THE NOSE KNOWS

If you’ve ever been “Giorgio-ed” in Bloomingdale’s cosmetics department, you know what a strong, long-lasting fragrance is like. For the rest of your shopping trip, you reek of the popular Beverly Hills fragrance. If you like the scent, then you’re one of the happy ones. For those of us who aren’t that crazy about Giorgio, learning to avoid the eager perfume sprayers is the only solution. The lasting nature of Giorgio does, however, bring up an important issue for scent-wearers; many perfumes are glorious to smell, with a dab or two behind the earlobes and off the wrists. But after a while, the scent fades and it’s time to reapply. This can be an expensive habit.

Now, with the help of Perfixe, a perfume extension product, a little dab will do you all day. The new product, just under a year old, is designed to be applied to the skin (preferably on the pulse points) before the scent is applied over it. The delicately balanced formula helps the perfume to maintain its scent. The creator, Howard Molyneux, who’s been in the perfume business for thirty years (and is also of the famous fashion Molyneux family), says that Perfixe is basically “a service product for the complaining customer. It helps them enjoy their perfumes.”

Perfixe is expected to do well in the United States where, says Molyneux. “American women like perfumes to announce them.” The perfume accessory is $15 for a quarter ounce and is distributed by HM Distributors.

As of press time, the only retail outlet for Perfixe in Texas is Parfum’Elle, a perfume boutique in Fort Worth’s Mont Del Plaza.