A fragrance is an essential part of our lifestyle, and it asserts the way others remember and perceive us. However, the way you utilize it can boost your confidence and enhance the attractiveness manifold. Using cologne isn’t as simple as spray and go. Applying this fragrance is an artistic skill that you must master to get the best results.
There are multiple methods to apply cologne. With some, you might end up smelling like nothing or smelling wonderful for days. This guide will explore the best ways to apply cologne and understand how to utilize your favorite fragrance in the best way.
Knowing When to Wear Cologne
There is a fragrance for each moment and memory of your life. The key is to wear your favorite perfume at the right time. Wearing cologne isn’t mandatory at work; however, it is mostly acceptable. Major events such as a funeral, wedding, party, or a quick night out with friends surely call for good cologne.
Here are some key pointers for you to remember:
- Keep in mind the way your body’s natural oil interacts with the cologne. An essence that seems good on test strips might not feel just as good on your body.
- When out for clubbing, it is better to keep it light as you are going to sweat a lot, and this mixed with your cologne might smell much worse than your natural odor.
- You might also keep in mind that certain cologne variants could cause allergies, depending on your skin type. So, make sure you opt for a patch test before applying it to different parts of the skin.
You can also wear cologne that reflects your personality. In case you have a bubbly personality, a fruity or flowery smell would suit you best. In case you have a down-to-earth personality, go with earthy tones to reflect what you are. As per sources, it is recommended that you go with light cologne with a citrus smell for the afternoon or workplace environments. For the after-hours, you can opt for stronger scents that pack in spicier/muskier undertones.
Deciding Where to Apply It
When deciding where to apply the cologne, there are certain areas that produce the best output. So, here is the right way to apply your favorite fragrance.
1-Apply Cologne on the Heated Parts of the Body:
When you apply the cologne to your body’s heated areas, you can smell the fragrance throughout the day, depending on the strength of the essence. The heat allows the essence to diffuse the fragrance & allows the same to meld along with the body chemistry while developing a signature scent.
A quick example of such heated areas includes the chest, neck, forearms, pulse points, & inner elbows.
2-Do Not Spray-on Clothing:
The act of spraying cologne on your clothes prevents the fragrance from blending with your body’s natural oils. That is what adds a unique quality to your cologne. Further, it also prevents the essence from passing through different stages while rendering the cologne flat & monochrome.
Not just that, spraying the cologne on your clothing could hamper the longevity of certain fabric types.
3-Do Not Splash the Cologne Over Your Skin:
Do not open the nozzle and straightaway splash the essence onto the skin. It could lead to over-application and lead to an overwhelming smell. The key is to dab the scent onto the body gently.
4-Refrain from Walking through the Cologne Mist Cloud:
While you might see people using this method to smell fresh, this is complete cologne waste. The essence should be placed onto the body, and spray in the form of cologne mist can lead to wastage where a good portion of the same falls on the floor or evaporates.
Putting It On
If you are wondering what the right way to put on your favorite cologne is, here are some tricks to help you out.
1-Apply Right after Shower on your Dry Skin:
After a good shower has cleansed off other scents from your body, it is the right time to put on your cologne. It is when the pores of your skin are open and allows the scent to be absorbed perfectly. Make sure you pat dry the skin & then spray the cologne.
2-Apply Light and then Increase:
In case you are a fresher in the world of fragrances, make sure you refrain from applying the cologne heavily on your body. Choose an area & make sure you start with just one spray. In case you notice the scent fades away quickly, you can select another area and test out how long it lasts in any other area.
You can ask your family or friends to help you understand if the scents last for you.
3-Re-Apply As and When Needed:
Depending on your cologne’s strength, you might be required to apply the same again. It is especially true if you plan to go out after sunset. All you need to do is simply dab a small amount of the cologne onto the pulse points to allow the smell to linger for long hours.
What Types of Colognes Are There?
The market is overrun with different variants of fragrances. Only after you familiarize yourself with the options can you successfully select cologne that adheres to your personal needs. It is also when you would understand why certain cologne variants are cheap as compared to others.
Generally, the fragrance’s price tag and longevity depend on the amount of aromatic essence added to the same. For example, the Eau de Toilette perfumes typically have around 10 per cent aromatic essence & only last very few hours. At a higher-end, Eau de Parfum fragrances have an elevated essence concentration of 15 to 20 per cent, which tends to last way longer than the ones with 10 per cent essence.
Not only that, the higher the fragrance percentage, the higher is the price tag. Apart from this, you also need to understand the distinction between niche colognes and designer colognes when searching for your favourite fragrance. The designer colognes come from popular labels & are very common to find in the market.
These fragrances are manufactured for extensive consumption and will usually feature safer and softer scents that people would love and use more. They are also designed from common materials that help save up money while allowing higher production volume.
On the contrary, niche colognes provide their products to selective customers that are into unique scents. These fragrances tend to be polarizing given their strong smells & higher price tag as compared to designer fragrances. The scent aficionados usually love this particular cologne type.
How to Choose Good Cologne?
If you plan to smell good on your first date or that meeting with a client, you must first choose what is perfect for your needs. In order to select the best colognes, you need to start the process by spraying the cologne of your choice onto the sample cards from a 2-4cm distance. Now, smell these cards and decide which one is the best for you.
When smelling these cards, make sure you smell coffee beans or any other strong scent to freshen up the nose and select the fragrances in a better way. Now, remember that light and fresh fragrances tend to work right for the summer months. On the other hand, stronger scents that pack in spice and wood notes are perfect for the winter months.
Apart from this, keep in mind that the fragrance must suit the skin without causing any allergies and stays on you for long hours. You can also spray a bit of the cologne on the wrist and leave it as it is all day. Smell it regularly, and if it stays for long, it is the cologne for you.
You also have to decode the way the fragrance tends to break down with time. Most colognes are created with top notes, base notes, as well as mid notes. Each of these notes surfaces at various intervals and changes the way it smells on you.
Top notes tend to last about 15-120 minutes, while mid-notes last between 30 minutes to 5 hours. Lastly, the base notes stick by your side for 2 to 8 hours or more, depending on the brand.
How Much Cologne to Use?
After you have successfully found your favorite cologne, you have to understand what the right amount to be used on your bodyis. First and foremost, you need to have a basic understanding of where to put the cologne on your body.
However, this doesn’t mean that you can spray as much as you want on your body and expect it to smell good. Too little or too much cologne is nothing but a waste, and you surely wouldn’t want to smell overwhelming or absolutely nothing on any precious or important day of your life.
You have to apply the right quantity to ensure that you smell good for long hours. However, if you are just starting out and simply have no idea about the right way to use your cologne, the key is to go light until you understand how well the essence works for you.
In case you need to know the specifics, you could go with the golden number that is an average for most cologne. With strong scents, you might have to squirt 2 to3 pumps of the same on the areas suggested in the article. For the lighter ones, like summer or spring fragrances, you might require 4 to 6 sprays of the same.
How to Store Cologne?
Your cologne is precious to you and pricey as well. You surely wouldn’t want it to get ruined or evaporate when stored improperly. The place you store your cologne tends to impact the way it smells & can also determine its longevity.
If you happen to leave the cologne in any area exposed to high heat or rapid temperature changes, like the top section of the bathroom drawers, it can cause your cologne to evaporate way faster than estimated.
Sunlight can also make your cologne evaporate at a faster rate, so make sure you avoid the bottle from being at the direct line of window sills. If you wish your cologne to last for a long duration, the ideal location to store them is in a place that is consistently dark, cool, and dry. The bedroom closet serves as an excellent location to store the cologne.
You must also avoid storing the fragrance in the car as the temperature within fluctuates very fast.
Conclusion
Using cologne the right way needs enough practice to be perfected. Everyone loves to be that man who smells their best, despite the struggles, pollution, or hardships of the day. Do not get sloppy in terms of application and habituate yourself as per the guide and examples stated above.
With great smelling cologne, you would feel more confident and attractive while leaving a lasting impression on the ones around you. Make sure you experiment with different fragrances to understand what suits you best and doesn’t cause you any unnecessary allergies. We hope this guide would fit your needs and help you save up on cologne wastage.
References:
https://www.fragrancex.com/blog/how-to-apply-cologne/
https://www.thetrendspotter.net/how-to-apply-cologne/
https://bespokeunit.com/fragrance/apply/#occasions
https://www.wikihow.com/Apply-Cologne
https://www.murdocklondon.com/blogs/murdock-man/how-to-apply-cologne
https://www.bluebeards-revenge.co.uk/blog/how-to-apply-cologne-properly/
https://www.mensjournal.com/style/how-to-apply-cologne-the-right-way/
https://www.gq.com/story/how-to-make-your-cologne-last-longer
https://www.dmarge.com/how-to-apply-cologne
Maximo is the ideator behind Getastylehub.com. He graduated from the Grasse Institute of Perfumery (GIP) in France in the year 2003. His learnings in the field of perfumery have been immensely educative and helpful in creating new fragrances at a creative centre in Manhattan where Maximo works as a perfumer. He has a fine appreciation for incense’s art, and his colossal passion for perfumery reflects in his discussions. He has managed and led teams in his past working experience researching scents with its key clients.