While sitting watching the good ole TV, my favorite weather man appears promising another scorcher tomorrow. Here in Indiana, that can be 90+ degrees combined with a butt load of humidity making it feel more like 105 degrees. Forget the comfort of a dry heat, this kind of heat is downright miserable.
My thoughts drifted away from the hot box forecast to what cologne I should try tomorrow. There are several factors in play when I’m making a scent o’ the day decision. Simply waking up in a mood and wanting to alter it is among those factors.
At times especially in the summer, I choose cologne based on how hot it will get that day. I avoid heavier scents that are best suited for winter or cooler weather use such as:
· Burberry London
· John Varvartos
· Givenchy Very Irresistible
Don’t get me wrong, these are great scents but a little heavy for summer use in my humble opinion which if you’ve read up to this point, you may have some interest in. I decided to list my top 5 summer colognes.
Colognes I choose for summer use are either citrus or aquatic classified fragrances. Light enough to not overpower once you heat up on a nice summer day but strong enough to let folks know you’re there.
5. Acqua Di Gio- Acqua Di Gio from the good folks at Armani was released in 1996. This cologne features fresh aquatic notes as well as mandarin and bergamot (I love citrus notes). This is great casual scent that works well in class or the office or a first date situation.
The down side to this scent is I smell it everywhere on everyone, mainly young teeny boppers, the guy who just moved into the dorm or the man that just hit 21. To those in these play groups, please don’t take offense. Been there done that. I miss a few things about those good old days.
Many of you may ask why I have this cologne in my collection. Well I’ll tell you a secret, this one time only. I picked up a bottle because, well, come closer, please don’t tell anyone, well you see, a woman I had just started dating told me she liked the scent. Yeah, the Scentimental Brotha made chump move. Long after she was gone (as a dating prospect, she’s still a pretty decent friend, no harm no foul) the scent grew on me. Other than work, I tend to wear this around older groups that really don’t know anything about this cologne.
4. Chrome by Azzaro-Chrome introduced in 1996 scores earned a place in my scent collection a few years back. This scent reminds me of an amped up version of CK1 by Calvin Klein. Both colognes share two notes (bergamot and cardamom), that it. Chrome takes it to another level with the addition of Neroli (a citrus note) and ginger. Both oils have uplifting properties making Chrome a great Monday work scent. I would imagine this cologne will help a guy get through an early Monday class as well.
The last opportunity I had to use Chrome by Azzaro in a social setting was in Florida. The venue was an outdoor sea side bar. This scent didn’t let me down by blowing up and becoming overpowering despite the Florida heat, humidity and the increase in my body temperature due to having a few cocktails. The minor complaint I have is on my body, this cologne doesn’t last very long. I’m lucky to get four hours out of it. No worries, I usually have a sample vial in my pocket to keep the good smells coming.
3. Versace Man Eau Fraiche-Released in 2006, Versace Man Eau Fraiche is my
third favorite summer cologne , another cologne with my much beloved citrus notes in the form of lemon. Versace Man Eau Fraiche is a nice light scent that plays well in the office or class. On me, this fragrance didn’t become overpowering once the heat was turned up. A good scent for first date or one on one situations but I would skip this one if you plan on going somewhere like a bar or club. It’s too light for those venues in my opinion.
2.My next scent, Gucci Sport Pour Homme is another scent just light enough to move into my summer rotation. Gucci Sport Pour Homme is chock full ‘o uplifting citrus notes making this a great Monday morning work scent. I did find this scent to be a bit light in that I had to apply more sprays than I would for other colognes in my collection. Another mark in the against column for this cologne is its longevity. This cologne just doesn’t last very long. Problem solved, I carry an extra magazine so to speak in the form of a small roll on bottle. I can re-load when the times comes. Aside from its lightness and lack of staying power, Gucci Sport Pour Homme is my number two summer cologne pick.
1.My number one scent is Canali by Canali. I happened upon this cologne quite
by accident. I bumped into some dude at my favorite watering hole. This cat must have sprayed on half the bottle. A brief bump against me transferred the scent to me. I didn’t want to make the night weird for this guy so I sent a female friend over to ask what his scent of the night was.
Armed with the info, I ordered up a bottle of my own. I found out why this guy used so much of the scent. My first spray came out of the bottle with a strong alcohol kick. This is normally a sign of a cologne that won’t last five minutes on me.
After the alcohol blast faded, Canali by Canali began to blossom on me. The combination of fruit notes worked well on me. No fruit basket smell here. My official testers also like the scent, problem was I had to spray on more than I would for a normal cologne. Canali by Canali also lacked in the staying power category. No big deal as we know I have a work around for this.
This cologne is my number one scent as well as my wedding scent of the summer. Light and fresh enough but not overpowering in the heat.
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