Fragrance F.A.Q

Common Fragrance Frequently Asked Questions.

1. What fragrance should I buy?

There is no right or wrong answer to this. What you buy is determined by your personal preference although there ARE fragrances which are universally likeable like Giorgio Armani’s Acqua Di Gio or Yves Saint Laurent L’Homme. These are safe buys and it’s almost guaranteed that you will enjoy wearing them.

2. Where can I buy fragrance online?

The best place to buy fragrances online for a low price and with peace of mind is Amazon. You can use my ‘Shop’ page to to search and find your favorite fragrances for a huge discount.

3. What cologne/aftershave should I wear to a date?

Ideally, you want to wear something without much sillage. This will invite your date closer if she likes the scent. if she doesn’t like it, then it will not invade her space and make her feel ill. Either way, you shouldn’t wager our chances on your choice of cologne. That should just be an extension of your personality…. but you already knew that anyway!

4. Why doesn’t my cologne/aftershave last on my skin?

There are a number of reasons why a cologne/aftershave does not last on your skin. The most obvious is that the cologne is just short-lived. Most fragrances by Lacoste and DKNY are specially short lived on me, barely pushing 4 hours.

Another reason is that the scent is still very much there, but you have stopped smelling it. Some scents can tire out your nose very quickly resulting in ‘olfactory fatigue’. So while you may not smell it, chances are, it’s still very perceptible to everybody around you. Ask people if they can smell your scent if you are unsure.

An unlikely reason is that you have acquired a bad bottle. Most fragrances, if stored carefully, have a long shelf life. However, you CAN still get an improperly stored bottle whereby the contents have been exposed to heat, light or constantly changing temperature. This can result in the fragrance losing top notes, changing completely and smelling like something else and finally, being very short lived. This IS rare. Compare your fragrance to a department store tester whenever in doubt.

A more common reason is that you have dry skin. Dry skin drinks fragrance oil like crazy and can sometimes result in reduced longevity especially if the scent is of moderate strength. Simply moisturizing your skin before applying your fragrance can result in double the longevity.

In relation to dry skin is skin chemistry. The oils of a fragrance mix with your individual body chemistry and sometimes, it could simply be because your body chemistry does not harmonize with the scent itself. Usually though, it manifests in the actual smell of scent rather than the longevity. Body chemistry conflicts tend to result in the fragrance smelling stale or off rather than poor longevity. however, if your skin isn’t dry and the scent lasts longer on someone else’s skin with similar application, the chemistry is just not there.

Finally, and most unfortunately, its because you have bought a fake. Fakes and imitations have poor quality and at times, dangerous ingredients. This will become evident is the scent does not smell like it’s supposed to, the bottle/packaging (ill fitting caps/uneven font) is of inferior quality and the longevity is appalling.

5. Why doesn’t my cologne/aftershave project on my skin?

So why DOES your cologne have low sillage? The likeliest reason is the nature of the fragrance itself. Some fragrances just do not have a lot of sillage (especially those with higher concentration of perfume oil like EDPs and Pure Perfumes though there are exceptions to the rule). However, your skin chemistry can affect the projection of a scent. For some strange reason, some scent bloom n someone else’s skin and simply fizzle out on mine and vice versa. It’s all about finding the scents that work on you.