Here's How To Tell How Long Your Cologne Will Last

Ever spray cologne on your body but you feel like you can't smell anything a few hours later? While you might have developed "nose-blindness" to the smell, most fragrances just aren't meant to last all day. 

The type of cologne you buy (there are five major varieties) decides how long it will last on your body, so pay attention to the bottle. What's written under the brand will tell you a lot about what to expect.

Strongest:

Parfum, aka pure perfume or extrait de parfum, such as Yves San Laurent's L'Homme or Terre d'Hermès from Hermès, is the strongest of the group -- a parfum's fragrance comes from the highest concentration of oils, usually 30 percent to 40 percent, and therefore will last the longest on your body (usually 6 to 8 hours, according to Perfume.com).

Mid-Range:

Eau de parfums and eau de toilettes are the most common fragrance types: EDPs, such as Bvlgari's Man in Black, are made with a fragrance concentration of 15 percent to 20 percent (making it last about 4 to 5 hours). Fragrance concentrations in EDTs, such as L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme by Issey Miyake, rank anywhere from 5 percent to 15 percent and can last 2 to 3 hours. Perfume.com considers EDTs to be daywear cologne, while the stronger EDPs are generally more suited for evenings.

Lightest:

If you just want a hint of a fragrance, try an eau fraiche, such as Man Eau Fraiche by Versace. They're made with just 1 percent to 3 percent oils, so they'll last about an hour or two, and they're not balanced with alcohol, unlike those in the mid-range, which means they're mostly water.

How To Wear It:

There are colognes you should wear in the winter -- spicier, heavier fragrances -- while colognes made especially for warmer months are lighter, crisper and more citrusy. Save those with "sport" or "aqua" in the name for the summer.

Never spray directly onto your neck or chest; a squirt on each wrist will do great, or you can spray out in front of you and walk into it. It doesn't take much -- any time someone compliments you on your cologne in an elevator or at the office kitchen, you might have put on too much.

Just don't rub it into your skin. "Alcohol-based fragrances are supposed to gradually release top, middle, and base notes, and the friction from rubbing burns off that top layer right off the bat," an associate at Barneys in Manhattan, told Complex.

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