Thoughts on overspraying perfume? For or Against?

[Rosie2207]

I am a fragrance lover but never got into overspraying my perfumes. I have been seeing quite a number of people on social media who are really into over spraying their fragrances and surprisingly I have noticed quite a number of people are into over spraying. They firmly believe in others smelling them before they make their presence known. Sad to say that I got influenced and now I am an over sprayer but I try to be considerate when I have to be in a public place cos of others who may react adversely to my fragrance especially for those suffering from respiratory disease. Also, if I am wearing a really scent, I spray a few spritz and then layer with a lighter scent which I overspray. I find that I tend to overspray my lighter scents. Are you #TeamOverspray so that others can smell you from afar off or are you #TeamConservativeSprayer who keeps it moderate and close to the skin? Let me know what you think! 

[CattyT3]

I agree with those saying it purely depends on the perfume itself and how it wears on you personally and the occasion/ mood you're in while also considering you don't want to run through an expensive perfume in rocket speed.
Luckily even with friends and family who are sensitive to smell - either because of heightened smell detection or neurodivergent sensitivity - I have never received a complaint about how I smell or someone feeling unwell by how strong my perfume is. My perfume choices certainly don't aim to be palatable just by looking at them as I like a lot of long lasting and powerful scents. But interestingly my oud collection from Saudi Arabia are the most powerful lasting smells you can get, yet that's what brings in the most interest and compliments. So I happily spray 4-5 times or apply oils to my heart's content on my pulse points and don't worry about how it is received. 

So I am heavy handed with it but I don't douse myself in a smell like in a lot of impressions/ get ready videos where people REALLY spray so many times you lose count 😅

[katya106]

For me it all depends on the occasion, what fragrance I’m spraying, and who’s gonna be around. For fragrances like Sol de Janeiro 62, or Marc Jacobs Daisy, I kinda have to overspray so that the scent will actually last, lol. But scents that I know are like BAM in your face, there to make a statement, I tend to keep it more conservative…unless I’m at home and I just love the scent so much I just wanna bask in it.

[CorgiMommy]

I wear fragrance for myself so over spraying is not for me.  

I think it is okay if you want to do it but you have to be courteous to those around you.  Definitely a no no for airplanes, restaurants, etc.

[danielledanielle]

I think I am in the middle @Rosie2207 , I kind of do what @Buootiful does, like spray lighter sillage scents more, especially dabbers and rollers.  Usually the ones I notice that are aggressive on spray, like a fire extinguisher, I'll go light anyway.  Like, I want people to smell a hint of something good, but I am also weirded out when people start "sniffing" around me.

[pocketvenus]

@Rosie2207 I definitely aim to be discrete because so many people have different sensitivities these days. Certain settings I consider off-limits for strong scents such as shared workspaces, anywhere where people are eating and drinking, seated events where people cannot move, and so on.

[newcarlee]

@Rosie2207 - I’m about 95% in agreement with @WinglessOne in thoughts on overspraying: it’s only for me, I’m sensitive to powerful scents, others can be sensitive to scents, etc etc. So, basically what she said. Additionally, my own family isn’t big on my wonderful smells, so it really is just for me.

The one difference - I only use 1-2 sprays at a time / per day. At this usage rate and with the amount of fragrances I have (only 5 full size bottles, maybe 2-3 dozen travel or deluxe sample sizes, and more samples than I can count right now), I’m not worried about using up a bottle and needing to repurchase, even for those at costing $150+

[Buootiful]

@Rosie2207 I only overspray when I know the scent won't last long on my skin. Like, Ellis Brooklyn MYTH Eau de Parfum Travel Spray 0.33 oz/ 10 mL Eau de Parfum Travel Spray  #PHLUR Missing Person Eau de Parfum Travel Spray 0.32 oz / 9.5 mL , KILIAN Paris Apple Brandy Eau de Parfum 1.7 oz/ 50 mL Eau de Parfum Spray  and Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb Ruby Orchid Eau de Parfum with Vanilla & Peach  

[Margalee]

@Rosie2207 @ I can't over spray much because it stinks me out. Haha I did it today tesing Phlur Missing Person. I thought it was lightweight at first so overdid it and at points it was nearly insufferable. Hopefully I am more cautious next time.

[Rosie2207]

Hahahaha. I understand what you mean. Once oversprayed Marc Jacob’s Eau So Fresh since it’s light fresh scent. I felt suffocated but it did last on me all day. There was no need to reapply during the day. I just needed to survive the suffocation for a minute 😁.

[WinglessOne]

@Rosie2207  I always spray fragrance in my elbow pits, and I use just enough for me to be able to smell the fragrance when I wave my arm beside me. I don't overspray because: 

1. I wear fragrance primarily for myself, not for others. Sure, it's fun when others smell it too, but they're not the reason I wear it. 
   
   
2. As a migraine sufferer, I know how physically painful a too-strong fragrance trigger is. I refuse to inflict that pain on other people. 
   
   
3. Oversprayers usually make me nauseous (whether or not a migraine's triggered), even if I like the fragrance they're wearing. Or I'll feel suffocated by all that fragrance. Or I'll have a sneezing fit, which sometimes leads to a migraine—though even if it doesn't, sneezing fits aren't fun. Those are more things I refuse to do to other people with my own fragrance. 
   
   
4. Don't wanna waste fragrance. I'm not trying to quickly run through a $150+ bottle of anything, but I don't like to overuse a relatively inexpensive fragrance either. To me, overspraying = having to repurchase more frequently. 
   
   
5. I don't need a fragrance to announce my presence. 😄 

Quick note: even overspraying light scents can trigger migraines, respiratory attacks, or that smothered suffocating feeling in bystanders. I mean, unless you're overspraying a very low-sillage fragrance to try to make it project more (so you don't have to bury your nose in your skin just to smell it at all). 

[Rosie2207]

Thank you for the detailed feedback and I completely agree with the points you raised. No need to suffocate others with our scents. Spray at the pulse points and you’re good. I tend to overspray skin scents. For example Skin by Clean Reserve is such a mild scent. Sits too close to my skin and I only get to smell it when I poke my nose into my wrist. I tend to overspray that one and even at that within 4 hours it’s gone from my skin 😫. 

[WinglessOne]

@Rosie2207  Quick BIC tip: remember to "@" the person you reply to here on BIC so they'll get a notification. Otherwise they might never see your reply. 

See, something like Clean Reserve's Skin I can understand overspraying. That one's definitely a skin scent; I'd be surprised if the average bystander could smell it on someone else. They'd have to bearhug you to smell it, and even then it might go largely unnoticed. 😄 I'm sure there are a few people with noses sensitive enough to pick up on it while standing at arm's length, but that fragrance seems generally safe to apply generously. Though I have to remind myself different folks are sensitive to different scents/notes within a fragrance. Just because I can't smell it on myself doesn't mean a bystander won't pick up on a particularly sharp-to-them note. 

I have a love-hate relationship with skin scents. On one hand, I wish they'd project a bit more so I wouldn't have to hunt for them while wearing them. On the other hand, sometimes I like to have a scent like that on my wrist that acts as a very secret stress reliever or mood booster—maybe even a surprise mood booster if I bury my forehead in my palm and suddenly smell that skin scent I forgot I was wearing. 

One of the strongest fragrances I own is Zoologist Tyrannosaurus Rex. It's so powerful, I usually spray it into the air and then wave my arm through the mist to get it on my elbow pit. And I often wear it on just one arm, not both. Even then, I know that if I go out among people within 30-60 minutes of applying T Rex, I will absolutely knock people over with that fragrance. I adore T Rex but can't imagine overspraying it. 🤣 You'd have to be devoid of compassion—a truly self-centered person with zero consideration of others—to intentionally douse yourself with a fragrance that strong and then immediately step out into the public. 

[danielledanielle]

With that description @WinglessOne , I kinda wanna smell it 😂

ETA

Nevermind...I  can't 😂. The notes seem lovely, but the description 😂

[WinglessOne]

@danielledanielle  Ha, well now I have to share my initial feedback from the first day I ever wore T Rex: 

Spoiler

[The day I wrote this review was] my first T Rex experience and I was not adequately prepared for the extremely bold raging fire and tar pit scent. Not just lit fireplace; this is an orchard of bitter orange trees and pine trees near a tar pit, and everything’s burning down. That and a metallic black pepper note obliterated all other notes for about 30 minutes. I put Papillon Salome on my other arm to try balancing out the fire since I wasn’t sure how long it’d rage on.

As the fire gradually died down, I could also smell rose, ylang ylang, something leafy, a little patchouli, and sandalwood. Hours later, I smell all those things with a much softer burnt wood undertone. I’m glad this didn’t dry down to a sweet vanilla on me; it leans more heavily toward sandalwood as a base note.

This fragrance is one hell of a ride. 

Though T Rex is terrifying in those first 30 minutes, it later transforms into something citrusy warm and comfortably smoky and just gorgeous. And that’s my favorite thing about this fragrance: it goes through several scent/note shifts within the first hour of wear. It’s a complex fragrance that’s not for the faint-hearted. Heck, I love those first 30 minutes of storming through an actively burning world on the back of a fire breathing dinosaur. But I know some folks won’t, so I always wait til the fire’s contained before going out among the public. 

I’ve told a few folks there are 3 kinds of smoky fragrance: straight-up smoke (like Le Labo Patchouli 24), incense smoke (Papillon Anubis, my fave of all leather incense smoke fragrances), and “OMG what have I done” smoke. T Rex is that 3rd type. I’d say don’t let descriptions scare you but honestly, this is one of those smoky fragrances you need a sample of, so you can apply it at home and sit with it for an hour and see if you can handle it.