10 tips for choosing a good cologne or fragrance

Choosing a person’s fragrance is an important part of their personality and the personality that they choose to display with others. Choosing the right fragrance can be a difficult decision to make when faced with so many options.

These ten tips can help anyone find a cologne or fragrance that works for them and is perfectly suited to a particular situation.

1. Try it first

Don’t go out shopping for cologne because you like the way your best friend smells. Fragrances don’t really work that way. Any cologne or perfume is a collection of ingredients that are designed to blend with a person’s body chemistry: their pheromones. That means that certain fragrances can smell differently on different people.

two. What is the occasion?

When choosing a cologne or fragrance for an evening out with friends, your decision may be different than a fragrance worn when going out on a first date. A fragrance that you splash every morning on your way to work may not be the same one you want to wear for a night out on the town. Your selection should be made accordingly.

3. Try and failure

It’s okay to change your mind about a certain colony. Many stores offer trial sizes or samples of popular fragrances for free, if requested. Something may smell good to you at first, but maybe not so much later. You don’t want to buy a large bottle of seductive cologne only to find that you don’t like it once you get home. Get trial sizes of possible scents whenever possible until you can determine if it is right for you.

4. Change your options

Having a large selection of colognes to choose from can seem like a difficult decision. But having a larger selection also means more variety and will make it less likely that you will be bored with one or two options for every occasion.

5. Go with the mood

The fragrances we wear often mean different things to us. When we’re feeling depressed or frustrated, changing a scent can also positively affect our mood. When you’re feeling cheerful, splash some of that sports cologne you just bought. When you go to an important interview, a milder or more traditional scent may be the right choice.

6. Be sensitive

Some people are allergic to certain fragrances and moderation is always best. Find a scent that is not overpowering, even when used in small doses. Heavy, overpowering scents can be overwhelming or uncomfortable for others, even when we like them.

7. Find the scent of “you”

Have you noticed that every time you wear a certain cologne you get compliments? Since perfume or cologne is paired with our natural scent, finding the right combination can be a time-consuming process, but it is well worth the effort. Certain smells simply smell more of “us” to ourselves and to others.

8. Design your own

Some specialty retailers offer a “mix and match” option and can customize a fragrance specifically designed to highlight their own natural pheromones. If you feel like going against the grain and don’t want to randomly pick a bottle off the shelf, this option may be perfect for you and give it a unique look.

9. Check power

Certain scents have a tendency to fade quickly, or fade into the background as we get used to smelling them. Others can only get more intense over time. This often depends on where we spray them. If you opt for a milder scent, make sure you know what it will smell like an hour after application, and don’t base your decision on how it smells the moment it is sprayed.

10. Beware of shocking smells

When choosing a cologne or a special fragrance, make sure it does not conflict with other scented products you use on a daily basis. Some colognes clash with the smell of your deodorant or hair products, even after-shave lotion. Make sure your scents are complementary and not confusing.

Choosing the right scent for any situation is ultimately a matter of taste. When you feel lost, you can always ask a close friend or even on a date. They may have a few suggestions that will work with your individual chemistry and will be the perfect match.