Phone, wallet, sunglasses, lip gloss, a scrunchie, hand sanitizer. And the one thing we never leave the house without: a bottle of our own custom perfume.
A little spray before a meeting, after the gym or on the way to dinner makes you feel put together in two seconds. Here's how to carry perfume in your bag so it stays fresh, doesn't leak and lasts all day.
1. Pick a purse-size bottle
A full 100 ml bottle is heavy and takes up half your bag. A 15 ml bottle is the sweet spot: small enough for any bag, big enough to last weeks of touch-ups. All of our perfumes come in 15 ml ($38) and 30 ml ($58), so you can keep the 30 ml on your dresser and the 15 ml in your bag.
2. Keep it out of the heat
Heat and sunlight break perfume down and can change how it smells. Don't leave your bag in a hot car, and keep the bottle in an inside pocket instead of the outside one.
3. Stop leaks before they happen
- Make sure the cap clicks on all the way.
- Keep the bottle upright in a pocket, or zip it into a small pouch with your lip gloss.
- Flying? Bottles under 100 ml (3.4 oz) are fine in your carry-on liquids bag.
4. Spray where it lasts
Perfume lasts longest on warm, moisturized skin. Spray your wrists, neck or behind your ears, and don't rub, which breaks the scent down faster. A little lotion first helps it stick around.
5. Touch up once, not ten times
We stop smelling our own perfume after a while, even when everyone else still can. One or two sprays around midday is usually all you need.
Make it yours
The perfume in our bag isn't from a department store. It's a blend we made ourselves. With our custom perfume, you mix any two of our 12 scents in the ratio you like, and we hand-blend it to order in Oregon.
Not sure what you'd pick? Take the 2-minute scent quiz, or try them all with the sample set.
Quick answers
Is it OK to keep perfume in your purse?
Yes, a small bottle is fine in your bag. Just keep it out of hot cars and direct sun, and make sure the cap is on tight.
What size perfume is best for a purse?
15 ml. It fits any bag and still lasts for weeks of touch-ups.