Ask Dethroner: How Do I Wear Cologne?
36 Comments Published by Joel November 13th, 2006 in Ask Dethroner, Grooming. Share ThisBen Fineman writes:
I am a man and I have no clue how to wear cologne. Given that all of my male friends are as incompetent in this arena as I am, I think that I am not alone. However, my interest in the topic has been piqued by all of the women at work talking about how much they like it when men wear good cologne. So, can Dethroner help?
You bet your ass we can help, Ben. Like most male grooming rituals there is endless debate about the subtleties, but the basics are easy to grasp.
• The default smells – Old Spice and bay rum. If you just want to smell like something, start with one of these two. (The former is a brand name, the latter a type of scent.)
• How much? – Presuming it comes in an atomizer (a squirty, misting thing), go with two full pumps: one on the skin somewhere, like the neck; one on your clothing. The one on your skin will mix with your natural scent, while the one on your clothes won’t be sweated off during the day.
Personally, I think a cologne should only be smelled by someone who is in very close proximity. It’s a whisper, not a trumpet. If you can smell your own cologne after it has dried and mellowed—say, 45 minutes after application—then you’re probably wearing too much.
Never, ever presume cologne is a replacement for a shower. It isn’t.
• Which ones? – You’ll have to try then on for size, but the whole “colognes smell differently from man to man” thing is a little misleading. The cologne is mixing with your natural scent to make something new, but it’s not like it transforms into a wholly new scent; something that smells nice on one person has a pretty high chance of smelling nice on you, too.
I use DKNY’s Be Delicious, a bright, fruity smellum, when just bopping around during the day. I wear Gucci Envy in the evening. In addition I have a Bay Rum from Burt’s Bees which is apparently discontinued. Those three scents form the basis of my cologne collection; which one I use depends on the outfit, time of day, and my general mood. I have a few other colognes that I find interesting for occasional use but too overbearing or complex for my relatively shabby normal clothing.
There’s a great thread on the Forum that has more suggestions, as well as some hokum about pulse points that I don’t necessarily buy in to.
• What about aftershave and deodorant? – If your aftershave already has a smell, you might be smelly enough without adding another conflicting cologne. Be wary of buying a monolithic set of branded products that all share the same smell: They’ll compound and may be overpowering.
As for deodorant, it’s simple: Buy unscented varieties, like those available from Mitchum.
36 Responses to “Ask Dethroner: How Do I Wear Cologne?”
- 1 Pingback on Jan 29th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
- 2 Pingback on Apr 11th, 2007 at 7:12 am
I was always told that if you spray aftershave onto your clothes then you deserve everything bad that comes to you in life. The scent goes on you, not what you wear – else you come back to that favourite suit in a years time and it smells of soured, stale aftershave, a smell that’s very difficult (if not impossible) to shift.
I . The site is about as scetchy as they come, but I did like how they pick a winner for each of various categories and give detailed scent descriptions. If nothing else they seem to agree that the Gucci Envy is good stuff.
I should know better than to use brackets in comment forms. Previous post should have read:
I heart Joel and his delicious fruity aroma. Thanks for adding some enlightenment to my primative troglodyte existance. Also, in my Google searching I found a site with some cologne reviews: http://www.becomeaplayer.com/playercologne.htm. This site is about as scetchy as they come, but I did like how they pick a winner for each of various categories and give detailed scent descriptions. If nothing else they seem to agree that the Gucci Envy is good stuff.
If you want to get it right with cologne then go to a store that has samples (the Macy’s mens store in SF is the one I use) and go with a female friend. Try on samples (she’ll show you what to do) and wait 5 minutes and then have her check them and tell you which one works best.
Colognes mutate with your body chemistry to create a final scent. You need to get an opinion based on the combination.
If you do the above you will get a great result. I ended up with Lagerfeld and it always gets positive comments. I never would have chosen it on my own.
WD./
Be careful when deciding if you should wear cologne. If you work in a small office, or are frequently in the company of folks with respiratory issues, they may object.
I don’t want to hear that cologne doesn’t cause respiratory issues. It’s not whether it does or not- if your coworkers believe it does, then you are asking for more trouble than it is worth.
Put on some powder, or after you put on after shave, wipe your hands on the back of your pants. That’s enough, and it puts the scent at one of the most problematic anatomical zones. (My old mentor taught me that, for the classroom when you bend over to work with a student- your butt is always near someone else in that case…)
For those of us with wives (or a significant-enough other), the choice of scent is probably not your own… What she likes is probably the best bet, in any case.
My lovely wife is a sucker for Victoria Secret’s Very Sexy. I would have never known VS to carry Men’s products (usually too busy perusing the, uh, rest of the store…) But The scent is great, and not too strong. worth a look if you’re trying to find something a little different from the huge selections at the Department Store counters.
Here’s my tips:
One spray on the neck, one on the chest of your clothes.
One on your left wrist, then rub the wrists together.
Where a neutral anti-perspirant (I have one that simply smells like baby powder).
Spend more than $20 on the cologne. It’s worth it.
A great brand for men: Gaultier. Either get the one in the bottle shaped like a Man, or the one called Gaultier 2 – it’s unisex.
Don’t use very much of stronger scents, but generally you can and should spray your neck, wrists, and if you suspect the night (or day) will get spicy why not spray the crotch as well. If your feet sweat or tend to smell, spray your socks.
Old Spice is not an option. In fact, whenever possible, shop with your friends, girlfriend or boyfriend, or hookup (ahem) and choose the scents they like (it’s more for them than it is for you, anyway).
Some fragrances I recommend:
Pi by Givenchy (sweet and delicious)
Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana (gentle and sweet)
Hanae Mori (gentle and sweet)
Obsession for Men by CK (spicy, maybe too much for some)
Eternity for Men by CK (clean and masculine)
Cologne is also good to spray into gym bags, baseball caps, topsiders and the like. It is also great on towels and bed linnens. Bay Rum and Old Spice are clearly the best scents. 4711 isn’t bad either.
Bay rum, incidentally, originates in the West Indies, where bay leaves were mixed with cane rum. The alcohol in the rum extracted the bay scent very well, and made a good “splash” particularly for those not having a handy bath house or creek
I make my own bay rum. Judiciously used, it also makes a great room freshnmer. Ritzy hotels have “scent machines” in various areas which do the same sort of thing.
While I appreciate all the above listed colognes I have found that the colognes with a subtle scent tend to get the most recognition. The most popular I have found is Marc Jacobs. Very lite and crisp and not too soapy or fruity like the more popular colognes.
What I find to be great about this particular scent is that while I might have trouble smelling it after only an hour or so women seem to be able to smell it after an entire night at the bar.
In response to Mark, I would not reccomend ever rubbing any cologne on your body. (on your neck, wrists, etc.) what happens when you do that is you crush the scent cells in the cologne which pretty much exasperates them right there.
I would suggest one half spray on each side of the neck, and one spray on the chest. This way, if any certain female happens to be near you, no matter what side she gets a soothing scent of you. Also, in a crowd people on both sides of you will get a delightful whiff of what you’ve got on.
In my cologne experience my first reccomendation is always Giorgio Armani’s “Aqua de Gio.” It’s a very classy scent, very subtle but strong enough to pull in the curious nose. I would also suggest Very Sexy for Him, and DKNY’s Be Delicious
I’ve always gotten good comments from people when wearing D’Orange Verte by Hermes. It’s spicy and orange-y, very nice, but a little fancy for really casual clothes and a little strong for riding in a car with someone until it breathes a bit.
Hugo Boss is good stuff, too, as is Dolce and Gabbana. Just avoid the Axe sprays and you’ll be good.
If you’re spraying cologne directly onto yourself you’re doing it wrong. Spray it in fron of you and walk through the cloud. Anything else is too much.
And if someone suggests Old Spice to you, kill them.
I went to a high school where shirt and ties were required. We also wore them in undergrad. Eventually I started wearing cologne. The best suggestion I can offer is to not wear too much. One to two squirts is fine. Anything much over that can become overbearing to those you are around.
As for brands, I tended to go for more expensive ones that I really like. I haven’t worn any in a long time, but I suggest Fahrenheit, Safari by Ralph Lauren, and Drakkar Noir. They are about $50/bottle if you get the larger ones, but they’re worth it.
I usually squirted on my neck, but some people like their chest. I liked the neck, because it was less likely to be too overbearing there.
I have been using the Burt’s bees shaving soap for a few years. My significant other likes it a lot. I didn’t realize it was also a cologne. For anyone concerned with the question of what scent they should use, I would also recommend switching to a cup and brush for shaving.
I had a very informative woman at the Hall’s at the Plaza in KC broaden my take on cologne. Two very interesting brands that she enlightened me to were Hanae Mori – as mentioned previously – as well as my new personal favorite, Creed. Creed is apparently a perfumer that has been around for a long time and has created custom scents for quite an impressive list of customers, including royalty. The entire range of offerings are rather steeply priced – over $100 for any reasonable size bottle – but will be well worth it. My personal favorite is Creed Millesime Imperial, which happens to come in a bottle recreating the original made for French royalty, who required each bottle be dipped in gold.
my favorite cologne is my girlfriend…heh heh
My significant half goes absolutely nuts about my Mania by Armani.
How to describe the smell, hmm…. difficult, the only word that comes to mind is: testosteron :-)
I apply cologne the same way I use deoderant, and I never use both together. One quick wiff under each armpit, and a slight one on the neck.
Like someone else said, you know you’re using too much if you can smell your own cologne in open air more than ever so faintly after ½ an hour. Rather use too little than too much.
mens fragrance could easily be a full-time hobby for me. My absolute favorite on a guy (across all the fragrance groups) is Kenneth Cole ‘Reaction’
I wear my perfume in my hair – works the same for a guy, I would imagine. Also saves on dry-cleaning. I suggested to my dad that he dab a bit in his beard.
Brut and Old Spice should be banned. They leave a signature on the air of an alcohol stench that makes my eyes water. The only thing worse than owning a bottle of cheap cologne is actually putting it on. Polo (green) is in danger of joining that club. Polo Black, on the other hand, is understated and classy.
The basic rule of thumb in fragrance shopping is that the fruity/floral/melon-y fragrances are sold in clear bottles. The spice/musk/’edgy scents are sold in dark bottles. There ARE exceptions. (e.g.:Claiborne’s ‘Bora Bora’ is rather on the fence between the two groups. The different scents within a fragrance are called ‘notes’. It helps to learn not only your fragrance group but the ‘notes’ within it that compliment your natural chemistry.
When you shop for colognes, ask the sales associate if they have coffee beans. Sniffing the coffee beans will clear your olfactory overload.
here are a few that get big thumbs up:
‘Sander’ by Jil Sander
‘Reaction’ Kenneth Cole
‘Masculine’ by Dolce & Gabbana (kinda hard to find)
‘Curve’ Liz Claiborne
‘Allure’ Chanel
If you want to try a scent and cant get your hands on samples, go to perfumebay’s website and order testors or miniatures.
I luv a good-smellin’ man….
As far as cologne, I would recommend anything by Hermes and Chanel; they are the only fashion houses that actually have perfume laboratories. Every other fashion house buys from one of the big perfume corporations. Hermes is pricey, but their scientists travel around the world to find the finest scents for their products.
The two I tend to get frequent compliments from are Hanae Mori, and Polo Black, the Polo bottle shaped like a man is also a nice scent. Two sprays, one on your clothing, and one on your neck, usually seems to be the best.
ive had LOTS of compliments on Burberry Brit…wear it only where you might expext to be kissed!
Has anybody heard of the term “layering” when it comes to cologne. I’ve been told by many workers at retail stores that you should layer the cologne starting with your skin all the way to your clothing.
It sounds like you all wear way too much cologne. Ick! And always wear deodorant. That’s just disgusting. One tiny squirt is probably more than enough, if it’s necessary at all.
Me thinks pretty boys abound here.
What about cologne bottles that do not spray? I don’t believe I’ve ever had a spray styled bottle.
My choice is Gravity…never heard a negative comment yet.
I am glad that guys out there are actually taking the time to read this stuff. My advice is that when you go into a store and you do ask for help and advice… find a sales lady that you would want as your girlfriend! I swear, the colognes that I bought over the years varied from Hugo Boss, Tommy, Dolce Gabbana, Ralf Lauren, Diesel, etc. From this sample I am sure you can see that I tried a variety. The colognes that I had asked for a sale’s lady advice (that I sort of wouldn’t mind having as a girlfriend) actually picked out the colognes that girls similar to her taste in clothes and smells became attracted to me. I am just saying that the type of colognes you wear will attract a specific type of women.
The second import thing that I once learned at a cologne presentation at a shopping mall which I found soooooo many people doing and I myself used to do was rubbing the cologne on the skin.
During the lecture, the presentation described how the colognes actually form different layers on the skin. Each layer is a different smell, that when combined form the smell of that one particular cologne. When these three layers interact with our own skin/ chemistry then we have that individual smell. The thing is that WE SHOULD NOT RUB THE COLOGNES AFTER APPLICATION! when you rub on the cologne, you are actually destroying its full potenetial. You are removing the layers and the end product is a actually simialar to a “FAKE” cologne. Guys, if you take my advice… Smell real, and the ladies will love it more!
My favorite cologne is Bulgari – Aqua. The bottle is basically a squished down circle, quite interesting. I’m not Italian, but the cologne is. I haven’t met a woman yet that did not like it.
I never dabble in the world on Cologne. Maybe I’ll see if I can weasel some of the comment recommendations onto my christmas list.
i’m a teenage guy and have recently developed an interest in cologne. i tend to spray twice, one on either sides of my neck.
my first cologne was actually a CK travel edition with 5 fragrances, which was a great purchase coz i didnt really know what i liked and this gave me an idea. the one i’m using now which i love is Lacoste Essential (let me know – sam-703@hotmail.com – if any1 else likes it), it’s very fresh, quite sharp and citrusy. next i plan to buy Bulgari Aqua, which i really like from store samples. i really like fresh, citrusy fragrances as well as oriental/spicy fragrances.
i also like Dior Higher Energy (any1 else heard of it? i bought it in italy and havent seen it here in australia) and quite like gucci envy, although sometimes i find it a big too sweet, rich and woody.
Came across this while googling for opinions on how much cologne to wear, so I didn’t look like an idiot to my GF by asking her… She picked out the cologne for me (It was my christmas present from her, & was Gravity btw which is her favorite), I did one spray on my neck and one on my wrist… When I meet her today though she couldn’t smell it at all til I got a hug from her… So she reccommended I wear more of it… Personally I can still sorta smell it & I put it on 5 hours ago…
So basically what I’m saying is that how much to use and what to get are going to vary drastically depending on the person your wearing it for…
I’m 17 and have been wearing cologne for just about my entire life. My dad got me onto it when I was little with those small sample bottles. My favorites right now are Very Irresistable by Givinchy and Burberry For Men.
I would recommend these to anyone.
Very Irresistable by Givinchy is pretty strong and has a hint of church incense with wood and other fragrances (Not to mention a very intriguing bottle that reminds one of a potion.
Burberry has a strong scent, so be careful with this one.
I would also recommend for the cheaper side but still very good and attractive, Gravity, Pierre Cardin, and Tommy.
Gravity has a strong scent and can be smelled for hours after applicatcion.
Pierre Cardin has a great scent with hints of wood and leather. It is strong to start with but then smoothes itself nicely throughout the day.
Tommy is just an overall wonderful everyday fragrance that seems to indicate the working man. I think it’s this generation’s equivelent to Old Spice or Burt After Shave, while still maintaining the ability to be worn to dinner, just not too fancy of one. (Just my opinion)
I wear all of these and have a massive cologne collection. I love colognes and sprays of all sorts and all the scents that the world of cologne and body spray have to offer.
The smell of the cologne one chooses has more to do with that person’s personality rather than their clothing, season, or time of day.
I prefer clean, slightly sweet, and neutral scents. (I dig colognes with a sandalwood base.) If you THINK you would opt for these type of scents, please try Eternity for Men by Calvin Klein, Gaultier (bottle shaped like a man’s torso), Be Delicious by Donna Karan, or L’eau D’Issey by Issey Miyake. (If you can find the original Donna Karan cologne called Fuel, please Please PLEASE, buy it.)
For application:
1) Start with a bath or shower — use unscented soap if you can.
2) Use unscented deodorant or antiperspirant and lotion.
3) While naked, put a light spray — a half press — on your chest.
4) After dressing, lightly spray the wrist, rub both wrists together, then rub wrists on sides of neck.
5) Last but not least, rub wrists on the back sole of your shoes (not on the leather, on the back sole). This is to leave a minute trail of scent especially if you’re indoor because the warm air will lift the scent.
Aside, from my directions, a general direction to follow is that cologne should be noticed by persons in one’s extreme proximity.
I landed on this site looking for a site focusing on the negative affects of wearing fragrances. I found some helpful information on this site. I personally have a huge collection of fragances and just want to see if I can get some ideas on application. I’ve been using the layered approach with the shower gel, after shave then calogne spray. This practice has been working well for me for over three years and from this experience I find that this particular layered approach will allow you to not use as much calogne. Also your scent last longer. FYI: Calognes the ladies love: RSVP, Del Mar, Vera Wang, Onyx, Kenneth Cole Black, Armani Gio, Polo double black and Obsession…there’s more but these are definitely good for getting the horizontal hoola hoop in motion.
I don’t know why but I remembered this post, and when I saw that Burt’s Bees started making their Bay Rum cologne again, I thought I’d come back and mention it.
http://www.burtsbees.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=-97&catalogId=10051&storeId=10001&langId=-1