Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Just Starting Out › A newbie with a few questions
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

A newbie with a few questions

post #1 of 10
2/12/09 at 9:30pm
Thread Starter 
I've always had some questions about cologne, but I never know who to ask. Now since I discovered this website, I know that this is the perfect place to ask my questions.

1) I've heard that cologne should only be sprayed on the skin... Why is this? If it is sprayed on clothing, does it let off the intended smell?

2) Do people actually spray cologne on the behind their knees?

3) Is there any average shelf life for a cologne, and is there something specific to smell for to tell if my cologne has gone bad?

4) Does storing cologne in the fridge help extend its shelf life?

5) When looking for a fragrance through the directory, what is the upside down "!" or "i" in a blue circle mean? I know the Green pyramid means the notes are listed and the bubble means that there is critique, but not sure about the i.

6) Do people mix colognes? Either mix them in the bottle or spray more than one at a time because they like the result of the mix?

Any answers would be appreciated. Thanks!
Reply
Reply

Features on Basenotes

Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
post #2 of 10
2/12/09 at 9:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dynastyd95 View Post

I've always had some questions about cologne, but I never know who to ask. Now since I discovered this website, I know that this is the perfect place to ask my questions.

1) I've heard that cologne should only be sprayed on the skin... Why is this? If it is sprayed on clothing, does it let off the intended smell?

2) Do people actually spray cologne on the behind their knees?

3) Is there any average shelf life for a cologne, and is there something specific to smell for to tell if my cologne has gone bad?

4) Does storing cologne in the fridge help extend its shelf life?

5) When looking for a fragrance through the directory, what is the upside down "!" or "i" in a blue circle mean? I know the Green pyramid means the notes are listed and the bubble means that there is critique, but not sure about the i.

6) Do people mix colognes? Either mix them in the bottle or spray more than one at a time because they like the result of the mix?

Any answers would be appreciated. Thanks!

1. I don't know.

2. I've personally never done it, but to each their own. I don't think it would be a good idea though. Traditional application points include the sides of the neck, back of the neck, chest, and wrists.

3. It varies really among fragrances. It really depends on the type of fragrance and ingredients used. Generally a fragrance that has gone bad with smell similar to a fresh bottle, but weaker.

4. It doesn't hurt shelf life that's for sure. Primes enemies of fragrances tend to be heat and sunlight. A fridge eliminates this, but you could just keep them in a enclosed cabinet or something if you don't want to put them in a fridge.

5. I think it means that information has been submitted for that particular fragrance. You can find the information under the "Basenotes Says" heading.

6. Usually it is not advisable to mix fragrances in their bottles. People do mix fragrances when applying them though. It's called layering and someone more acquainted with it will have to go into more detail about it.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 10
2/13/09 at 1:57pm
About layering:

Some colognes, like the ones by Jo Malone, are made to be layered and there is a "fragrance menu" that suggests the layering combinations. Some people layer cologne because they want to smell unique but they can't afford a bespoke scent. Layering can also be done between a cologne ad a strongly perfumed bath oil or body cream with a different fragrance.
You can take a scent in different direction: for example you can use a woody or tobacco fragrance to make it dryer, a citrus to make it fresher etc... For example, I've found that Vetiver by Joe Malone improves all the fragrances that I find too sweet for my personality, for example I layer it with Bulgari Rose Essentielle. you can also mix a complex scent with a single note cologne that contains one of it's notes, to enhance it.
I think that no on can foresee if a layering will work in general and even less on a specific person. So the only way is experimenting. For this reason, mixing si dangerous. A bad layering will cost you a couple of sprays and a shower to take it off. If you mix, you risk to destroy two entire fragrance bottle. And the result of a mix may smell different than the layering of the same two colognes, because yuo can't predict the chemical reactions that will take place in the bottle.
Hope this was helpful
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 10
2/13/09 at 2:17pm
I'll address 1 and 6. For 1, I've found that if you spray some frags on clothes, you get a particular note that is too strong in relation to the others, but just for a few frags. For 6, I've experimented a little. Sometimes it works and sometimes not. I don't think there are any rules to it, unless perhaps if you are a perfumer and really know your stuff.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 10
2/13/09 at 2:21pm
Re frag on clothing: Luca Turin & Tania Sanchez repeatedly point out that spraying on clothing make the perfume stay longer (as if watching the action unfold in slow motion).

Note my perfume liquids are slightly colored light brown/yellow.

Before going to work I typically spray:

4 on my cotton singlet/undershirt collar (obviously I don't care if they stain or not)

2 on the back of my dress shirt collar where no one can see it because it's folded over.

The key is not to concentrate the spray on one spot, but spray it from about 6 inches away. If you don't want to risk it on the dress shirt, go on the singlet/undershirt only.

And btw, my dress shirts are 2-ply fine cotton custom-tailored dress shirts, and so you know I care about them much more than $10 KMart/Target shirts. Tip: Do use low-scented laundry liquid and skip the fabric softener.

Result: At the end of the work day, I can still smell what I put on in the morning quite well.
=========
Still, try it both on skin and another day on your clothing, your result may vary....
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 10
2/13/09 at 2:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dynastyd95 View Post

1) I've heard that cologne should only be sprayed on the skin... Why is this? If it is sprayed on clothing, does it let off the intended smell?

Case study: Years ago, I obtained a small sample vial of CK Eternity. I wore it for several weeks by dabbing it on my skin, and I loved the way it smelled on me. When my sample finally ran out, I sprayed some on from a store tester, trying to decide whether to buy it. It smelled awful! Where it came into contact with my clothes, it simply reeked. So I never bought a bottle. What's the use of having a perfume that can't even touch any part of your clothing?

But that's been my only bad experience with perfume on clothing. I don't actively spray my clothing, but sometimes I mist the air and do a "walk-through" and my current fragrances behave just fine on clothing.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 10
2/13/09 at 2:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by valentinamaltese View Post

About layering:

Some colognes, like the ones by Jo Malone, are made to be layered and there is a "fragrance menu" that suggests the layering combinations. Some people layer cologne because they want to smell unique but they can't afford a bespoke scent. Layering can also be done between a cologne ad a strongly perfumed bath oil or body cream with a different fragrance.
You can take a scent in different direction: for example you can use a woody or tobacco fragrance to make it dryer, a citrus to make it fresher etc... For example, I've found that Vetiver by Joe Malone improves all the fragrances that I find too sweet for my personality, for example I layer it with Bulgari Rose Essentielle. you can also mix a complex scent with a single note cologne that contains one of it's notes, to enhance it.
I think that no on can foresee if a layering will work in general and even less on a specific person. So the only way is experimenting. For this reason, mixing si dangerous. A bad layering will cost you a couple of sprays and a shower to take it off. If you mix, you risk to destroy two entire fragrance bottle. And the result of a mix may smell different than the layering of the same two colognes, because yuo can't predict the chemical reactions that will take place in the bottle.
Hope this was helpful

I've been curious about layering too. When you layer two fragrances on your skin, how do you decide which one to spray first? Would the bottom one or the top one be stronger? And do you let the first one dry before spraying the second, or do you spray the second immediately, while the first is still wet?
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 10
2/13/09 at 8:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ibarney5 View Post

Fragrances also do not last as long on clothing.

Not a true statement. Where is your proof?
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 10
2/13/09 at 8:37pm
One thing about layering. I have sprayed Carven Homme on after wearing a different frag earlier in the day. I've never had a problem with any other frag, but with CH, sometimes there's a really nasty synthetic rubbery quality to it. So now I know that I have to wipe down the area that I sprayed earlier that day before spraying CH on, even if I can't smell the other frag at that point. In other cases, though, I actually mixed two frags together in the same bottle and created a new frag that was better than either of the two, so as I said, it's really tough to figure out why these things happen (at least for me).
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 10
2/13/09 at 10:35pm
Scientifically, frags will last longer on clothes because clothing, despite being next to your body, will actually be lower in temperature. Lower temp - less sillage but less evaporation.

There's also the factor of dry/oiliness of skin - so some really oily skin might hold frags better.

Needless to say, I love perfumes; but I spray it on clothes because I know there are risks and I don't want those potential carcinogens even in very small amounts to be absorbed through my skin. And this applies whether the perfume is 100% natural or 100% synthetic - I'm not your organic-only-hippy-natural-perfumer.

As a former org. chemistry and biology student I believe that if it doesn't need to be absorbed into my body, I don't put it on. And as far as I see, no reason to put perfume on my skin when it'll smell just as well on clothes.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Just Starting Out

Features on Basenotes

Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Just Starting Out › A newbie with a few questions