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How do you define longevity?

post #1 of 13
1/2/13 at 6:58pm
Thread Starter 
I want my cologne to have good longevity and sillage. Therefore, I pay attention to what people say about longevity. They sometimes mention about a strong cologne which has 24 hours of longevity and I don't know what I should understand from that.

I mean, for example;

let's say it's been 3 hours since you sprayed it on your arm and you can smell it heavily.

Then 5-6 hours: it becomes closer to skin but you can still detect it.

8 hours: you need to get really close but the smell is nice and you can say that this is your cologne.

15 hours: you must try so hard to smell it and your nose have to be touching your arm. You can smell it but there is not any evidence that it is the cologne that you sprayed 15 hours ago. There is sth that smells there.

So, does this cologne last for 15-20 hours? or Is the longevity limited to the interval that you can detect the notes easily? or Is it a part of the dry down and we should say it still didn't finish smelling?

I might not have expressed it adequately but I tried

Thanks in advance.
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post #2 of 13
1/2/13 at 7:07pm
Good longevity for me is if the scent lasts from when I leave for work in the morning and I can still smell it when I return home later in the day.
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post #3 of 13
1/2/13 at 7:08pm
I would define longevity as being the point to where I (not others) can no longer smell the fragrance at the areas applied.
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post #4 of 13
1/2/13 at 7:50pm
well I think sometimes it depends how many sprays you use...for instance I wore Terre D' Hermes on New Year's Eve I sprayed on me at 6:00 pm and I was still smelling it the next day 10 am....well in my case they were 8 sprays
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post #5 of 13
1/2/13 at 7:56pm
Longevity without projection has no substance to me.
Whats the point of stellar longevity if it does not project and therefore I cannot smell it without having to lift a body organ to my nose?
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post #6 of 13
1/2/13 at 8:08pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by hedonist222 View Post

Longevity without projection has no substance to me.
Whats the point of stellar longevity if it does not project and therefore I cannot smell it without having to lift a body organ to my nose?

Absolutely. What is the point of having 24 hours of longevity if I cannot smell it without going so close after a few hours?
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post #7 of 13
1/2/13 at 8:19pm
There are so many factors at play when determining longevity: skin type, climate, ph, application etc. I prefer to rate scents as having good, fair, or bad longevity.
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post #8 of 13
1/2/13 at 8:31pm
Longevity is a subjective measure, obviously. Everyone has different skin and there are many factors in play such that if someone says something lasts x hours on them, I don't have any direct idea of how long it will last on me. What I do know, however, is that if they feel x is a large or a small number, then I get some idea of the duration of effect of the fragrance will be relatively large or small, respectively. Likewise if they say the longevity is longer or shorter than a fragrance I know, then there may be some expectation that the duration will be longer or shorter respectively. So it is a useful construct in describing fragrance, just don't get hung up on trying to expect a precise or even rough estimate of actual duration of effect on you.
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post #9 of 13
1/2/13 at 8:55pm
For me, if I can only smell the scent by pressing my nose against my wrist, time is up. So...I judge a frag's longevity by how long it takes to reach this stage from the time I first sprayed it.
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post #10 of 13
1/2/13 at 9:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hednic View Post

Good longevity for me is if the scent lasts from when I leave for work in the morning and I can still smell it when I return home later in the day.

Definitely right to me...
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post #11 of 13
1/3/13 at 7:34am
I agree with hedonist and teach. I think of longevity as how long the fragrance can be easily smelled without having to do the whole nose to skin thing. In the situation you describe, I would say that scent has a longevity of 5-6 hours.
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post #12 of 13
1/3/13 at 8:35am
I only need a fragrance to last 8hrs for me, longer than that it would be annoying. The longevity of a fragrance stop when I stop smelling the aura of it around me. I do not count sniffing close to the skin in order to smell the fragrance period as longevity
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post #13 of 13
1/3/13 at 8:47am
It's a matter of how long it actually lasts, it isn't about projection and sillage to me. If I can put my nose to my skin and can faintly smell it after 15 hours I will say that it has great longevity, in this instance it would probably have projected very well for at least half that time.
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