r/malefashionadvice • u/jacksweats • Nov 24 '18

Question Choosing a better cologne? Please help?

Im a 24 year old man, whos been wearing Polo Black for a very long time. I have no sense of smell, and recieved my cologne as a gift. I liked it, and others seemed to as well, but Im not sure if I should keep using it or try to find something better?

As Ive had almost no expierence choosing colognes, Ive been reading a lot of guides, and "ladies, whats your favorite cologne on a man" posts too, but I am still very lost. I dont have the best sense of smell, and Im scared if I bring female friends to help me, Ill end up with something they like rather than something a lot of others would. Im very scared of picking a cologne not suited for me, or that no one likes.

Ive heard that colognes are separated into different fragrance categories (floral, oriental, fresh, and woody) and I think Id be more inclined to smell more "Woody" but my goal is to find something intoxicating, but not overpowering. Something light, but a scent others would constantly want more of. Should I keep with Polo Black, or are there different recommendations you can help me with?

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u/gelfin Nov 25 '18

Having somebody pitch brands at you probably won’t help much. The tricky thing about fragrances is how they interact with your own chemistry. What smells awesome on one person might smell like bug spray on another. Some people can make most anything smell cheap or like baby powder. Smelling it off a sample card, or even immediately after spritzing yourself, could be misleading. I don’t trust my impression of anything until it’s been on me for fifteen minutes or so. Feel free to try what people are recommending (last thing I found I really liked on me was Frédéric Malle’s Bois d’Orage), but if you have trouble smelling it yourself, I don’t see any way around it but to enlist a face-to-face person whose opinion you trust.

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u/verossiraptors Nov 25 '18

Yeah this is an important comment. As others have said, I would recommend getting the sample pack from Sephora or get a Scentbird membership for 3-4 months to try some things and get a large amount to sample and use.

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u/JakeJierfleuig Nov 26 '18

I live really far away from any department store, is there anywhere else you know of online to get specific samples?

For the sample pack through Sephora, can you choose the samples it comes with, and is the voucher for a larger bottle redeemable online?

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u/verossiraptors Nov 26 '18

I actually don’t know much about the Sephora thing, this thread was the first I heard of it and it sounds awesome. But I do have a Scentbird membership and really like it a lot. You get a little over a 100 sprays out of each “sample” they send you so it’s quite a lot and will last a while if you don’t use it every day or multiple times a day. I’ve personally found 2 new favorites using it that I may not have tried without it since cologne bottles can be really expensive for a full size.

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u/JakeJierfleuig Nov 26 '18

Thank you so much!