Cost of essential oil adds cents to perfumes

Dear Readers: What’s the difference between perfume and cologne? Do you know? Can you concentrate? The concentration of essential oils is the key to these sweet-smelling concoctions. Perfume has the highest and strongest concentration of oils to alcohol, while cologne is more diluted and has the lowest. In between are eau de parfum and then eau de toilette.

Perfume has the most amount of oil, so it costs far more than cologne, but only a few drops can last a long time compared with just a couple of hours with cologne.

If stored properly, perfume should last about a year or longer. It’s important to keep all fragrances away from direct sunlight and heat; store in a cool, dry place away from windows. In some climates, storing in the refrigerator is a good solution.

For the budget-conscious, cologne is a good choice, but if you look around, you might be able to find your favorite scent in a sample perfume size. Heloise

Dear Heloise: I have gotten lots of good ideas from your columns. Now I have one I’d like to share:

I am famous for sending everyone postcards from wherever I travel. For all these years, I have done it. Why didn’t I send myself a card when I was traveling? I would have had a great record of my adventures. I am now mailing myself a postcard as I go. M. Sue Middendorf, Wheaton, Md.

Dear Heloise: I live alone and am a coffee lover but love it from my 12-cup coffee maker. I’ve reduced the amount it makes per pot but still have some left over at the end of most days. One day, I stopped by the local doughnut shop and saw coffee slushie listed as a cooler choice.

Voil °! I can do that, I thought. So, I froze some of the leftover coffee in ice trays and started making my own. Now any time during the heat of the day when I want a cool pick-me-up, all I have to do is go to the freezer and dip out a cup full of delicious coffee slushie. A N.C. Reader, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: I helped care for my sister recently, who was recuperating at home from surgery. After doctor’s orders to leave the incision unbandaged (but we were allowed to cover it lightly), there was a problem with slight leakage from the incision, which stained her garments. We found that unscented pantiliners were the perfect solution. We simply adhered them to the garment worn next to the incision. Lenda Ruth Bates, Ravenna, Ohio

Dear Heloise: When my 6-year-old son is too ill to come downstairs for the day, we use walkie-talkies to communicate. I don’t have to keep running up the stairs every few minutes to check on him, and he thinks it’s fun to actually use them, rather than just play with them in the back yard. Norma, Katy, Texas

X Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate