Okwe all know people who are guilty of this crime. People whose cologne/perfume enter a room before they do. Both men and women are equally to blame. Whether its a co-worker, good friend or --gasp!-- you, we have all played the innocent victims to these saboteurs by the assault on our olfactory senses. The fact is that many of these perpetrators are unaware of their crime. Many things can interfere with our perception of how much is enough, when applying fragrance. For instance, wearing the same fragrance all the time can make our noses become accustomed to it. Thereby we have to apply more of it to be able to smell it anymore. While everyone around us is then reeling from the scent overload.

Believe it or not, there is a science to the art of fragrance application. Thats why I have included some general guidelines to remember when picking out and applying a scent:

1. When you are at the perfume counter testing out new scents to take home, remember to apply to your wrist first. Then walk away and give it time to settle in with your body chemistry. After about 7-8 minutes, smell it on your wrist. Does it still smell as good to you as it did from the bottle? Or has your body chemistry noticeably altered it for the worse? If the former rings true, its a good match for you. Otherwise, skip it and try another.

2. Before testing another scent, remember to clean your sense of smell by sniffing coffee beans. The aroma of coffee beans will act as a cleanser to your nose as a sherbet cleanses your palate before a meal. Most perfume counters will have these on hand as well.

3. When you have selected the scent you will take home, store in a cool and dry place. This will extend the shelf life of the cologne/perfume in that it will not alter the scent or reduce the potency.

4. When applying scents, remember that there are different strengths to each formula. For instance, eau de toilette contains the highest amount of water, therefore making it the lightest in potency. Perfumes contain the highest concentration of oil, making it the strongest of all forms of scents. The more oil a scent has, the longer it will last on your body. Keeping that in mind, apply scents to your key pulse points before dressing. These include your neck, back of the knees, behind the ears and your stomach. These are all parts of the body that will make the scent last longer, while not being overly obnoxious either.

5. A lot of your favorite scents are also available in body washes, gels, shampoos and lotions; making it easier for you to wear even more of them. The idea here is to layer them while finishing with the perfume as the final product.

6. The whole idea is to be subtle when you walk out the door to your destination. A person should have to get close to you before he/she can smell your perfume. When you are conscious of wearing an appropriate amount of perfume, you alleviate offending others with scents they may be allergic to or just plain dislike.

With these tips in mind, you will no longer have people wanting to run for the hills holding their noses. Quite the contrary actually- you will probably find others leaning in closer to find out just what that wonderful scent is you are wearing!