DIY perfume hack gives sweet-smelling 'glow up' using £1.40 kitchen ingredient

If you’ve ever forgotten to top up your favourite perfume before finishing your last bottle, or simply don’t fancy spending loads, there is a DIY scent hack you might want to try.

The viral technique uses only one ingredient most of us already have at home and use regularly when baking sweet treats.

Popularised by TikTok user Elizabeth Monaghan, who shared people often ask her how she smells so good, the hack seems to be all perks.

The 22-year-old beauty enthusiast admitted to her 270,800 followers that vanilla extract is the secret to a gorgeous fragrance.

She applies it directly to her wrists and neck for a warm, sweet scent, and claims it's the cheapest perfume alternative you'll ever find.

A bottle of Extra Special Madagascan Vanilla Extract from Asda only costs £1.40 and you will get plenty of use out of it.

Unlike some perfumes full of chemicals, vanilla extract offers a natural, comforting fragrance. And, to many, it evokes warm memories, like baking with family.

You can apply it directly to your pulse points, like your wrists and neck, for a long-lasting effect. These areas naturally get warm, helping the scent spread throughout the day.

For a lighter touch, you can even create a vanilla spray by mixing it with water. Just remember, the more extract you use, the stronger the scent will be.

The Californian content creator uses vanilla extract all the time and says people are “always asking” her why she smells of vanilla.

Other TikTok users found the tip interesting and soon took to the comments’ section to share their thoughts on it.

“This is soooo me when I run out of perfume,” Hurul Narshira joked.

“No way, I thought I was the only one,” Shylee Stocks commented.