Choosing a perfume can be a perplexing tangle of hit-or-miss fragrances and a slew of foreign jargon. It's a lot of lingo when all you're looking for is your signature aroma. In one complete guide to cologne, we've broken down everything you need to know about how to select the exact perfume that defines who you are. Say goodbye to the perplexity and hello to scents in men’s fragrances.
Pick Your Aroma and Testing Advice
Visit your neighborhood department store and get a whiff of what they have to offer. Don't be misled by pushy salespeople; instead, follow your nose. Experiment with potential smells on paper testers until you've narrowed it down to the top two.
When deciding between those fragrances, discard the coffee beans. To refresh your palette, take a whiff of your inside elbow. Your body's pH is better at balancing the various stimuli. Spray the first option on one forearm and option two on the other, leave for 15 minutes to scent. This enables you to notice how the cologne reacts with your specific body chemistry and permits the cologne's tones, or instant fragrance, to fade and shine through. The middle notes are the scent's distinctive smell and are effectively what you will smell like when applying it.
The world of fragrances is divided into four distinct aromas. If you have a preference or are tempted towards a certain scent, look for it in the correct section and begin your hunt there.
Floral
A typical floral-based fragrance will feature notes like rose, jasmine or gardenia, that branch out into fruit scents like peaches or berries.
Oriental
A seductive and deep fragrance characterized by scent notes such as sandalwood, vanilla, and cinnamon.
Woody
Taken from earth, woody scents have a very masculine aroma. These forest-like essences are invigorating and invoke feelings of nostalgia.
Fresh
This encompasses a wide range of energizing fragrances, with a focus on citrus, greens, and water scents. Orange, lemon, fresh-cut grass and sea breezes are prominent aromas in these sorts of perfumes.
Perfume Terms
When shopping for perfume, it can be quite daunting when faced with technical jargon. Here are some definitions to be cautious of when shopping for colognes:
- Parfum: This basically translates to perfume, and it contains the highest concentration of oils (>20%) and can last up to six hours.
- Eau de Parfum: "Eau" means water in French, so remember that this is a slightly watered-down perfume. This contains 10-20% oil and lasts four to five hours.
- Eau de Toilette: An even more diluted perfume that is more of a skin refresher, containing between 7-12% oil and spanning there to four hours.
- Eau de Cologne: This is the youngest of the perfumes, containing only 2-7% oil and lasting about two to three hours.
- For the man: This slogan, which means "for guys," is commonly encountered on colognes.
Fragrance Application
When using the scent, make sure to blot rather than massage it in, as this can contaminate the scent by destroying the fragrance's tones, or driving scent. Allow the smell to take its own route. You can try the spray-and-walk-away strategy, but it can be a waste of effort.