I need the idiot's guide to applying cologne. Do I spray the neck or torso? Above or below clothing? Do I spray cologne into the air then walk through the cloud? How about applying cologne while still wet from the shower?
Some folks have it sort of right, but you do NOT ever RUB cologne anywhere. That will "bruise" the notes. Cologne works based on body heat as has been pointed out, but if you rub your wrists together or rub your wrists to your neck you will heat up the cologne and speed-up/spoil the drydown. The friction will basically burn through the fragrance's natural progression and what's the point of that?
So having said that, here's the RIGHT way you apply cologne, at least to your pulsepoints:
1) Spray once on the inside of your wrist (where you take your pulse)
2) PRESS the insides of your wrists together
3) PRESS the insides of your wrists against your neck
Now, based on the fragrance strength and it's sillage (how strongly the smell projects out from your body), you can adjust as necessary.
Personally, I find that ONLY spraying on the wrists results in a very short lifespan and requires re-application, so to the wrist/neck routine, add a shot or two to your chest and maybe one to the back of your neck and maybe to the backs of your hands. Again, you can't do this with every cologne, since some are much stronger than others. A*Men from Thierry Mugler or Knize Ten from Knize are two examples of fragrances that you can easily over-apply, while Mugler's Cologne or Burberry Weekend will usually benefit from the extra sprays. Also, depending on the weather and what you're wearing, you may want to spray with a heavier hand. For example, in the wintertime, if you're wearing a shirt, a sweater and a jacket, you'll want to spray a little extra to compensate for the extra layers.
Also, folks are generally correct that you shouldn't spray on your clothes, but that's not always the case. You definitely don't ever want to spray any cologne with any sort of tint or color to it (like Gucci Envy or Juicy's Dirty English) on your clothes, but clear colognes are usually safe. The benefit to this is that the fragrance will "stick" longer since your clothes will trap the fragrance.
Hair will also hold fragrance longer, but be aware that the alcohol in the cologne isn't always the best for your hair.
9 Answers
It depends upon the cologne and your personal taste. Most colognes go through progression: top notes (last a few minutes), heart notes (30 minutes to an hour), and base notes (longer than an hour). Citrus scents will be in the first two categories, things like leather and oak moss in the last. If you have a cologne where you prefer the scent when it first goes on but don't like way it ages, or a cologne poor longevity, apply some directly to your shirt and it will arrest the progress and preserve those top notes. If you like the way your cologne progresses, apply some to the sides of your neck and chest. In the examples previously cited, you might try the Hermes on your shirt and the bulgari on your body.
if you apply directly to your shirt, it may leave spots that kind of look like oily spots... so be warned, though they do wash out eventually.
You might want to check out Basenotes, particularly the Male Fragrance Discussion. Endless discussions around this topic, as well as many more.
My method, for the record: Two to the chest, two to the back of the neck, one on each forearm (the hairy side), one to the nether region (the hair).
I spray it on the inside of my shirt. This way its not too strong but sticks with you throughout the day.
Here's how you do it - this is not just my way but how all of my guy and girl friends who know about going out and these kinds of things do it as well:
1) spray once on the inside of your wrist (where you take your pulse)
2) rub the insides of your wrists together
3) rub the insides of your wrists against your jugulars
You're supposed to spray circulatory areas since there's a lot of underlying blood flow occurring close to the surface of your skin, resulting in a higher skin temperature which helps disseminate the aroma of your cologne. Only spray once - that's enough. Don't spray cologne on your shirt because you will probably stain it. Just stick to this method and you'll be good to go.
Some folks have it sort of right, but you do NOT ever RUB cologne anywhere. That will "bruise" the notes. Cologne works based on body heat as has been pointed out, but if you rub your wrists together or rub your wrists to your neck you will heat up the cologne and speed-up/spoil the drydown. The friction will basically burn through the fragrance's natural progression and what's the point of that?
So having said that, here's the RIGHT way you apply cologne, at least to your pulsepoints:
1) Spray once on the inside of your wrist (where you take your pulse)
2) PRESS the insides of your wrists together
3) PRESS the insides of your wrists against your neck
Now, based on the fragrance strength and it's sillage (how strongly the smell projects out from your body), you can adjust as necessary.
Personally, I find that ONLY spraying on the wrists results in a very short lifespan and requires re-application, so to the wrist/neck routine, add a shot or two to your chest and maybe one to the back of your neck and maybe to the backs of your hands. Again, you can't do this with every cologne, since some are much stronger than others. A*Men from Thierry Mugler or Knize Ten from Knize are two examples of fragrances that you can easily over-apply, while Mugler's Cologne or Burberry Weekend will usually benefit from the extra sprays. Also, depending on the weather and what you're wearing, you may want to spray with a heavier hand. For example, in the wintertime, if you're wearing a shirt, a sweater and a jacket, you'll want to spray a little extra to compensate for the extra layers.
Also, folks are generally correct that you shouldn't spray on your clothes, but that's not always the case. You definitely don't ever want to spray any cologne with any sort of tint or color to it (like Gucci Envy or Juicy's Dirty English) on your clothes, but clear colognes are usually safe. The benefit to this is that the fragrance will "stick" longer since your clothes will trap the fragrance.
Hair will also hold fragrance longer, but be aware that the alcohol in the cologne isn't always the best for your hair.
Hello Mike, actually it's a good question; many people, not just men, do not know the best ways to apply scents. Remember, scent travels upwards. Do not worry about spraying it into the air then walk through it; a waste of scent. I like to apply it on the torso below the armpit area, on the side of the rib cage, before getting dressed. As for putting it on before drying off, again, that dilutes it; another waste of scent. Of course, it is better to apply too light rather than too strong. One other thing; be very careful about deodorants and avoid anti-perspirants. Make sure your products are scentless, or that the scent goes well with your after-shave/cologne. Weleda makes some very good products; organic and won't mess up your system.
Check out: www.weleda.com and go to the men's section, and there is a section for deodorants. The citrus and sage work well for most scents. Where else to put scents? At the base of the neck, in the hollow where the collar bones meet, at the back of the neck as well. Hey! Have fun! Try out a whole variety of scents! You can check out various sites such as: Fragrance.net,
Fragrancex.com, parfumsraffy.com, theperfumedcourt.com, for a huge variety of scents, and many come in really small sizes so you can try a sample before you plunk down upwards of $50.00 for a bottle of scent. What scents? Well, there are lots out there. Hermes makes some very nice ones; go to Hermes.com (and many of theirs are carried by the aforementioned sites), Bulgari - go to Bulgari.com and check out the scents section, and check out what many would think of as womens scents- one man I know wears a perfume by Worth, called Je Reviens- and it smells great on him!- though it was marketed as a womens scent. Cartier- www.cartier.com- makes some very nice men's-and womens-scents.
Enjoy! Cheers!