Looking for a new cologne for the Fall season?  

Here are some great tips for finding your perfect fragrance from Franco Wright, co-founder of LuckyScent.com, purveyor of rare and exclusive fragrances:

Body Chemistry

Each of us has our own unique body chemistry—our skin type (dry vs. oily), hair type and even the environment we live in will determine how a particular scent will react on contact.  A fragrance will also wear differently on someone based on their general diet (spicy/oily foods vs. light/healthy foods). So it’s true that some scents may smell great on your best friend, but not so on yourself. The best thing to do is when trying a new fragrance, give it about 10 minutes to ‘settle’, let the notes open up and the alcohol/water to evaporate, then you can make a true judgment of the scent.

More tips after the jump!

Applying Fragrance

Everyone has their own method, whether they spray a cloud and walk into it, or dab it on their pulse points, or a direct spritz. A recent trend is applying fragrance to your hairbrush and using it to add fragrance to your hair, which actually holds the scent for quite a long time.  What’s most important is that you don’t over apply a fragrance. A scent should be enjoyed by oneself, and those who are in close proximity to you. Your fragrance should not be detected from more than a few feet away. As a simple rule… less is more!

And keep in mind, there are some places you should not apply fragrance! For example, keep scents (and oils) away from leather, suede and jewelry. Fragrances can stain and it will dull jewelry. And try to not to apply fragrance if you are in the sun for long periods of time, as it can cause skin irritations.
 

Top, Middle, and Base Notes

“Fragrance notes” is a way to describe the olfactory composition of a fragrance, and is separated into three categories: Top, Middle (sometimes called Heart) and Base.

• Top notes are generally what we sense first; they are the opening ingredients to the scent and often reveal the first impression of the fragrance. From this impression, one can determine if the fragrance is floral, citrus, oriental, aquatic, woody, etc. Generally, top notes will dissipate anywhere from a few minutes to an hour.
• Middle notes (or Heart notes) emerge once the top notes settle. They are the main body of the composition, and ultimately give the overall lasting impression of the fragrance. Middle notes are more rounded and usually nose-friendly, as they consist of popular extracts like gardenia, vanilla, lavender, etc. Top notes work in concert with the Middle notes in what creates most of the foundation for a fragrance, often referred to as the Head note.
• Base notes are the foundation of a fragrance and consist of more concentrated, heavier type of ingredients such as patchouli, amber, musk, etc. They often give the fragrance lasting power and depth, and are typically not noticed until the dry-down stages of the scent application, generally 30 minutes to an hour.