To Code: What's That Smell?

To Code: A Guide to Being A Better Gentleman 


Do you wear cologne? I hope so, not that your natural man smell is a bad thing, but its always nice to just kick it up a little bit in the smell department. After all, scent is the strongest tie to memory. So they say, whoever "they" are.

All the men in my life are cologne wearers, my Dad has been wearing the same stuff as long as I can remember, my uncles are in the same boat. Through my teens I had a scent for every occasion, then one day I came across the amber greatness in a test tube looking bottle and I ditch every other cologne I owned. That was about 10 years ago. Here are a few tips to make your choice in cologne last longer than a season or two. 

If you don't like the way it smells on you, don't wear it. Things smell differently once your body arbores it into your skin, you'll have to try a few before finding the right match.  


You probably won't be able to wear the same cologne in your teens as an adult. Its a body chemistry thing, we just pump out different stuff once we hit manhood then as a kid. 


I stick with one, but its OK to have two. I only own one brand of cologne and wear it every single day. If you want to change it up, find something for summer and one for winter. Something cool and fresh smelling in summertime is good since its warm and you sweat more. Something with a bit more kick and a bit musky in winter is more suiting since the cooler temps will make it harder to smell something light. 


Try to stick with the originals. Hunting for a discontinued cologne is the pits, trying to find a new scent is even worse. Companies will make the original scents as long as they are in business, their scents of the season will only stick around for a couple years. Example - Channel No. 5 has been out for almost 100 years for the ladies.


If your friend wears the same stuff you do, get a new friend or a new brand of cologne. I'll let you pick which opinion is most important to you here, Its just kind of cliche to smell like your best buddy.


- lastly, don't wear anything that will instantly make you into a douche bag. Axe, Old Spice if your not 11 or 86 years old, Curve (or what is currently popular with high schoolers and frat boys), anything that is like Axe but has a different name but with equally douchey TV commercials, and whatever Abercrombie and Fitch has pumping out of their air and heating vents. 


Find something you like and that gets you lingering hugs from the ladies. Now go forth and smell awesome.