Fragrance is meant to be enjoyed every day. There are different types and scents for varied occasions, but regardless of the day you have ahead of you wearing cologne will increase your feeling of well-being, stylishness, confidence, and independence.
Personal fragrance makes our days feel a little more self-indulgent while allowing us to share an aspect of our personality with those around us without ever speaking a word.
As the nose is one of the most accurate and intense memory triggers for humans, using cologne properly will provide people with an instant memory trigger of you, who you are, and the occurrences surrounding the time you spent together.
Observe Fragrance Etiquette
Cologne makes life more pleasurable when correctly applied. The etiquette of personal scent application is neglected by some wearers, the ones with whom nobody wants to be trapped in an elevator.
In order to avoid being that person everyone holds their breath around, ensure you properly apply your fragrance.
Before liberally spraying, squirting, or dabbing cologne or perfume all over your body, remember to respect the personal space of others who come into contact with you.
To do that, imagine a circle around you at a diameter of your arm’s length. That is called your “scent circle.” Nobody who is not inside your scent circle should be able to smell your cologne.
Your fragrance should be subtly applied so that it is detectable to those with whom you come into closest contact, the ones who are welcome in your personal space and scent circle.
Anyone else should not have your scent preference inflicted upon them, as their taste may be vastly different and what you consider stylish or uplifting may be offensive to their nose.
Make the Right Selection and Wear It Well
When selecting and applying your cologne, remember a few important tips:
- Don’t apply cologne, perfumes, or oils to furs or fabrics, as they may stain.
- Don’t choose a fragrance because you liked the way it smelled on someone else, as your own body chemistry will react differently to cologne than your friends or even family. No two humans are created alike, so just as your fingerprint is unique, the way your body interacts with a fragrance is unique. To find the right scent for you, use a tester at a retail perfume counter. Apply a scent you like and let it wear and breathe on your skin for the rest of the day. This will provide you with a better idea of how the cologne plays upon your skin and you will fully experience the top, heart, and base notes before investing in your own bottle.
- Your diet will affect your body chemistry and how fragrance interacts with your skin. Wearers who routinely eat high fat, spicy foods will note that cologne is more intense on them than if they alter their diet to low fat and blander foods.
- If you are about to undergo a major diet change such as transitioning to vegetarian from meat-eating, or high protein from high carbohydrate diet, consider waiting until you are settled in the new food regimen before buying a new cologne.
- Dry skin requires more frequent application of cologne to achieve the same length of wear as an oily skinned person. Fragrance interacts with the oils in your skin to create a more intense scent. So, skin type does affect how your cologne smells and lingers.
Application of Different Fragrance Types
There are several types of fragrances for both men and women. Each should be applied differently to suit how the scent will play upon the skin, dry down, and endure. According to sex and type of fragrance, the methods of application are below:
For Men
- Perfume – Although men’s perfume is less frequently seen at the fragrance counter than other types of men’s scents, several brands offer this most concentrated form of fragrance. Apply sparingly at pulse points such as the wrists, behind the ears, at the base of the neck, over the heart, at the inner elbow. Men’s perfume will provide long-lasting wear.
- Cologne – The most concentrated and longest lasting type of men’s fragrance and also the most popular, cologne is a blend of essential oils, aroma molecules and fixatives. Splash or spray onto the body from the feet up, as cologne fragrance rises.
- After Shave – Made of perfume oils in an alcoholic solution, after shave is almost as strong as cologne. Apply directly to the face. Traditional after shaves cool and cleanse to heal small shaving cuts. New after shave lotions employ moisturizing and smoothing ingredients for soothing after shaving. Scent of after shave does not last long.
For Women
For the best results and longest lasting fragrance, women should layer their scent al over the body.
First the Eau de Toilette or Eau de Parfum should be applied, followed by perfume. Cologne works well as a stand-alone refreshant or to touch up the Eau de Parfum and perfume foundation.
- Perfume – Perfume is the strongest of feminine fragrances and lasts longer than other types. Coupling intensity and emphasis, perfume is meant to be applied at the pulse points just like men’s perfume. Pulse points are wherever the heart beat is felt, such as behind ears, nape of the neck, base of the throat, over the heart, inner elbows, behind the knees, at the inside of the wrists, and inside ankles. As the body heats, the scent will rise from the skin.
- Eau de Parfum – Primarily in fine fragrance collections, Eau de Parfum is long lasting and concentrated. As it is applied, the skin is prepared for subsequent application of perfume. This scent should be sprayed or directly applied prior to dressing, from the feet up and all over the body.
- Toilet Water – Of lower concentration than Eau de Parfum, Eau de Toilette (Toilet Water) also prepares the skin for application of perfume. Smooth or spray all over the body before dressing, from the feet up.
- Cologne – For women, cologne is the lightest form of personal fragrance. Splash cologne liberally all over the body as a refreshant. The scent of cologne will not last as long as perfume on the body, but will endure on clothing. A common means of application for women is to spray the air directly in front of the body and to walk through the mist to subdue a heavier scent.
