Type: Eau de Parfum | Size: 3.4 ounces | Top Notes: Forest fruits, plum, bergamot

07 of 10

Billie Eilish Eilish Eau de Parfum

Buy on Ulta $72 Buy on Walmart $75 Buy on Billieeilishfragrances.com $72

What We Like

It’s vegan, cruelty-free, and paraben-free
One-of-a-kind packaging

What We Don’t Like

The bottle isn’t practical

08 of 10

Paris Hilton Fragrances "Love Rush"

Buy on Amazon $40 Buy on Walmart $28 Buy on Parishiltonfragrances.com $75

What We Like

The fresh, floral scent
Fun bottle and packaging

What We Don’t Like

It’s hard to find

09 of 10

Britney Spears Fantasy

Buy on Amazon $27 Buy on Walmart $27

What We Like

It brings back major nostalgia
The fair price point

What We Don’t Like

The bottle looks cheap

10 of 10

Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds

Buy on Amazon $72 Buy on Macy's $72

What We Like

It’s a true classic
It’s available at many drugstores nationwide

What We Don’t Like

It may remind you of your grandma’s perfume

White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor was first released in 1991 and is still the best-selling celebrity perfume there ever was. The bottle is iconic, as well as the scent—the top notes include aldehydes, bergamot, neroli, orange, and lily. Because this perfume is so old, it’s unsurprising that many will find the scent to smell vintage, and maybe not in a good way. While we love this iconic pick, it might not be for those who are looking for a “younger,” fresher, more modern scent.

Price at time of publish: $24

Type: Eau de Toilette | Size: 0.5 to 3.3 ounces | Top Notes: Aldehydes, bergamot, neroli, orange, lily

Final Verdict

Fragrance preferences are truly subjective, and everyone has different tastes (and smells). What our favorite was might not be yours. That being said, we’re confident that our overall winner, Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker, can be enjoyed by most perfume lovers. Not only are we fans of the scent, but we also love how classy and elegant the glass bottle is, too. While we dubbed Ariana Grande Cloud the best-packaged perfume, we are big devotees of the fun, youthful fragrance as well.

What to Look For in a Celebrity Perfume

Fragrance Notes

Beyond just the celebrity that you love, you need to take a peek at the list of ingredients to find the best scent for you. If you're a spicy or musky fragrance fan and choose a super sweet floral scent, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Think of the scents you are drawn to—or, you know, mesh well with your body chemistry—and look for those notes. Words like fresh, woodsy, floral, and gourmand (sweet) can also help guide you through this list as well.

Packaging

We normally say to not judge a book by its cover, but in this case, we're giving you a pass: You can judge a fragrance by its bottle. Now, if you love a scent but hate the bottle design, it may still be worth giving it a shot. However, perfume bottles are often little display pieces too, so, ideally, you would love the whole thing—the fragrance as well as its packaging.

FAQ

How do you apply perfume so it lasts?

There are a couple of things you can do to make a perfume last longer on your skin. Firstly, make sure you apply the perfume to bare skin—you don’t want any clothing or accessories to obstruct the fragrance. Secondly, it’s a good idea to apply the fragrance to your pulse points, including wrists, neck, inner elbow, and back of your knees. This is because fragrance reacts to heat, and applying the perfume to these various spots will help the scent emit throughout the day. Finally, try not to rub the fragrance into your skin when you spray it. Just allow it to sit on your skin so that it doesn’t absorb and lasts longer. Keep in mind that perfume oils have better lasting power than traditional perfumes.

Why Trust Byrdie

Daley Quinn is a contributing writer for Byrdie, where she covers all things beauty, health, and lifestyle. After doing extensive research on the best-selling and most loved celebrity perfumes, Quinn personally tested about half of the ones that made this final list and used her insights to craft the story.

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