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How to Wear Cologne

Tips and Tricks to Get the Most Out of Your Favorite Fragrance

February 4, 2020

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Do you think you know everything about how to apply and wear cologne? Spray on as much as you can right before you walk out of the door? Well, that’s one way of doing it — but it’s not necessarily the correct way, or at least the most effective.

Choosing and applying a fragrance — or fragrances — should actually take a little more thought than most people assume. A lot of time, effort and expertise goes into making a single scent, so from notes and accords to sillage and dry down, there is more than meets the eye in that bottle of cologne, parfum or eau de toilette you’re so fond of.

Whether it’s how to choose the fragrance that’s right for you, how to apply cologne so it lasts all day or mixing scents together to create a unique scent that others will compliment you on, we’ve got you covered here. Both experts and beginners will benefit from the following tips on how to choose, apply and wear colognes. Starting with the basics, what is a cologne (or EDT or EDP or perfume) and which scent family do you like?

Cologne or EDT or EDP?

Cologne: Typically contains the lowest concentration of oil which makes this very light and perfect for summer, however the word cologne has become a genericized term for all men’s fragrance — even among some perfumers.
EDT: Stands for Eau de Toilette and is more concentrated than cologne, yet still light.
EDP: Stands for Eau de Parfum and is more concentrated than both cologne and EDT. Most people prefer this due to the longevity of the fragrance.
Perfume: The most fragrant with the longest sillage and a little goes a long way. Not limited to a women’s fragrance as many think given it’s now the genericized term for women’s fragrance.

5 Basic Fragrance Families

Citrus/Fresh: Consists of essential oils obtained by the cold expression of a peel from refreshing fruits such as bergamot, lemon, orange, lime, tangerine and pomelo. It’s found in most of the old eau de colognes and usually in sporty versions of fragrances.
Floral: Combines all delicate and subtle scents that have a flower as a centerpiece: rose, jasmine, muguet, violet, tuberose, gardenia, orange flower and iris. It delivers the feel of absolute masculine addiction with elegance.
Fougère: “Fern” in French, it’s built on a base of lavender, oakmoss and coumarin. It’s often used in men’s scents to create a fragrance with a clean, cooling and hygienic feel.
Oriental/Spicy: Albeit an outdated term, it remains that of this particular fragrance family. It includes all raw materials coming from the Middle East or Far Eastern countries such as the sweet notes of vanilla, tonka bean, cistus labdanum, amber and resins. The results are a very warm, opulent, sensual, velvety and typically an ultra-strong scent.
Woody: Usually makes up the base of a fragrance and can be divided into subfamilies that are characteristics of their qualities such as dry, humid, mossy, etc. From cedar to vetiver, many of its scents are full-bodied, racy and stately and therefore are found in most über-masculine fragrances.

Fragrance Terms to Know

Notes: Descriptors of scents in a fragrance.
Top Notes: The first olfactory impression of a fragrance and typically the most volatile and ingredients in a perfume. Usually bright, fresh or citrusy.
Heart Notes: Also referred to as middle notes, these are the second phase of a fragrances evaporation, which gives the scent its character after the top notes fade. Usually floral or spicy.
Base Notes: The third and final phase of a fragrances evaporation, or life on the skin. Almost always woody or leathery notes.
Absolute: The strongest aromatic material that can be extracted from a plant or flower.
Accord: A blend of two or more ingredients that blend together to form a distinct fragrance. Typically used to create scents that cannot otherwise be extracted from nature.
Dry Down: The final phase of a fragrance, which emerges several hours after application. Often this is a scent dominated by a fragrances base notes.
Sillage: The trail of scent left behind by a perfume — simply put, the strength or intensity of a fragrance.

How to Apply Cologne

So once you know which type of scent you like and how strong you like it, let’s move onto actually applying your cologne. As mentioned, it’s not as simple as showering yourself with squirts all over your clothes or walking through a fragrance cloud as you walk towards the door. Sure, those methods might get the job done, but you will have better success if you put a little more effort into your approach.

RELATED: 25 Best Winter Colognes

The best places to apply cologne are areas of the body that produce heat, such as behind the ears, the base of the neck, the center of the chest and the inside of the wrist. The subtle heat provided by the body will increase the intensity of the fragrance throughout the day.

Don’t go crazy with spraying your cologne multiple times in the same spot either. One or two sprays should be enough and if you’re unsure of a cologne sillage, ask a friend to help you out. If they can smell you from a few feet away, it’s safe to say it’s too much.

Spraying cologne on your clothing is acceptable, but should be done with caution. A little goes a long way and if you have a heavy hand, you run the risk of turning people off as you walk into the room. Cologne on clothing isn’t really a bad thing, but spraying it on your direct skin is better since this allows the fragrance to mix with the oils of your body and successfully project its notes in order.

Do you prefer a splash cologne? Well, think twice before you splash. Instead, gently tip the bottle on your finger then press your finger on the pulse points where you want to apply. That’s how you use splash cologne the right way, getting the perfect subtle scent that anyone who gets close enough to smell will enjoy.

How to Layer Cologne

Thought you could wear only one cologne at a time? Well, get ready to have your mind blown. Multiple colognes can be strategically layered together to create your own one-of-a-kind signature scent, and It’s much easier to layer existing scents than to create one.

Start with a your pulse point scent — behind your ears, the base of your neck and your wrists. Use something simple, yet strong. This is when a fragrance oil is a perfect choice. Something that will work well with your body’s natural chemistry — think a soft musk or warm sandalwood. This layer shouldn’t compete with your fragrances of choice, it should act as an additional layer to your own personal pheromone aroma you naturally produce all day, every day.

Your next layer should be applied to those places on your body that may require a little extra odor protection. Places such as your armpits, your chest and even your lower back. These areas benefit from fresh, clean notes. Eucalyptus and bergamot are great additions here and that’s because they help combat late day B.O. You can even use a spray deodorant of your choice here, as long as it doesn’t compete with or overpower your final fragrance.

Last, but certainly not least, is the main event, the pièce de résistance — your final fragrance. Consider this your olfactory handshake. This is the first impression your scent will make on all of those people you’ll meet. The base layers of fragrances we discuss shouldn’t conflict with this, but instead, they should compliment it. Apply this final flourish to your shirt, your hair or to the air as you walk through. A simple single spray later in the day can be enough to reignite your scent story, but only if you need it.

Proper Cologne Etiquette

If you haven’t noticed, we encourage safe scent practices. It’s OK to search for your favorite cologne, have a few top choices or prefer to wear no cologne at all. However, once you find the right cologne, figure out the best way to wear it. You can apply a cologne much more generously and often than a perfume or EDP. Remember, you may love the smell, but that crowded train, plane or boardroom you’re in might be full of people less enthusiastic about your choices. Be respectful.

If possible, try before you buy. It’s hard to buy a cologne based on a bunch of blogs or a magazine editors hyperbole. There are more and more scent subscription services that allow you to take a scent on a test drive which helps you decide if it works for you during the day, on a date, out to dinner, on the weekend — since even during different times of the day, we can react differently to certain scents. A lot of brands also offer trial kits with a combination of favorites or even better, the ability to create your own selection of scents to try.

However, if you can’t find that one sample you’re looking for, and you just have to buy the bottle sight — or smell — unseen, purchase the smallest size bottle you can. You may love the fragrance at first, and by the time you reach the end of that 25 mL bottle, you may have decided it’s not the one for you. Now, you won’t have half a bottle sitting taking up space until you suck it up and throw it — and in effect, the money it cost you — in the trash.

Next, make sure you know what you’re buying. Don’t purchase cheap, poorly made colognes since they are often full of alcohol and water and won’t last very long on the skin and be weary of buying cologne from untrustworthy sources such as sketchy sellers online or tourist-trap stores that sell your favorite expensive scent at a price that’s too good to be true. Invest in a well-made, long-lasting fragrance you’re sure will make it throughout the day. You’ll wear less daily and therefore spend less overtime.

Lastly, don’t hang on to that fragrance for years and expect it to still smell as good as it did on day one. Fragrances don’t “go bad” per se, but they do breakdown and oxidize as they age, which can leave them smelling less than their former selves or worse, just smelling bad. It’s not likely, but an expired cologne applied to your skin might even cause skin irritation or an allergic reaction. From the time a fragrance is manufactured, it will typically have an average shelf life of three to five years.

13 Best Men’s Colognes

If you don’t know where to start, that’s OK. There are some fragrances that are timeless and work for most men out there. That’s because there are some notes that just naturally go better together and some that are just safer bets. If one of these bad boys ends up playing nice with your nostrils, start looking for other fragrances that have similar notes, from top to bottom, and try them out, one-by-one. Before you know it, you will have established a signature scent that doesn’t over power but doesn’t fade before you’re ready. You might say, your perfect signature scent will hit all the right notes.

Polo by Ralph Lauren

This fragrance is rich, woody and aromatic — but never overpowering. Developed in 1978, this is still one of the most popular fragrances out there for men who want to smell sophisticated without overpaying for it.
$71 at Amazon.com

Giorgio Armani Acqua di Giò

Notes of aromatic citrus and salty sea water, this iconic fragrance from Giorgio Armani is fresh enough for warmer months, and spicy enough to get you through the cooler season.
$76 at Amazon.com

Hugo Boss Bottled

This popular scent may have only debuted in 1998, but it quickly became a classic for men everywhere. It’s crisp and spicy top is grounded by warm woods and vanilla.
$90 at Amazon.com

Acqua di Parma Colonia

One of the best citrusy fragrances there is, Colonia has been a best-seller among Italian sophisticates for over 100 years. Using the fresh Calabrian bergamot as a signature note, this scent will certainly keep on being a favorite for another 100 years.
$66 at Nordstrom.com

Chanel Bleu de Chanel

This fragrance may be the newest of the list — launched in 2010 — but it has also quickly become one of the most recognizable. With minty citrus-ginger top notes, the heart and base are surprisingly deep with rich incense, cedarwood, sandalwood, vetiver and white musk.
$77 at Sephora.com

Davidoff Cool Water

An oldie but a goodie, this is a budget best seller for a reason. Able to be worn from day to night, fresh, bright notes of seawater and mint fade into neroli and dry down to a soft yet woody musk. This fragrance manages to offer a little something for everyone.
$26 at Amazon.com

Christian Dior Dior Homme

Citrus, sage and lavender may start this fragrance out, but don’t call it a floral. This scent captures the French olfactory aesthetic with its subtle hints of powder and amber at the heart and its rich base of leather, patchouli and vetiver.
$84.50 at Amazon.com

Yves Saint Laurent La Nuit de l'Homme

A complex aromatic balance of both fresh spice and woody spice, this evening-friendly fragrance by YSL rests heavily on its opening of cardamom supported by lavender, cedarwood, bergamot and vetiver.
$77 at Amazon.com

Creed Aventus

Started in 2010, this sophisticated blend established its place among other classics on the top shelf immediately. This is the fragrance you wear if you want to have a fresh bright citrusy fragrance that manages to keep the scent all day. A long lasting citrus sillage isn’t easy, but Creed nails it with Aventus. It opens with bring bergamot, blackcurrant leaves, apple and pineapple and grows with the development birch, patchouli, jasmine, musk, oakmoss and ambergris. You will get compliments every time you wear this.
$325 at Nordstrom.com

Calvin Klein Eternity

Who says a classic has to cost you? This fragrance is a best seller because it’s good — period. Opening with citrus, freesia and sage, the complex floral heart is grounded in masculinity with amber and sandalwood.
$50 at Amazon.com

Hermès Terre d’Hermès

A little goes a long way with this indulgent EDT. Orane, pepper and vetiver start this intense scent while benzoin, cedarwood and patchouli round it out. If you’re looking for a long lasting, bold fragrance for the cooler months, you may have just found it.
$88 at Sephora.com

La Labo Santal 33

This fragrance quickly became a favorite and therefore also became quickly identifiable. Layering this deep, woody leathery scent will be a perfect surprise when someone special decides to get close enough to take it all in.
$152 at MrPorter.com

Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme

This EDT is a woody aquatic fragrance with yuzu as its start. The fragrance profile also includes nutmeg and water lily at the heart and subtle tobacco, sandalwood, cedarwood, vetiver and musk.
$29 at Amazon.com

Your fragrance says a lot about you, so why not make it say something nice and enjoyable for everyone?

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