Aftershaves

What’s the best fragrance to wear on a date?

Posted on by dansinnott

Man spraying aftershave, aftershave, perfume, man in suit, smell nice

We all know women love the smell of fragrance on a man. In fact, one study by the famous Kinsey Institute in America found ladies who smelled a male fragrance while fantasising about an erotic experience became more sexually aroused due to the aroma. The erotic effect of choosing the right eau de toilette, then, is far from just a marketing gimmick.

If you’re after summer perfumes to take that tinder date to the next level, it’s most certainly important to get all the senses titillated. But, remember, not all scents are created equal in the sensuality stakes. Eau de toilettes from the ‘oriental’ family of fragrances – characterised by notes of wood, gum resin and sweet notes such as vanilla – tend to be the sexiest, holding her attention in a way that bright, citrusy fragrances don’t.

Choosing the right cologne for you isn’t quite as difficult as, say, disarming a field of landmines. On the other hand, choosing the wrong cologne can blow up on you in less obvious ways, including the fact that you may offend that very individual you’re trying to impress!

You don’t want to be that guy; the one who creates actual distance between himself and others, and ruins a potentially hot evening before the flame ignites. Choose wisely. As they say, knowledge is power, and we hope to provide you with the kind of knowledge that makes your buying choice easier – and appropriate.

With that in mind, before heading off on your date and wanting to ‘woo’ her whole heartedly, here are 6 things to consider before you choose the fragrance for the big night…

  1. DO A PATCH TEST

Never buy a cologne, perfume, or eau de toilette without first trying it on your skin. It’s one thing to do the bottle-sniff test, but another to put it on your skin and allow to interact with your skin chemistry. And how it smells on your skin is slightly different than how it smells on the next guy’s skin, and the next guys, and … you get the picture.

  1. TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS (AND YOUR NOSE AND STOMACH)

You can do a ton of research, read reviews, look at labels, and find out plenty of detail about the base notes and to notes of each fragrance. Not that it’s bad information, but how you react to its scent is an emotion, one you won’t find on a label. Trust your instincts.

  1. TAKE SOMEONE WITH YOU

Or, even if you do trust your instincts, why not bring someone with you, especially a significant other or trusted female friend? Let’s cut the b.s., one of the reasons you wear cologne is that it’s a seduction tool. We’re not saying that cologne guarantees that you’ll get laid, but its good to have every tool (pun intended) at your disposal. Or, bring a man. Just make sure it’s someone you trust enough to tell you that a certain cologne works on your skin or it doesn’t.

  1. COMPOSITION

“Composition” refers to the different elements that make up a scent, such as notes of leather or sandalwood, and the best colognes typically have a unique composition that separates them from the rest. It’s tough to judge composition and what you see on the label is often written by marketers.

The composition is another reason to test a fragrance with a sample that you leave on for up to 15 minutes. By then, the initial notes have gone and you’re much closer to experiencing the cologne’s overall scent – the scent that’s going to last you through the day.

  1. THE SEASON

Experts advise that you change your fragrance for each season. For example, summer-appropriate scents are fresh, fruity and floral, while wood and spice scents – the kind that “warm” you up – are best when the temperatures start to drop.

  1. WHAT YOU EAT MAY INFLUENCE WHAT YOU WEAR

Experts even suggest that the cologne you wear should complement what you eat: if you eat a lot of spicy food, you probably have a weaker sense of smell and taste than the next guy. So, buy a cologne that has a bit of spice to it.

 

The Art of Manliness

Posted on by dansinnott

Man stood in forest in a suit with a bird of prey on his arm

When it comes to male grooming habits, there’s definitely been a shift in attitude over the years. Gone are the days when guys would just roll out of bed, hop into the shower, and be out the door in 5 minutes. Now, they rock a skin care routine that would probably give the average female a run for her money.

With 52% of male consumers considering their appearance to be either important or very important, the male grooming market is rapidly evolving, with cosmetic sales predicted to reach a staggering £121 million by 2018. Brands have recognised the growing market and the need for male-specific products that allow customers to feel comfortable in the beauty aisle. .

Over the years we’ve been fortunate enough to try thousands of male grooming products, from the ridiculously cheap to the ludicrously expensive. And, truth be told, in many cases inexpensive products are just as good as (and sometimes even better than) those that cost ten times as much.

Time was, a man who spent too long in the bathroom was met with a level of scorn and suspicion. Thankfully times have changed, but even now its easy to feel bemused by the overwhelming amount of advice, opinion and small pots filled with expensive goop on the market.

The trick isn’t to spend a fortune on a thousand different products, or to lock yourself in the bathroom for hours at a time. Rather, you should develop a daily routine that is quick and simple, with trusted products.

*Enter Harum-Scarum Male Grooming Range*….this brands straightforward marketing style, range that punches well above it’s weight and tried + tested, shaved off, grown back approach, is one that tops our list.

It’s raw masculinity  emphasises it’s purpose, whilst quality is obviously forefront, from first use to the last drop, it’s a brand that cares for your aging looks.

Here’s what they offer:

The Hair & Beard Shampoo and Conditioner

Men's grooming products lined up on a wooden bench

This is the first dual purpose ‘hair & beard’ shampoo/conditioner we’ve ever come across. Bottled in a generous 200ml bathroom safe plastic bottle, with an easy to use cap for use in the shower. The Shampoo lathers up very well and gets through any grease or hair gel / putty with ease. The fragrance lasted well too, it smells amazing!

Shop here…

Beard & Shaving Sets

Men's wash bag in bathroom ready for shaving

The Harum-Scarum range has both Bearded and Shaved Gent taken care of as they stock a wide range of beard care and traditional shaving products. From beard oils to balms, mustache waxes, moisturiser and shave solution – all of products are priced at rather reasonable £8.95 with the exception of gift sets, which are £49.95 (and come in lovely black gloss gift boxes with an absolute treasure trove of items in).

If you’re after trusting a brand and knowing you’ve got the art of manliness down to a ‘T’, Harum-Scarum is an outstanding male grooming brand and at sensible prices. The beard or shaving gift sets would make great presents (go on treat yourself).

Shop here…

Aftershave

Black bottle of Men's Aftershave in front of Box

For many guys, fragrance is undiscovered territory. After all, cologne is something worn mostly by continental types or, if there’s a ship on the bottle, grandfathers. Right? Wrong. Olfaction actually triggers both emotion and memory far more than sight and sound—so any man who eschews wearing a scent misses out on an important tool in his presentational arsenal.

Of course, telling the right story is essential. Pay too little attention to what you’re wearing, and your aromatic signature might be “teenager after P.E.” So how do you find that perfect match? Well, by getting yourself to a fragrance counter and patiently sniffing around.

How to Shop for a Fragrance

Scents react differently to different body chemistry, so what smells good on someone else won’t smell the same way on you. To properly shop for a fragrance, you’ll actually need to wear it.

To know whether you’ve landed on the right scent, don’t just sit at home sniffing your arms—make it an active day. And smell it accidentally: Suddenly someone brushes by you, you catch a whiff and… it just makes you happy. That’s when you know you’ve found your winner.

So catch a whiff of Harum Scarum here!

The ‘Secret’ to Smelling Great…

Posted on by dansinnott

secret-scent-pox-header

Aftershave is a great tool for polishing your look and making you smell fresh, clean and totally irresistible. So if you find one that works and smells great, why would you want to give it up for something else? There’s no rule that says you can’t wear the same cologne day-in and day-out for the rest of your life. But there are definitely some advantages to changing up your signature scent from time to time.

Take a cue from Mother Nature and consider changing your aftershave when the seasons change. When you reach for those wool sweaters in the back of your closet you might also want to reach for a different bottle of cologne than you wore all summer. That’s because heat (body heat and environmental heat) intensifies the scent of aftershave, while cool weather tends to make it fade. That means you should stick to lighter scents in the summer and seek out stronger scents in the winter. Plus, some scents just smell like a particular season — a woody, wintry smell isn’t quite suited to hanging out at a summer picnic, so you should exchange your cologne accordingly.

If changing smells a few times a year isn’t enough, you might also want to consider wearing more than one type of aftershave every day. Think about it — that musky aroma that gets you attention when you go out late at night might not be the best smell for office status meetings or the morning shift at the restaurant. What we’re saying is this: Wear a cologne that suits the occasion, even if that means you have to change it up during the day. The simple rule to follow is that daytime scents should be light (especially if you work around other people) while stronger, bolder scents can be tried out after hours.

All of the aforementioned is  being made easier, with a spritz of help from the Secret Scent Box…

secretscentbox

Recognising the struggles of finding a new aftershave, Secret Scent Box have created a monthly subscription box with 3 designer fragrances for you to try in the comfort of your own home.

Each Secret Scent Box contains 3 x 3ml bottles. Each bottle holds 35-40 sprays which give a total of around 100-120 sprays. So across the 3 bottles, if you use 4 sprays per day you have enough perfume to last 30 days !

The size of these spray bottles are perfect: large enough to allow you to make a fully-formed decision about whether you want to buy the full size, and small enough to easily pop in your handbag or pocket for smelling good on the go!

With Secret Scent Box, there are no excuses in mixing up your aftershave regularly.

With some help, we can tell you that aftershaves have a very distinct, very singular smell and it’s all in how they’re formulated. In fact, that’s the main difference between colognes and perfumes: perfumes are typically a blend of three layers of scents, while colognes just have one. This means they’re less complex, and a change in how they’re formulated can be really noticeable. Reformulated? That’s right. Sometimes the cologne maker will substitute some of the ingredients in your favorite fragrance for other ingredients, and it can make the amazing scent you love not so amazing anymore. When that happens, it might be time to find a new smell.

Are the people around you so used to your “signature scent” that they don’t notice how incredible it smells anymore? Even though aftershave should be applied lightly, it’s still meant to be noticed. If you (and others) don’t find your usual aftershave as interesting as you used to, maybe it’s time to try something new.

The Secret Scent Box is priced at £15, which is a lot better than paying £80 for a scent bought on a whim that you realise you don’t like very much when you’re back at home!

If you would like to save money on your first box, enter the discount code HSG15 at the checkout to receive 15% off.

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Additional Information:
Secret Scent Box gives you access to new fragrances to use throughout the month, helping you discover the true smell of each fragrance, how they change throughout the day, how long they last and how much you need to apply. Fragrances smell different on everybody’s skin (due to pH levels) so be sure to test on your own skin and not only your hair and clothes. For just £15 a month it costs just a fraction of the price of buying full size bottles.
Each month you will receive 1 men’s Secret Scent Box containing:
  • 3 x 3ml travel friendly fragrance sprays (9ml in total)
  • Enough fragrance to last 30 days (Ideal for approx. 4 sprays a day)
  • Designer and brand name fragrances
  • At least one new designer or brand name fragrance
  • Delivered in letterbox friendly packaging (no need to be home to receive)
  • FREE delivery to anywhere in the UK!
Subscriptions auto-renew each month. Cancel your subscription anytime.