Your scent should be the most inimitable thing about you. Memorable, alluring and oh-so-enticing, having a signature scent is one of the things that marks out men from the boys.
Gone are the days of Lynx body spray in the boy’s changing room at school after PE - the fragrance you should be taking with you to the gym now when you work on your fitness regime should be one that will carry you to post-shower to post-gym date to after-dinner drinks with nary a wobble.
Choosing a cologne can be an intimidating task if your previous scents have been acquired as gifts from previous partners and whatever happened to be on sale at the last department store you strolled through on your lunch break.
How to choose the right men’s perfume for you
When you’re looking to find personal signature scent, it can help to start by considering which scents you already enjoy and like. This information will help you to determine what kind scent you enjoy and what your body responds to. Even the slightest whiff of a smell from your past can deliver intense memories in your mind’s eye. The last thing you want is to accidentally buy a similar perfume to the one that the person who first broke your heart wore, and be reminded of your 16-year-old’s self post-GCSE heartbreak every morning after you get out of the shower.
Discovering a cologne with notes that make you happy, mellow and relaxed, however, will bring a slice of joy into your day that belongs to you and you alone. If you want to branch out, you could even consider having a library of scents to wear for different occasions. It’s likely that the fragrance you want to wear to your best friend’s stag do is going to be different to the one you’d wear to a big meeting, for example.
What kind of perfume should I buy?
Once you’ve found the scent which perfectly matches your personality, you need to make sure that you select the best formulation for you. For instance, eau de parfum is a very concentrated version of a fragrance, which will last for up to eight hours and tends to have deeper, richer notes than other kinds of formulation. It’s also the most expensive type, as it contains the largest amounts of concentrated ingredients.
Eau de toilette is more of an everyday formulation, with fewer aromatic essences than eau de parfum. Lasting for around four hours, it tends towards the light and refreshing end of the spectrum. It’s less expensive, but you’ll probably go through the bottle faster as you’ll need to apply more often if you want to be constantly smelling sweet.
How to apply men’s perfume
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking more equals more when applying cologne - the opposite is in fact true. We’ve all had to sit next to the person who smells as though they bathed in aftershave. Your scent should be more like the whisper that happens when someone with gravitas leaves the room than the train announcer yelling the name of the next station.
To apply, you can either spray your neck and chest and the insides of your arms before getting dressed, or spray the perfume several times into the air and walk through the resulting mist.
With all of that in mind, here’s a few of our favourite perfumes which are sure to be a hit with both yourself and those you’re trying to impress.
Colonia Eau de Cologne by Acqua Di Parma, £113
This contemporary classic scent is natural and fresh. Hailing from a famous Italian perfume maker Acqua Di Parma, this scent is sophisticated but also has a warm charm to it. Special mention goes to the classically Art Deco bottle, which will look fabulous on your dresser.
The notes of this men’s cologne are a blend of citrus and orange, woody cedar and sandalwood and aromatic herbs.
Jo Malone London Cypress & Grapevine, from £50
Jo Malone is a classically British perfume brand, and there’s really no way to go wrong with their unusual yet timeless scents. This one will impress any potential partners who happen to see the bottle on your nightstand.
The notes of this scent are green and vibrant, as if you were walking through a forest. Cypress, woody grapevine and warm amber make this one that will make you keep smiling as you catch a scent of it on your own body.
Tom Ford Costa Azzurra Acqua Eau De Parfum, from £85
If you prefer walking beside the ocean than strolling through a forest, Tom Ford has your back. This men’s perfume smells as though the summer sun and seawater took on even more of a personality than they already have.
The notes of Tom Ford Costa Azzurra Acqua Eau De Parfum are lemon, juniper and warm labdanum, combining to create a smell that you won’t be able to get enough of.
