How to... Find Your Signature Scent

In your quest to find your signature scent, keep in mind that it is just as important to your outward style as having tailored clothes and pairing the correct tie with the appropriate shirt. However, most men simply wear a scent that was given to them as a gift or bought hastily from a cute sales girl offering tote bags and beach towels at a department store. This results in a lot of men wearing copious amounts of tobacco- and coriander-laced colognes that don’t mix well with their natural pheromones. To find your signature scent, you’ll have to do a little research, but the results usually pay off in spades when you find the right fragrance.

Before you make the mistake of using the same cologne your dad used, let us help you figure out how to find your signature scent.


Figure out your skin type
The first step in knowing how to find your signature scent is to understand what type of skin you have -- whether it’s oily or dry.

Oily skin tones
Just as body hair keeps the scent of a cologne close to you, oily skin enhances and amplifies your cologne. Moist and oily skin responds best to a lighter citrus-based scent because these elements help to balance out the stronger natural odors that your skin is secreting. Stay with airy or “summertime” scents for a fresher feeling.

Dry skin tones
Cologne needs something to adhere to, and dry or sensitive skin does not hold a scent as long as oily skin. Contrary to popular belief, putting on more of any scent is not the answer. Instead, try heavier or thicker scents with undertones of tobacco and musk; these have a greater presence and will stay with you longer than a lighter fragrance.

Take your lifestyle into account
Choosing the right scent is not always about what smells good in a magazine. You also have to consider your lifestyle to narrow down your options as you try to find your signature scent. For example, do you prefer spicy foods? Do you consume large amounts of alcohol regularly or do you smoke? What you ingest comes to the surface of your skin in perspiration, blending with the cologne you wear and adds to the fragrance that swirls around you.

Determine when you will wear the cologne
One aspect of choosing a signature scent that is often overlooked is the setting in which you plan to wear it. A scent that’s fit for the office is not appropriate for nights prowling the local clubs. If you plan to wear one scent on a daily basis, then you’re really looking for a balanced fragrance that fits your overall lifestyle.

Bring a woman with you to find your signature scent
Get over yourself and take your woman or a close female friend you trust to go with you and let her make the final choice with brutal honesty. Even if you’re not dating her, she’ll find this to be a big turn-on and she’ll steer you toward the scent that all women will find appealing on you.

Spray the scent on cards first
Don’t let the sales clerk at the counter spray anything on you. If she doesn’t offer to spray a sample on a card for you to smell, then ask her to do so. If the store does not have cards, you should go somewhere else to find your signature scent. After a few samples, your nose won’t know what it is supposed to be smelling; when you get to this point, ask to sniff some coffee beans between your various cologne options. Most well-equipped stores have a cup of beans at the fragrance counter to sniff between sample cards to cleanse your nose.

Let your final choice sit for five minutes
Once you and your lady have chosen a scent, let it sit for a few minutes and then smell the card again. A strong scent will linger too long and become offensive. The right scent, however, will dissipate and settle into a nice pleasant aroma.

Source: askmen.com