Cologne

To my understanding, not everyone is enthusiastic about cologne, or in a more generic sense, fragrance. There are individuals that dislike fragrances in general, and even some who it affects their allergies, which has, at times, even influenced company policy or law. And, to be honest, I can understand this. But, in my opinion, the problem was often due to that one person.

I think many of us have experienced that individual, and admittedly, I was once it. Where they applied far too many sprays and gagged those around them, all the while utterly convinced that they smelled fantastic. This is not how it's done.

Also, there are many who generally prefer to smell clean, or not smell at all. Added to that, we already have scents in our shampoo, our body soap, our shaving cream, our deodorant, etc. With these in mind, simply to add another scent to the mix seems like a waste of money. Honestly, if you're in one of these camps, I understand and am not here to convert you. This isn't everyone's thing, and I get that. That said, in years past, I was an avid lover of colognes and over that time slowly amassed a collection that I still have. Today, I still wear and enjoy colognes, and while I still boast quite a few bottles, I can't say I'm as enthusiastic as I used to be.

This post is for those who, like me, are interested in or would like to check out colognes and want to use them to smell good, and I thought I'd just wanted to do a general introduction. The world of colognes is hardly small and not inexpensive. If your experience is like mine, you have little to no idea about where to start or what you're looking for, let alone what smells good on you or performs like you want it to. I wanted to share some tips for how to look that I've come to find and use.

Sampling in store

When I was into colognes, I would spend time doing research into a particular one that I was looking at after hearing about it. If my interest continued, I would look into the notes on websites like Basenotes, check reviews on Youtube, and go deal hunting. However, for people that don't take up colognes as a hobby, this is largely impractical. My recommendations for those that just want to smell good is to actually try out a cologne before you make a purchase.

To do this, the first tip would obviously be to go to a store and sample. Don't just go in and grab one, but actually try them out. Places like Sephora have a good collection you can look through, and they provide strips of paper so that you don't have to actually spray it on skin, allowing you to try a variety of options. Find a store that has testers for you try out.

However, when you sample, don't just move from one to the next in succession non-stop. There's something called olfactory fatigue, in which your sense of smell becomes accustomed to certain notes you'll find, and so you'll actually lose some of your sensitivity to smells. Instead, often you'll find is a container full of coffee beans sitting on the shelves. After smelling a few options, open up these containers and breathe in. The smell of the coffee will actually help to restore some of your sensitivity.

If you find on you really like, go ahead and spray it on your hand or wrist, then put the bottle back on the shelf. Get one initial smell of what it's like on your skin, then go walk around the store. After about a half hour, smell it again. Colognes typically have three stages: the opening, the heart, and the drydown. A lot of mass-produced colognes have fantastic openings to try to catch the wearer into buying it, but as it dries down, it will change. You want to find a cologne that smells good all the way through. After about a half hour, when you smell where you sprayed, THAT lets you know what you will smell like when you wear it.

Buying

My second tip concerns how to buy the cologne, to which I will say: don't buy at the store immediately. Put the cologne back on the shelf and leave. Instead, go to Fragrantica and do a search for that cologne. On their website, they will give a detailed description of the cologne, and the users of the website will post reviews concerning its longevity and projection. These can help you acquire an average estimate of how it will perform.

If it does as well as you'd like, or if you don't care and just want to buy the cologne anyway (been there, done it, have some), I would then check out a site called Fragrancenet. Reason being this site often has discounts, and they're usually running sales on their stock, so you can find deals for much less than if you bought them from the store.

As a side note, while the site is often reliable, the fact is, if you buy online, you run the risk of counterfeits, especially if the cologne you like is more popular. To check the one you receive, there's a website called checkcosmetic that you just run the batch code through to verify.

Application

My third tip concerns how to wear it. There can be a learning curve, when it comes to fragrances, as to where and how much is reasonable to apply.

To start, along the body, there are what are referred to as pulse points, where the blood vessels are closer to the skin. Because of this, these areas emit a greater amount of heat, and so the oils, upon being sprayed on the skin, emit further away from you. While there are a number of points along the body that are actual pulse points, the general spots tend to be around the neck, the inner arm, and/or the wrist. However, you can apply elsewhere if you'd like, as this is by no means mandatory.

When you spray, however, it is better to follow the cliche, 'less is more.' Two sprays, on different points, is usually a pretty safe starting point. My personal recommendation for testing is one on the front of the neck and one on the back, at the base of the hairline. If it's a weak cologne, it will go unnoticed, but if it's a strong cologne, it won't be too overpowering. If you feel that you need a bit more, go with three sprays. Also, after a time, you will not be able to smell it as easily, and will only get occasional whiffs of what you're wearing. Hear me when I say DO NOT take this as an indication that you need to reapply. If you're wondering if the cologne is wearing down, get a second opinion. You probably got used to the smell, and so you don't detect it as easily. Never take that on its own to mean it's just not there.

Storage

My final tip concerns storage. You may often hear colognes given with a certain expiry date. However, if you care for your colognes properly, you can make them last for several years or until you drain the bottle. The easiest way is to just follow two simple rules.

Don't store them in your bathroom. The reason for this is that, when you take showers, you rapidly fluctuate the temperature in the room. A few times won't hurt, but a repeating cycle of warm to hot to warm over time can damage the juice and alter the scent to something different and unpleasant. You want the colognes to remain at a fairly stable temperature.

Keep them some place dark. The direct ultraviolet rays of the sun cause damage over time to the juice as well, and so you want to keep them some place away from this. Ideally, a dresser drawer, a cabinet, etc. would work just fine in preserving them.

Recommended starting points

If you wanted a few bottles that are generally pretty safe to check out or experiment with, these would be my personal recommendations to initially check out. However, it's totally up to you how you want to go about it. I have spotted all of these in local fragrance stores, so you can check them out in person, if you want to.

• Acqua Di Gio, by Giorgio Armani. Released in 1996, it's still sells well today. It was actually so popular that it was over-hyped, and for a while (I don't know if it still is), it was one of the best selling in the world, which led to its share of people disliking it. However, it was popular for a reason. Good introduction into the field of colognes known as aquatics, which tend to be citrus based. Fresh and clean.
• If you want a bit sweeter and richer of a cologne, L'Homme, by Yves Saint Laurent, is a good starting point. Ginger based, and the tonka bean gives a sweet vanilla note that pairs well. It's subtle enough that it's not going to overpower anyone, either.
• The One, by Dolce & Gabbana. This one is often reviewed as having a fantastic smell, but has a reputation for being lacking in projection and longevity. That said, this also can make it a safe scent to check out. I would suppose the best description I can give would be that is has something of a tropical night sense to it.

Done poorly, cologne can easily put off others, but done correctly, it can serve as a nice touch to an ensemble. Just practice moderation and be considerate.

I didn't go too in depth into the technical terms and plan to do that in the future, but for now, I hope this helps those who are curious about the idea.

Do you have any colognes you enjoy, or anything you'd like to add to this list? Comment below!