|  Guest Writer :: Christopher Kyle Stewart  |

 ShorTTake™

ShorTTakes™ can be read in 3 minutes.  Or less.

Scent is one of the senses most closely related to memory. 

Because of this, it is important for any young man starting his scent journey to find one (or a few) by which he wants to be remembered.

This comes with time and – admittedly – trial and error. Hopefully I can provide some basic info and a few suggestions to send you down the best path.

The Scientific Stuff

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Colognes come in a variety of concentrations.

• Eau Fraiche(1-3%)
• Eau de Cologne(2-4%)
• Eau de Toilette(5-15%)
• Eau de Parfum(15-20%) and
• Parfum(20-30%)

Most colognes you find in department stores will be either EDT or EDP.

Naturally EDP will typically last a bit longer and be a bit stronger, but that’s not always the case. Your specific skin can change the way a cologne behaves and smells.

The Fun Stuff

While some colognes will absolutely work year round, having a cologne for every season is a great tool for getting the most out of your scent collection.

A more simple approach is to go less for a season, and more for a temperature based collection.

By doing this, you can technically keep your collection to two scents.

Warm weather colognes will typically be of the “Blue” variety. They’ll often include notes of citrus or oceanic types. They will usually invoke a sense of freshness and vibrancy.

A beach in the Caribbean, a coastal walk in Italy, or a dip in a fresh mountain stream.

📷 Francisco Perez Carrasco on Unsplash

Cold weather colognes will be a bit darker, usually invoking a sense of warmth.

Notes including spice, oriental woods and leather are often part of the profile here.

A cozy sweater, your favorite leather chair, or an Old Fashioned on a cool night.

My Picks

For summer, I’d go fresh and classic.

Polo Blue EDT is sooo fresh and clean and can often be found for around $40ish.

Soapy, fresh, aquatic, with a little bit of amber to keep it manly.

Davidoff Cool Water is another classic freshy that can often be found at Marshall’s for under $30. (Mark wears Cool Water – 😉)

Minty, aquatic, with just enough musk and amber (It’s also a favorite of Prince William).

For something a bit different, Cremo makes a clone of Creed Silver Mountain Water that’s really nice, Silver Water and Birch, for under $25.

SUPER fresh with a nice birch note and some Oakmoss to smooth it out.

For colder weather, I’d go warm and soft.

One of my absolute favorites is Burberry Touch.

It can be found for around $40 at discount stores and is a super smooth oriental wood fragrance.

For around $50, Coach for Men is another great cold weather choice, with notes of lavender, coriander, and suede.

Cremo also has nice option for under $25.

Black Spice and Vanilla has a creamy vibe with cardamom, cashmere, and bourbon vanilla.

Keep in mind that these suggestions are simply meant to be a starting point.

The choices are nearly endless (and HIGHLY addictive haha). Get out there and sample the different scents.

Try them on tester strips, and if you like them be SURE to test it on skin.