Are you thinking of getting a cologne, or know someone who is looking to buy a signature fragrance for themselves? It can be quite the task to select the best one for someone, whether you know them well or not. However, you want to make sure whichever one you pick will be a good fit for the person who intends to wear it.
So, what do you need to think about before making that important purchase? There are many different items you will need to contemplate before you place your choice in your shopping basket, so make sure you consider these points when browsing your choices of cologne.
Choose a concentration
Both colognes and perfumes come in four levels of concentration. Usually, the rule is: the higher the concentration, the higher the cost. Also, a fragrance will last longer the higher its concentration is – many people believe that this increased cost is worth it, though. The four levels are:
- Parfum or perfume: the highest concentration, which will last the entire day when applied once to the wrists or pulse joints
- Eau de parfum: this will last for about six hours after application
- Eau de toilette: this third level is more affordable and found in retail stores. It will need more than one application a day
- Eau de cologne: this will last for around two hours
Test a fragrance
You may wish to test a cologne before you buy it, to see if it’ll be one that you’ll enjoy wearing – you can either sniff the bottle or even apply it to your skin. Every person’s skin will have its own pheromones and hormones, which will decide how a fragrance will smell. Try applying some to your wrists, then smell it after a few minutes.
You may also wish to try a cologne subscription service. So, every month, you can select a new fragrance from many hundreds to suit you and your preferences. Not only that, but you can take your cologne with you everywhere should you want to reapply it.
Know your fragrance construction
Colognes and other scents are made up of top notes, middle notes and base notes: these will work together to create a complete scent. Top notes will be the first impression, and will usually be bold scents, while it’s common to get soft floral notes in the middle to reduce the harsh effect of the ethanol. Base notes will be the lasting scent of the fragrance and will be subtle – emerging between 30 and 60 minutes after application and stay until you change or shower.
Deodorant and antiperspirant can interfere
It would be best if you got neutral-scented grooming essentials. Go for a light scent for your deodorant, but not a spray-on one: a good cologne is great but won’t cover up any body odor you may have in the day. Antiperspirant will stop you from perspiring, and fighting sweat is the top way of keeping the power and potency of your cologne in the day – use it sparingly with a separate deodorant for good results.
