If you’re serious about looking good and smelling better, follow these 3 commandments.
i. thou must never be ashy
If we take it back to the playground, being ashy is one of (if not thee worst) things you can “be.” Outside of childhood bullying tactics, unmoisturized skin is putting you behind when it comes to looking good and smelling better.
Perfume loves to stick to hydrated skin, and the first — and most impactful — place to get that hydration is in the shower. I use the same approach to cleaning my body as I do my hair. Usually, 2 lathers will make me feel clean and have my skin prepped to receive moisture out of the shower. On these warm days, I love to start off with the Naturium The Energizer Mandelic Acid Body Wash. This formula helps neutralize any odor and makes me feel very clean without compromising my skin’s feel.
The second lather isn’t technically necessary, but in this routine, it serves as a way to put more moisture into the skin and start the scent layering process. Some of my favorites for this step are the Cyklar Vanilla Verve Body Wash and the Trader Joe’s Ultra Rich Body Oil ($5). The rumors are true about that last one! It smells exactly like the Sol de Janeiro 59 ($26) scent.
Once you get out of the shower, gently pat dry, but leave yourself a little damp before you apply your body oil gel. I love lotions and creams, but if I had to choose one product to give me long-lasting moisture, it would be the Vaseline Shimmering Body Oil Gel. When you apply it to slightly damp skin, you’re literally sealing in hydration with an occlusive layer, meaning the moisture has a harder time escaping. All of this equals soft, supple skin all day!
ii. thou must layer thy scents
Layering perfumes is a low-key debated topic amongst fragrance lovers, but this smell good girl is here to tell you: if I don’t have the option to layer my fragrance, I almost don’t want to wear it!
I take the term layering two ways. One way is layering different formulas of fragrance. For example, when I layered Tropical Inferno from Brown Sugar Babe, I’m layering a scented body oil. Not only am I getting the added glow and moisture from all of the cold-pressed organic oils that they use, but I’m also getting the base for a perfume combo that will last all day.
I also layer fragrances that you spray on. I plan on making a separate blog post about how you can begin to layer the fragrances you already have in your collection, but until then, just know that wearing your fragrances and training yourself to smell the notes and accords will allow you to notice similarities across perfumes.
From there, it’s all about playing up certain elements and vibes to fit your taste that day.
Layering allows you to have a truly unique fragrance experience in this highly accessible, show-and-tell world we live in.
The fragrances I wore in this video got brought on vacation with me because they always make me feel sunny. Draco, in my mind, smells green, probably because of the prominent pear note. And Capri in a Bottle smells like the most ripe, sugared lemon rinds.
The colors these two perfumes created in my mind were a perfect match to my outfit, and it’s really both that complicated and that simple.
iii. thou must bask in thy beauty and scent bubble
When was the last time you just stared at yourself in the mirror?
And not just stared blankly or did a quick check to make sure you didn’t have a booger in your nose. No. I mean a real bona fide “session” in the mirror.
There’s actually research suggesting that structured mirror exercises can improve confidence over time. One Harvard-linked study found participants reported a 25% increase in confidence measures after practicing for just two minutes a day over three weeks.
I like to do a practice occasionally called “The Curious Observer.”
What you do is take a few minutes looking at your reflection as though you’re seeing yourself for the first time. Start to notice your features and simply observe with admiration.
If you’re not at the point where you can admire yourself, then start with gratefulness instead. Be grateful for eyes that are even able to take in this experience; a nose that can smell and connect to your functioning brain that makes you feel good when you smell something familiar or comforting.
I understand you may not love everything you see, but the goal is not perfection. The goal is just to truly see yourself and feel pride.