Colognephobia/FOC (Fear of Cologne)

[Razor&Pens]

Ok, so I like aftershaves a lot. I enjoy a variety of scents and I like that the scents are subtle - I consider them pretty much only for me as I can catch a wiff during the day.

But I bought a bottle of Guerlain Vetiver and a couple of other samples from the Perfumed Court and I'm afraid to use the darn things! I keep thinking of this one exec in our company who I know is in our office because I can smell cologne and that is *not* what I want!

 

[Austin]

More than likely your colleague wears too much cologne. Even more likely he is wearing cheap cologne.

Guerlain Vetiver is a great cologne for office. I would recommend applying only 2 sprays to your chest and a small amount on your neck. You will enjoy the scent all day without projecting out. Enjoy.

 

[The Nid Hog]

I think that you're absolutely correct. Colognes are terrible, especially Guerlain Vetiver. Send them to me and I'll dispose of them safely.

 

[Kouros]

I avoid cologne in the office because I do not want to be known as "that cologne guy".

You are far better off just splashing on some aftershave lotion.

 

[Evbo]

I never, EVER, used any sort of scented aftershave, cologne, EdT, etc. etc. until I found this site. I did when I was in my early-mid 20s but never after that.

My reasoning was always that I never wanted to be the "cologne guy" either. Also, I didn't know anything about scents. All of them smelled more or less alike to me and I had no interest in finding out more.

Since I've found B&B, I know better now. MUCH better (alas, to the detriment of my wallet ).

 

[cymric]

Putting on a cologne is not just about smelling nice, but also about wearing the scent as if it were another piece of clothing. There was an excellent post by a forum meber about this about a year or so back, but I cannot seem to find it. He was a far more experienced fragrance collector/sampler/... than I ever will be, but his advice struck a chord with me, and I think from an objective point of view it makes a lot of sense, too. I'll paraphrase his words here in my contribution.

One thing is, as I said, that donning cologne is making some sort of statement. It's not about left or right or anarchism or capitalism---at least not in the circles most of us frequent---but it is about how you want others to perceive you. If you are a womanizer with a hairy chest on the prowl, you will not want to wear a little dab of 4711 behind the ears: you will want to smell studly and sexy and <let your imagination run wild here>. Presumably, you got Guerlain Vetiver because you really like it, well, then you shouldn't be self-conscious about wearing it, just as you shouldn't be self-conscious about your suit or jeans or whatever. G.V. is 'you', so don't worry about it. (Of course, there are fragrances which are more suitable for specific occasions just as jeans are a nono for stately dinners, but G.V. isn't one of those.) If you do, then best return the bottle to the store while you still can.

Second question: how much to spray on. That's a tricky one. There is the old adagium that the best scent is that which cannot be smelt on a conscious level, but there isn't that much difference between faint on a conscious level and not on the unconscious. You won't be standing close to people you meet to begin with, and neither will strange people run up to you to smell you with a passion. Since it's nice to get compliments, I always aim for faint & conscious. But in order to figure out the amount, you will need the help of others as you sniffer becomes insensitive to the fragrance you're wearing. Spray on a conservative amount, then notify your close family or co-workers that you're trying on some new cologne and that you'd appreciate feedback on the intensity of the scent. Don't ask them seconds after spraying it on of course, but wait half an hour or so. If they think you reek, you know you've overapplied and can tone it down a bit. If they don't smell you, you can risk a little more the next time.

Finally, the question of 'where' remains. The Lore tells you it should be on the hot spots, on places where lots of veins run close to the skin's surface: wrists, ears, throat. However, I find I easily rub off fragrance on my wrists, the ears are difficult spots to apply cologne (you either spray a good bit of your head or make the contents of the bottle dirty because of your finger which is continually on the open end), and my throat is a bit sweaty so the cologne is gone too quickly. So instead I opt for the inside of my elbows, and below my throat on the chest. The latter place gives the added bonus of increased longevity, as the fragrance is protected from direct wind and sunlight and will be absorbed a little by the clothes covering that part of your body. True, it will not entirely mingle with your own body's natural scent that way, but that's just the way it is, at least with me.

I hope you found the above useful.

 

[The National Razor]

I think that you're absolutely correct. Colognes are terrible, especially Guerlain Vetiver. Send them to me and I'll dispose of them safely.

I was going to get the Guerlain Vetiver next, but after reading your post I may reconsider.

 

[The National Razor]

Putting on a cologne is not just about smelling nice, but also about wearing the scent as if it were another piece of clothing. There was an excellent post by a forum meber about this about a year or so back, but I cannot seem to find it. He was a far more experienced fragrance collector/sampler/... than I ever will be, but his advice struck a chord with me, and I think from an objective point of view it makes a lot of sense, too. I'll paraphrase his words here in my contribution.

One thing is, as I said, that donning cologne is making some sort of statement. It's not about left or right or anarchism or capitalism---at least not in the circles most of us frequent---but it is about how you want others to perceive you. If you are a womanizer with a hairy chest on the prowl, you will not want to wear a little dab of 4711 behind the ears: you will want to smell studly and sexy and <let your imagination run wild here>. Presumably, you got Guerlain Vetiver because you really like it, well, then you shouldn't be self-conscious about wearing it, just as you shouldn't be self-conscious about your suit or jeans or whatever. G.V. is 'you', so don't worry about it. (Of course, there are fragrances which are more suitable for specific occasions just as jeans are a nono for stately dinners, but G.V. isn't one of those.) If you do, then best return the bottle to the store while you still can.

Second question: how much to spray on. That's a tricky one. There is the old adagium that the best scent is that which cannot be smelt on a conscious level, but there isn't that much difference between faint on a conscious level and not on the unconscious. You won't be standing close to people you meet to begin with, and neither will strange people run up to you to smell you with a passion. Since it's nice to get compliments, I always aim for faint & conscious. But in order to figure out the amount, you will need the help of others as you sniffer becomes insensitive to the fragrance you're wearing. Spray on a conservative amount, then notify your close family or co-workers that you're trying on some new cologne and that you'd appreciate feedback on the intensity of the scent. Don't ask them seconds after spraying it on of course, but wait half an hour or so. If they think you reek, you know you've overapplied and can tone it down a bit. If they don't smell you, you can risk a little more the next time.

Finally, the question of 'where' remains. The Lore tells you it should be on the hot spots, on places where lots of veins run close to the skin's surface: wrists, ears, throat. However, I find I easily rub off fragrance on my wrists, the ears are difficult spots to apply cologne (you either spray a good bit of your head or make the contents of the bottle dirty because of your finger which is continually on the open end), and my throat is a bit sweaty so the cologne is gone too quickly. So instead I opt for the inside of my elbows, and below my throat on the chest. The latter place gives the added bonus of increased longevity, as the fragrance is protected from direct wind and sunlight and will be absorbed a little by the clothes covering that part of your body. True, it will not entirely mingle with your own body's natural scent that way, but that's just the way it is, at least with me.

I hope you found the above useful.

Great advice--I just got some K-10 and was afraid to put on too much because I read here it can be overbearing. So was spraying once to the chest, once to the neck, and a semi-spray to the wrists. But apparently my co-workers can't smell anything (the subject came up because I got a puck of Kent soap delivered to the office and the wanted to sniff it, so I segured to the cologne). So next time I will hazard 2 sprays to the chest, or maybe 1 more to the neck.

 

[cymric]

I forgot to mention that the forum member I alluded to in my post also said that there are colognes out there which are meant to be sprayed on liberally, just as there are others which are meant to be sprayed on fastidiously. However, by then you're becoming more than a casual user and will know the subtle rules of perfumery much better. I doubt it is much of an issue with what you can obtain at regular perfume stores, in any case.

 

[The Nid Hog]

I was going to get the Guerlain Vetiver next, but after reading your post I may reconsider.

My offer holds true for Knize Ten as well. I'm always willing to take one for the team.

 

[renoles]

+1 to what cymric said

I once read that you are the one making the entrance in a room, not your cologne. Start off with a spray on the body and one on the neck and gradually increase (if necessary).

 

[Razor&Pens]

Presumably, you got Guerlain Vetiver because you really like it...

Very useful post. The only 'but' is that, no, I didn't get this cologne because I like it. I hadn't gotten a whiff until it arrived in the mail. It was an impulse buy added onto an aftershave order. I had read about it on the board, was curious what vetiver was, and it wasn't too expensive.

Oy.

 

[cymric]

Welllll... Probably an open door, but as a rule you shouldn't be buying blindly, really. Colognes can be a tad expensive, and if you happen to have a picky sniffer like mine, things can get rather expensive.

On the bright side of things, GV is popular so if you don't like it you can easily get rid of it. On the second bright side, sometimes---but not always---you can grow to like and appreciate a fragrance you've felt a bit 'meh' about at first. It's about the scent itself as much as learning that it is 'your' fragrance.

 

[Razor&Pens]

Welllll... Probably an open door, but as a rule you shouldn't be buying blindly, really.

::grumble:: As I said, an impulse buy.

I am using it today and confirmed that it is more than subtle enough with two sprays.

Remarkably, when I applied it this morning after showering and shaving the scent was very different from when I had tried it at night. It's much woodier and less perfumy.

That said, I found it kind of a pain to plan to use an unscented A/S (Thayers in this case) beforehand, and I still find it a bit of an affectation to use strictly for the scent, as opposed to an aftershave which I'm applying for a purpose and just happens to have a scent.

So, the next big question... Is there a formula to convert some of this cologne into an aftershave?? (Or does that question deserve a thread of its own?)

 

[The National Razor]

::grumble:: As I said, an impulse buy.

I am using it today and confirmed that it is more than subtle enough with two sprays.

Remarkably, when I applied it this morning after showering and shaving the scent was very different from when I had tried it at night. It's much woodier and less perfumy.

That said, I found it kind of a pain to plan to use an unscented A/S (Thayers in this case) beforehand, and I still find it a bit of an affectation to use strictly for the scent, as opposed to an aftershave which I'm applying for a purpose and just happens to have a scent.

So, the next big question... Is there a formula to convert some of this cologne into an aftershave?? (Or does that question deserve a thread of its own?)

I believe Guerlain Vetiver also comes in an aftershave, for next time. Never used it though.

http://www.perfumenetwork.com/vetivermassl42.html

 

[cymric]

So, the next big question... Is there a formula to convert some of this cologne into an aftershave?? (Or does that question deserve a thread of its own?)

Colognes, as a rule, make bad aftershaves because a) they contain too much fragrance for an aftershave and must therefore be diluted; and b) all sorts of skin-nurturing components are missing, so you'd have to add those by hand. After some experimentation, I gave up and bought a neutral splash specifically for this purpose. You'll get used to the two-step process.

 

[The National Razor]

Colognes, as a rule, make bad aftershaves because a) they contain too much fragrance for an aftershave and must therefore be diluted; and b) all sorts of skin-nurturing components are missing, so you'd have to add those by hand. After some experimentation, I gave up and bought a neutral splash specifically for this purpose. You'll get used to the two-step process.

Same here, on days I use cologne I put on either Witch Hazel or Osage Rub, both of which have basically no scent, and if it has any it will fade very quickly.

 

[Razor&Pens]

I believe Guerlain Vetiver also comes in an aftershave, for next time.

Doh! Still may look for it. Easy to use as an A/S when I'm going to use the cologne. (I used witch hazel with the cologne yesterday.)

On the plus side, I did get one, 'you smell nice' comment from a female co-worker yesterday.