As a guy, if wearing colognes is one of your stops before dashing out of the house, congratulations. You are among the few men putting an extra effort into self-care. That said, you might want to know that apart from smelling nice, cologne or perfume can be a fashion statement, a confidence booster, and of course, a personal style that people will know you for.
Trust us, you don’t want to pick the wrong one.
What’s more important after picking the right perfume is applying it correctly. Yes, there are ways people apply their cologne that can be dubbed “not proper.” In order to avoid this trap and maximize the use of that perfect cologne, here’s a short guide to applying colognes the right way.
On the skin not the clothes.
Many people, especially those new to cologne usage, often feel applying perfumes on clothes is the default way to go. Not only do you risk stain or harming your fabric, but you also reduce the effect of the cologne as the scent won’t unfold properly.
Perfumes are designed to unfold in stages (top notes, middle, and base notes). With the oils on your skins, your perfume blends with them giving it its uniqueness and also make the scent last longer. So, what should you do? After a shower, completely dry your skin and apply a lotion or a nice petroleum jelly before you apply your perfume. This way, you’ll get the best of your cologne as it’ll last longer.
You don’t want to overapply.
As we use perfumes, we get used to the scent and could sometimes become less sensitive or nose-blind to the scent. This way, most people unconsciously over-apply cologne as they naturally want to smell the scent immediately.
Furthermore, some people that use colognes that don’t last very long often fall into the trap of over-applying because they feel applying more will help retain the scent. Also, it’s not uncommon for people that have very impressive fragrances to over-apply them as well.
Sometimes, they just want everyone around to know they’ve got a designer like Bvlgari pour homme. The truth is, over-applying your cologne can be offensive as some products with very strong scents can slightly choke or make others uncomfortable if over-applied. To avoid the over-applying trap, it’s best to hold your cologne bottle 4-6 inches from your skin no matter how long your cologne last
Focus on heated areas.
Some areas of your body are more heated than some other parts. Such areas include chest, neck, pulse areas, inner elbows, etc. The technique here is that the heat from these areas helps diffuse the cologne scent, making it last longer. So, apply to these areas for maximum impact.
If you are new, start light.
Sometimes, people chose a perfume for the big brand name. Some are drawn to beautiful bottle designs. Whatever your reasons are, start with a light application if you are new to a brand. You don’t have to apply your perfume to all the above-mentioned heated areas at once.
If you notice the scent of your cologne fade rather quickly, you can change the heated area. So that you don’t risk over-application, it’s okay to reapply during the day if you are that kind of guy that carries one or two self-care kits outdoors.
