Shopping for men’s colognes can certainly be a challenge. Faced with hundreds of choices, a wide range of prices, and fancy packaging with strange names and descriptions, it’s easy to feeling overwhelmed when selecting cologne.
We’ve put together this guide to help you through the maze of cologne shopping. By spending a few minutes reading this material and following our advice, you will be on your way to buying colognes you use and like.
THREE BASIC COLOGNE RULES
- Rule No. 1 – No single cologne is perfect for all occasions. Forget about just having one cologne do it all. Different events and seasons call for different colognes.
- Rule No. 2 – Selecting a cologne is personal. You have to be comfortable wearing it and like the scent. Don’t wear it just because someone gave it to you as a gift or some girl told you she likes it. You need to like it or you will end up with a collection of unused cologne.
- Rule No. 3 – Have at least three colognes: one for the office, one for special events and romantic evenings, and one for casual events. It’s also important to have some variety because predictable is not interesting or attractive – rotate among several colognes. It shows you are a modern, interesting and confident man with style.
WHY WEAR COLOGNES?
- Women love it.
- Women love it.
- The power of smell and aromatherapy is dramatic – that’s why we smile when we smell great scents from food, candles, or the outdoors. Good colognes can make you feel better, boost your confidence and mood, and increase your attractiveness.
- Women love it.
COMMON COLOGNE MISTAKES- Wearing the same cologne you wore as a teenager. As you go through the decades in your life, change your colognes.
- Always wearing the same cologne. Variety is the spice of life. You’ll be more attractive if you are less predictable. Don’t wear the same cologne 365 days of the year – it won’t be noticed.
- Putting on too much. It’s important to be subtle – it’s much more seductive and alluring. If they can smell you when you walk into a room, you’ve applied way too much.
- Applying cologne to your face. Cologne should never be applied directly on the face. It has alcohol which can easily irritate and redden your skin. It will also have too strong a scent if applied directly to the face. Only apply cologne to either your neck, your wrists, or behind your ears.
- Spraying your clothes. Don’t do it! It’s a waste of cologne, bad for you your clothes, and is just way too much scent for a man. Where ever you go, you’ll stink the place up.
SELECT COLOGNES BY OCCASION
To keep your life simple when buying cologne, we recommend that you should have at least three colognes, one each for work, evenings, and leisure. - Colognes for Work – these are lighter scented colognes often with traces of citrus. The office is not the place for strong scents.
- Colognes for Evening & Romantic Events – these are sophisticated, heavier scents often with traces of musk, sandalwood, or leather.
- Colognes for Casual Events – these are lightly scented colognes often with traces of vanilla, lavender or citrus.
OTHER HELPFUL WAYS TO SELECT COLOGNES
By Season- Spring/Summer – lighter scents (fresh/citrus)
- Fall/Winter – heavier scents (spicy/aromatic, woody)
By Age- Young Professionals – under 40 (colognes from Billy Jealousy, Jack Black, The Art of Shaving)
- Distinguished Gentlemen – over 40 (colognes from Castle Forbes, Geo. F. Trumpers, Taylor of Old Bond Street, Truefitt & Hill)
By Major Cologne Scent - Fresh/Citrus/Light Scented Colognes – Light, fresh and often zesty. You may notice scents of citrus (lemons, grapefruit, oranges), green leaves, green grasses, ferns and the ocean. Great for the day, Spring, Summer, casual events and the office. This is probably the most popular scent family and ideal for men who prefer lighter scents.
- Spicy & Aromatic Scented Colognes – Distinguished and sophisticated. You may notice scents such as lavender, amber, incense, woods, ginger, blackcurrant, cinnamon, clove oil, and/or citrus. Great for evenings & special events.
- Woody/Leather Scented Colognes – Think of the outdoors, woods and leather. Typical scents are of oak, sandalwood, cedar, patchouli, musk, vetiver, and leather. Great for evenings and romance.
TERMS OFTEN USED TO DESCRIBE COLOGNE SCENTS
A host of terms are used to help describe colognes. Here are some of the more commonly used terms (there are plenty more). It sometimes sounds as if people are describing a wine rather than colognes.- Citrus – describes refreshing citric scents from lemons, oranges, grapefruits and other fruits
- Earthy – describes scents associated with dirt, moss and earth
- Floral – describes a scent associated with flowers such as lily, iris or lavender
- Fresh – this is a confusing term often used to describe citrus or green type scents
- Fruity – describes scents associated with non-citric fruits like apples, bananas, and strawberries
- Green – describes the scent associated with freshly mowed grass
- Spicy – describes stronger, warm scents such as cinnamon, frankincense, myrrh, clove oil, pepper, ginger, and nutmeg
- Woody – describes the scent associated with fresh cut wood especially sandalwood
- Musk – Sexy, masculine scent used in many colognes. Derived from musk oil which is known for sexual attraction
WHAT ARE SCENT OR FRAGRANCE NOTES?
The scents of cologne often evolve over three stages referred to as “Notes”. The stages are:
- Top Notes – Scents first noticed after applying the cologne.
- Middle Notes – The scent of the cologne after the top notes diminish. The middle notes are usually noticed after 20 minutes to an hour.
- Bottom or Base Notes – These are the long lasting scents of cologne and usually last for a few hours or more.
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