Weekly Buzz: Men's Cologne
December 09, 2011, By Gin A. Ando 0 comments
A man's scent should not be taken lightly. It should be subtle, like an afterthought. Something that lingers for a moment as he stands up to leave or walks by. Smell is the sense tied most closely to memory, and you can control how she remembers you by choosing the right cologne.
Although Isaiah Mustafa and those Old Spice commercials might be the first thing a guy thinks about when the word 'cologne' comes up, this isn’t high school. Cologne isn’t something you spray on your chest in an X. It isn’t something that will have women jumping on you or fighting just to be near you. Most of all, if applied correctly, it doesn’t make you smell like a locker room saturated in cleaning solution like some body sprays do.
Strangely, I find that most cologne advertisements are fairly accurate when it comes to their targeted wearers. By 'accurate' I mean they capture the way the man wants to be perceived—not so much in the single-word sentences describing the scent (Passion. Love. Hate. Obsession.) as the statement the wearer wants to make. My brother, for example, wears Armani Acqua Di Gio. I wear Code Black. I’ll take the tux in the city over diving into open water from a boat any day of the week.
Think about this: if someone who broke your heart wore a certain brand of perfume—regardless of how long ago—and someone walks in front of you wearing that perfume, you’ll remember that person. I hate Chanel No. 5.
Cologne is a good gift. It’ll last a long time if you don’t drown yourself in it. Just be sure you’re specific as to what kind you want—otherwise, you may find yourself with a dozen cans of AXE this holiday.
As for me, I think I’ll stick with Code. It doesn’t have a particularly leathery, masculine smell, but it does strongly resemble the scent of cash. And that’s something everyone loves.
Best sellers this holiday season are the usual suspects: Armani Acqua Di Gio, the gamut of Ralph Lauren's named-after-a-color scents, Calvin Klein's Eternity. But what's the fun of being one of the people who wears those, too?
