Cologne: Fragrance for Men

Men's cologne  used to consist of only musky scents, but these days there's a veritable cornucopia of olfactory delights to tantalize any nose. Whether you're looking for a cool citrus scent, or a deeper, more robust  fragrance, your choice of cologne can become your calling card, or even define you as a person. Here are a few of the top-rated colognes chosen by the good folks at AskMen.com (an indispensable Web site for advice on men's fashion and lifestyle). Some men will enjoy mixing and matching colognes frequently, but most will choose one scent and stick to it - day or night, rain or shine. It's completely a matter of preference. Get an overview of some picks below.

Shopping for Yourself

Colognes need to be chosen carefully. It's easy to pick the wrong one, especially when you go out to a store and sample them all at once. In order to have a successful cologne experience there are a few main things you need to do when shopping for a cologne.

• Research three colognes you want to try out, one from each scent category if you wish, or all three from the same group that you know you like. 
• Go to the place where you would typically buy cologne and spray each choice one at a time on paper, making sure to let them air dry before smelling them. Ask the salesperson if there are any coffee beans to smell between each fragrance test so that you can neutralize your nose before smelling the next one (this is actually quite common, so don't be shy about asking).
• After smelling them all, try one on your skin that you liked the best. Wear it for the rest of the day and see how it makes you feel. Cologne reacts differently on skin, mixing with your natural oils and body odor. Just because a scent smelled good on your friend, that doesn't mean that it will smell the same on you.
• If you are happy with the results of the trial wear, then you know you have a winner. Otherwise, repeat the steps again until you are happy with your selection. There is no point in wasting $50 or more on a cologne just to discover that you don't like it down the road.

What's Your Scent Personality?

Fresh, Sporty, and Youthful

The freshest scents are light, citrusy (lemon, grapefruit, or orange), and may remind you of the sea or fresh cut grass. These are perfect perfumes for spring and summer days, nights and weekends. They can also be worn as your day-to-day cologne because they are so light. These emit an aura of having a fun-loving nature and a light-hearted, playful take on things.

Spice Is Nice

These colognes have notes that are spicy  (think pepper, ginger, or nutmeg), fruity (mostly citrus and currant), and floral (lavender, lily, or iris). These are rich spices that elude an air of sophistication, confidence, style, and exoticism. Perfect for evenings, fall, and winter. Summery aromatic colognes tend to be more fruity and fresh.

Musk Is a Must

Think of cedarwood, pine, moss, sage, and amber with oriental and green touches. Vetiver, sandalwood, leather, tobacco, and musk  are all major components of these woody colognes . They are what you would think of a typical outdoorsman scent -- perfect for people who are down-to-earth.

Cologne as a Gift

If you are interested in buying a cologne for someone as a gift, you need to consider several things. First of all, make sure that you know he would like to receive cologne as a gift. Most men who wear cologne and aftershave will be happy to get it as a gift. However, if a man rarely wears a fragrance, it's probably a bad idea to buy him cologne. Instead, consider getting him a set of designer body wash ,lotion , and deodorant . Most of the major fragrance brands make such gift sets. The next step is determining what type of cologne to get him. If you have a close relationship with him you can easily see what he already has in his collection. Ask his friends and family if he has dropped any hints. If you want to be more discrete, try to catch a whiff of him to determine which notes he wears most.

Wearing Cologne

• Apply cologne right after drying off from taking a shower. It will absorb into your skin better and last longer.
• If you can, try to match the cologne with your shower soap  so as to not clash and to increase the staying power. Also think about using the same product line in a combination, such as a body wash, deodorant, and cologne.
• Don't spray cologne on your clothes. It's too expensive to wear off that quickly.
• Spray on your hand and splash the bottom of your throat.
• If you wear the same cologne every day, you will be known strictly for that scent. Change it up once in awhile to appear more spontaneous.
• Wear cologne to suit the season and time of day or occasion.

Quick Picks

Daytime

These scents are lighter and great for causal use or everyday wear.

Curve by Liz Claiborne	Lacoste Pour Homme by Lacoste	Blue Jeans by Versace	Grey Flannel by Geoffrey Beene	Burberry Brit by Burberry

Evening

These scents are quite varied to suit a variety of tastes. They have a muskier, heavier scent and are recommended for "romantic" or evening wear.

Obsession Night by Calvin Klein	Kenneth Cole Black by Kenneth Cole	Cuba Gold by Cuba	PS by Paul Sebastian	Canali Men by Canali

The Classics

These colognes have been around for quite some time and are still popular scents today.

Green Irish Tweed by Creed	L'Égoïste by Chanel	Jovan Musk by Coty	Envy for Men by Gucci	Vetiver by Guerlain

More Recommendations

Still not satisfied? Here are a few more colognes to check out. 

Canoe by Dana	Jovan Musk White by Coty	One Man Show by Jacques Bogart	Realm by Erox

Related Guides

Fragrance Families	Classic Colognes	Perfume	Fragrance Gifts

International Resources

For this resource in your home country, please see:
FR: Eau de Cologne Guide d'Achat
DE: Herrendüfte