If you missed it, Paul’s been experimenting to see how his life will change when he gives it a new scent. It hasn’t had much effect on the ladies, and he’s not exactly head-over-heals for his scent himself, but it has scored him an airline upgrade.
After a little procrastination and contemplation, I placed an order for six new scents from The Perfumed Court. The lack of excessive, Amazon-like email communication and confirmation had me a bit worried, but my package arrived in about a week. Here’s what was inside:
What did I get? Taking both the suggestions in the comments and the all-knowing list into account, I settled on six:
- Creed Aventus
- Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme
- Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme
- Tom Ford for Men
- Guerlain Vetiver (not to be confused with Grüner Veltliner)
- Chanel Bleu de Chanel
One thing the unboxing pictures failed to capture was the blast of B.O. that hit me upon opening the envelope. How it got in there, I have no idea. Maybe it was entirely mental — something from a subconscious association of overly-cologned individuals and their underlying funk. Maybe the pretty green bag is made from woven armpit hair. Unknown.
Application
When discussing cologne, outside of the scent itself, the big topic is how you apply it, how you put cologne on. There are countless techniques, but here are the most notable five (including one from Bond girl Halle Berry):
1) The Dab. A dribble or a spray on the wrists and a rub behind the ears / on the neck, this is probably the most classic method of cologne application. The theory is that the hot spots on your body (wrist and neck pulse-points) heat the scent and project it farther. Not sure if that’s really true — we’re talking about a few degrees difference at most here — but the method has been around forever and has a lot of believers.
2) The Walk-Through Cloud. This is a slightly more modern approach — spray a single blast in front of you, then walk through the cloud. This method has the advantage of spreading the scent pretty evenly around your entire upper body, so you don’t have to be as worried about washing / sweating it off. Also, this is perhaps the most subtle method, something I prefer, and it makes your hair smell nice.
3) The Fog Bomb. On the opposite end of the subtle spectrum, there’s The Fog Bomb. You’ve seen the Axe commercials — depress sprayer and fog your body like it’s infested with cockroaches that can only be killed with musk, sandlewood, and undertones of citrus. Not recommended. Primary use seems to be wasting product and encouraging more frequent purchases.
4) The Varsity. If you want to be know as a cologne guy, first team all-conference, do this: decant scent into atomizer, apply on hands, rub behind ears and on neck and wrists, follow-up with a spray to the chest. This is a lot of cologne and too much for me. I’d rather have somebody subconsciously think I smell nice than smell so overpoweringly strong that they can’t help but comment and/or cough. But if you want to smell yourself all day, a blast to the chest is the way to go.
5) The Halle Berry. Saw this on Conan the other day — Halle Berry’s guide to applying cologne. She recommends a spray between the legs, then letting the scent waft up through your clothing. Not sure about this method — anybody else tried it? I’m sitting here typing with vetiver-scented thighs and I’m not sure it’s working as described — I don’t really smell anything — but it’s tough not to trust a Bond girl. You probably want to avoid your junk if you go this route.
Got another method? Tried the Halle Berry? Leave a note in the comments.
This is great! I wondered what happened to the project. Thanks for adding the link to the all-knowing list, what a great resource! This has once again inspired me to look at new samples as well!
I do throw a “Halle Berry” splash in my boxers if it’s going to be a “special night”. But that’s more for someone getting direct access in my pants, not for the casual, daily passerby.
My daily application method? As I mentioned in part 3, Chanel Bleu is what I wear the most. My wife loves it, also, other women seem to gush over it – “it’s classy”. But my favorite is Terre D’Hermes EDT (I love the citrus and cedar notes). So I’ve found a way to apply that makes us both happy. I “walk through the cloud” with Bleu, so she can smell it on my neck. Then I spray a single blast of the TDH on one of my forearms and spread it around on both. This allows me to catch wafts of it through out the day.
Win-win.
I’ve ordered from them multiple times, no problems.
You should find one in that selection that you like. I like the Vetiver
I’ve found that a scent really lasts longer when applied directly to freshly moisturized skin. I normlly use an unscented lotion (Aveeno) right after a shower and spray my cologne (Lacoste White) directly on my neck and chest. I do 2/3 sprays, one on each side of the neck and on my chest. I know it sounds like a lot but I kind of rub it in to my skin afterwards and then put my clothes on over it so it really isn’t overwhelming at all.
I’m of the school of thought that cologne should be smelled only when in close quarters. Usually only women I hug/kiss ever mention my cologne. It lasts all day and blends with your own ph really well. It also gets on your collar which assists in its longevity.
Not a cologne guy, but #5 has me laughing so hard. FWIW, the only scent I do is aftershave, and I go for the less perfumey ones. The application of aftershave is pretty straightforward. pour a little into your hands, and rub it into whatever sections of face/head/neck you just got done shaving. You can follow that up with a little smack smack if it makes you feel vigorous and manly.
I do the #1. More than one spray and I feel overwhelmed by the scent.
When I apply cologne I do give the boxers a spray or two (#5) and that’s it. It lasts throughout the day and it just gives that hint of a scent rather than smelling too strong.
The heat from your loins does wonders. And that’s what she said.
1-2 spritzes on my chest, 1 on one wrist, press wrists together, done.
Maybe the back of the neck if it’s a scent that holds particularly close.
I don’t know about all the pulse point stuff, but having scent on your wrists definitely means you’re likely to get a pleasant whiff through the day as you adjust your glasses, rest head on wrist, etc.
I dunno, cologne has always struck me as tacky and intrusive for others. People either overdo it, and so it’s intrusive for others, and often noxious, and if you keep it so light that it can only be smelled in close quarters, it’s just tacky.
I typically go with the walk through cloud every morning, very subtle but will definitely get you noticed. I’ll also sometimes do it before I head to the gym or to play in any co-ed sports league – you never know who you’re going to bump into and even if I look like a sweaty mess, I would prefer not to smell like one.
On a related note, a friend who designs fragrances for a living consistently gives 2 pieces of advice out: 1) If you can smell yourself while you walk down the street, you’ve put on way too much; and 2) Ignore gender marketing – i.e. a scent is a scent; if you think it smells good, wear it. #2 sounds weird, but one of my go-to scents was originally only sold as a women’s product. It was only in the last 2 years that the company even added a “Men’s” label to their more masculine products.
Great to see you back with this storyline, Paul. Of those you’ve ordered, I only *own* Aventus. It is my #1 fragrance. My wife LOVES it, and it has garnered many compliments from others as well. It is VERY strong, so go lighter than a few of the others you have there. It is an EdP (eau de parfum), so it is a stronger concentration than the designer frags you have in your sample pack.
Pretty sure I mentioned the “batch variation” theory/conspiracy (it’s true, BTW – LOL), with Creeds, especially with Aventus. Did they provide you with any indication of the batch/lot # of your sample? I’m guessing not. It really, truly can make a world of difference with that particular scent. I hope you got one of the (few) really great/(near-legendary) ones.
Also, bummer that they gave you a sprayer version for only the GV. I personally find it very tough to audition fragrances from a little vial with the stick/dauber/thingie.
Regarding application in general, I never dab, cloud, bomb or Berry (well… let me just say: be very careful… that stuff BURNS! – or so I would imagine). Heck, I don’t even varsity it. I spray/spritz only – different #s depending on the fragrance – some less, some more.
Most commonly I use 3 sprays: one chest (heart area), and one each side of the neck (pulse points). It does work differently depending on the location, and I feel those areas also lend themselves to someone having to *pretty* darn close to me to get the whiff. I don’t like to do arms/wrist/etc, mainly because it spreads the scent out a lot further, and if you wash your hands much during the day, you risk just washing it right off.
A couple scents I have need only one single spray, and done.
Oh, and there is a “don’t rub it in!” mantra in the *communities* as well (Al, StreetScents, I see you man) – LOL – If you get that reference, well… yeah. Anyway, something to do with “destroying the molecules.” Dunno. Sounds whack, but he knows a lot more than I ever will regarding fragrances and perfumery, so there’s that.
Annnnnnnnnnnyway… enjoy your samples, Paul! If none of those do it for you, I’d suggest hitting a Sephora (JCPenney has some of them actually in-store, so you can avoid the whole “seen going into a make-up store” concern), or even the counter at a local Nordstrom. Both of those places have been VERY giving with their samples. If they don’t already have some out for you to take, if you ask… they will just make you a few samples, right there on the spot. At least around here they do.
Best of luck!
I USUALLY apply the ame way you do, I.E. one to the chest, one to either side of the neck. I used to think of the wrists as being more of a woman’s thing but lately my thoughts on that have changed. I’ve realized that the person who is (and rightfully should be) getting the most enjoyment out of whatever fragrance you wear is you. Ergo, I’ve found the wrists to be the best place to apply if you want to give yourself a little whiff of whatever juice you have on. As for exactly how many sprays, it depends on the fragrance. Creed sprayers are like small firehoses while Thierry Mugler sprayers (fantastic scents btw) are more like a sad squirt than a real spray, so that often plays a part.
Lately I’ve transitioned away from two to the neck, one to the chest in favor of two to the neck, one to each wrist. With a particularly strong fragrance I might do one to the neck, one to one wrist and then rub it onto the other, and with a very weak one I might add a chest spray in to the original 4. I guess what I’m saying is that there is no RIGHT way to apply your scent. It depends on the bottle and where you’re going. At a party, I’ll put on a little more so as to stand out from the millions of other scents. In a more professional environment, I’m more likely to stick to minimal sprays and a conservative fragrance.
Finally, you’ve come to your senses and bought various samples rather than just buying one scent with a well known niche name. Scent should be a personal thing. The trick is to find one (or several) that you love that also work on your skin. It’s not a one size fits all thing.
Tom Ford For Men is a very underrated scent. It doesn’t get much love on sites like basenotes, but it’s excellent. Aventus is the one people rave about online, and it’s nice, but I get better feedback from women when I wear Tom Ford For Men, Hanae Mori HM, and many others.
Bottom line: don’t believe online chatter. Figure out what smells amazing to you and then find out if friends and family agree. Getting various samples is a great place to start.
P.S. My experience with the perfumed court was pretty iffy. They took forever to ship my samples. On the other hand, Decantshop.com is awesome. Their customer service is top notch. I just found them recently but I’m glad I did. Sample, sample, sample. It’s the wise way to go.
Please post your thoughts on the scents you ordered. It’d be great if you reviewed them without going to sites like basenotes and fragrantica (in order to not have your opinions skewed by online hype). Enjoy the samples!
My favorite used to be Green Irish Tween by Creed, but everyone thought it was Coolwater. I’m looking forward to trying Aventus and some YSLs.
Give M7 Oud Absolu (YSL) a try. It’s a reformulation of the old M7 by Tom ford, and you can get it on Amazon for $60. It’s probably the only oud fragrance you can get for that price. If you’ve never tried an Oud I’m telling you it’s worth a shot