Making Scents of Cologne

Hi All. As an introduction, a person's overall (external) presentation of himself/herself includes hair, clothing, accessories and scent. <-- [Brett probably disagrees with this strictly perspective statement.] In the future, I may post my thoughts on other aspects of one's image (clothing, accessories) as well as personality traits. Today, I will be focusing on the scent component of one's 'look.'

NOTE:  

'Cologne' and 'perfume' can, for the most part, be used interchangeably in this post. For the sake of simplicity, I will only use 'cologne.' 

A man's scent is part of his image. It can be debated that it is as important as clothing, hair or accessories. 

If a guy is lacking one of these facets of his appearance, he is incomplete in terms of a modern man. Scents are actually very interesting when examined more closely. 

There is a cologne for every situation, every season, and every personality type. This may be surprising for some of you. It is most certainly true though. Before I break it down for you let me give you some background information. 

Colognes consist of three types of notes. Notes are the combination of compounds that is the thing you actually smell. There are: topnotes, the first impression of the scent that you smell for the first hour or so; middle notes, the scent you smell after the topnotes, typically two to five hours after application; and final notes, the final smell that is detected when the liquid concoction has 'dried-down' on your skin, usually six or more hours after application. A cologne chemist combines the essential (distinctive) oils of various plants, herbs, seeds and trees. This mixture is suspended in a solution of ethanol. The ratio of oils to ethanol varies among specific colognes. Heavier colognes have a higher oil to ethanol ratio. Light colognes have a lower ratio.

Thats enough background info. Onto the important, useful stuff. Colognes vary based on the oils in them. There are four basic types of colognes. Lighter, more casual colognes emphasize citrus/fruity scents. Oriental/spicy scents contain more peppery oils and are, well, spicy. Natural/outdoors scents are less striking than citrus/fruity.  These scents are very clean and fresh. They may contain mint and sharp scents like mint. The final type is woodsy. Woodsy colognes contain something not mentioned before: musk. Musks are pheromones extracted or fabricated following the model of musks of species of the animal world. As a re-

sult, these types of scents are generally stronger and heavier. There are very small amounts of citrus/fruitiness and more oils from species of the woods including mosses and treebarks. 

Now, choosing a cologne for you.

Fun, light-hearted, optimistic, easy-going people should choose a citrus/fruity scent. Some top-selling examples of this are Acqua di Gio by Giorgio Armani, Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana (DO NOT BUY, ITS MINE) and Lacoste Hot Play by Lacoste. These can be worn everyday. They are usually summer scents.

If you're a more serious person and want to seem serious, buy a cologne containing musk. Traditional Italian perfumerias such as Ferrari and Lamborghini have stronger scents available. These types are good to own for the sole purpose of a formal night. Wearing a citrusy scent to a formal event is distasteful. 

For the individualist, I suggest buying a spicy/oriental scent. People will certainly notice you. Very confident people should own a spicy scent. These include Burberry Brit by Burberry, Bvlgari BVL Notte by Bvlgari, and Uomo Moschino by Moschino.

Outdoor/natural scents are good for every day winter wear. They are more reserved. People who don't like too much attention should buy these. Some examples include Lacoste Essential by Lacoste, Cool Water by Davidoff, and Calvin by Calvin Klein. 

Disclaimer: All scents interact differently on each individual due to the uniqueness of one's bodily oil chemistry.

Use this information as a guide or go to the professionals at the department stores for expert advice.

When smelling colognes, bring a cup of coffee to sip between sniffs. If you don't do this, the olfactory system will become overloaded and your sense of smell will be off. Also, don't buy on impulse. Your initial impression and final impression will most likely change. I suggest spraying cards with your choices and smelling them once at first, then a couple hours later, then 5 or 6 hours after that. 

I hope this was interesting and helpful. I am very open to questions and comments.