General Info | Fragrance Today

As someone who loves colognes, I often wondered, how many should I own? So I took a deep look at it, and this is what I came up with. This can range from one to however many you want. Any number has its own advantages and uses, but it is recommended to have more than one. This is because you can switch them up and choose a cologne that suits the occasion. I know choosing the right colognes can be quite tricky. There are many things to keep in mind, so I'll be going over some combinations of different colognes. Why Should You Own Multiple Colognes? In my books, owning a cologne is a must. A cologne is something that makes you unique; it makes you stand out. Ever walked past someone and thought, wow, he smells amazing? Well, that is something you can achieve as well. It is pretty simple, actually. You purchase a cologne. If you're anything like me, you'll be hooked in a few days and want more and more. When I purchased my first cologne, I thought I'd be set for a while. But as I said, I got many more. Because of this, I subconsciously chose the fragrance I would wear that day based on some factors. When it was cold outside, I naturally went for a warmer and sweeter scent than bright and sunny outside. When I went clubbing, I wore a whole different fragrance than when I went to school. When I started noticing that I wore one cologne mostly when it was cold and the other mostly when warm, I decided to research; I found out that different colognes suit different occasions. This is the reason why I suggest you should own multiple bottles. How many you should own depends on the person. Every combination has its own perks. I, however, do think that owning more than one can elevate your level. So let's start with owning one. Owning One Bottle Of Cologne This is probably where you will start. Choosing only one cologne is a difficult task. It's like choosing only one outfit for the rest of the year. You absolutely have to make sure that this cologne is an all-star. Because this will be your only one, it has to perform in any situation. It has to work with both hot and cold weather. It has to work in an intimate setting and a public setting. It has to work in every season. Luckily, there are quite a few fragrances out there that will fit this role nicely. Think of a very versatile cologne like Dior Sauvage, which fills every role pretty well. But that is the thing with only one. It does its job pretty well, but not the best. It is wise to narrow down a bit because of all the different times in the year (spring, winter, summer, autumn, day, night, cold, warm, clubbing, etc.). Owning Two Bottles Of Cologne Owning two different bottles of colognes already makes a huge difference. You can begin to split it up into a cold-weather fragrance and a warm-weather fragrance. This already makes a huge difference. Warm weather really leans toward fresh, clean, citrus scents, where cold weather leans towards spicy and sweet scents. Going with two separate fragrances makes for a fantastic foundation. From here, you can niche down even more. So like I said, warm weather leans towards fresh, clean, and citrusy scents. These really compliment the warmth and won't be offensive to anyone. Colognes like Acqua Di Gio Profumo, Bvlgari Aqva Amara, or Davidoff Cool Water are amazing for warm weather. Cold weather really leans toward spices and sweet scents. These scents comfort you through the cold weather. I always get this cozy feeling in the winter days, and fragrances like Valentino Uomo and Viktor and Rolf Spicebomb really compliment this scenery. The warm and cold weather fragrances are basically the same as summer and winter fragrances. You can find my recommended summer fragrances here and my recommended winter fragrances here. It basically comes down to making the warm and cold weather split. This is probably the most notable of them all. However, that does not mean you can niche down even further. Adding a Third Bottle Of Cologne When you go with three colognes, you can be more specific. You can start playing around with different colognes. First, I'd start with a winter/clubbing fragrance. This can be the same as the one we described, but you can play around a bit and go for one that leans a bit more toward clubbing. The one that is used a lot was Paco Rabanne One Million. Again, go for a fragrance that really suits the cold weather and clubbing environment. For your second bottle, you should choose the fragrance you are going to wear throughout the day. Think of a very clean cologne like Prada l'homme or Bleu de Chanel. This one will be the one you wear most often. It should be a clean, inoffensive fragrance, perfect for wearing to school or the office. As for the third one, I'd recommend getting a more intimate fragrance. Something you could wear to dates. This cologne should smell sexy and inviting. Think of Carolina Herrera Men Prive or, my personal favorite, Yves Saint Laurent La Nuit De l'homme. Your Fourth And Fifth Bottle Now that you've started to break it down a bit, you can start to be really specific. For example, split your winter/clubbing fragrance, and go for two different ones. As for a winter fragrance, go with something like Valentino Uomo, Viktor, and Rolf Spicebomb or Jean Paul Gaultier Ultra Male. Get a nice separate clubbing fragrance like Paco Rabanne One Million or Versace Eros. There is endless room to play with. Of course, some will be the same as the ones we discussed with three bottles. I'd recommend getting a very versatile cologne, like the one you'd go for when you only buy one bottle. These colognes are a must when you have only one or when you get more than three. It is just a straightforward, good-smelling fragrance you can throw on when you're in a hurry or when doing simple stuff like grocery shopping. Again, I'd go with something like Dior Sauvage or Allure Homme Sport. Also, I'd recommend going with the daytime bottle we discussed—something you'd wear to school or the office, like Prada l'homme. Of course, you'd also want to have a nice winter cologne. Adding Even More Bottles Of Cologne From here you can add more and more colognes for different occasions. I could go on and on about breaking this down, but the fact is, from here, it really starts to depend on your lifestyle. You could get cologne that goes well with a suit, or maybe something for Christmas. Maybe get a cologne that works well when you work out. You can also start experimenting with niche fragrances like Creed Aventus. Another funny thing to do is experiment with maybe two different winter colognes or two different daytime colognes. As I said, there are endless possibilities and thousands of different fragrances. Quick Recap And Recommendations Versatile cologne: Dior Sauvage, Allure Homme Sport. Warm weather colognes: Acqua Di Gio Profumo, Bvlgari Aqva Amara, Davidoff Cool Water Cold weather colognes: Valentino Uomo, Viktor and Rolf Spicebomb, Jean Paul Gaultier Ultra Male Clubbing colognes: Paco Rabanne One Million, Versace Eros Daytime colognes: Prada l'homme, Bleu de Chanel Intimate colognes: Yves Saint Laurent La Nuit De l'homme, Carolina Herrera Men Prive Niche cologne: Creed Aventus Related Questions Is it necessary to own multiple colognes? No, it isn't necessary, but I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to smell more interesting and sophisticated. You get a lot more options to express yourself. Should you wear deodorant and cologne at the same time? Yes, but use an odorless deodorant. It's a shame if the amazing scent of your cologne gets mixed with the scent of your deodorant.