What's
The Difference Between
Perfume and Cologne?
- by KissMeGoodnight.com
Perfumes, colognes and other body scents trigger
our strongest, fastest sense -- the sense of smell.
Perfume is the strongest and therefore the longest lasting
fragrance available. Just a bit will net you hours of scent
-- days actually. Cologne is just a bit weaker and is sometimes
mischaracterized as a men's product.
Perfume
To
talk perfume it is almost a necessity to go to the source
of the perfume industry, France. The French didn't
discover perfumes (the Egyptians did) but the French turned
perfume into an industry and they turned perfume making into
a science. The most important discovery made by the French perfumers
was a way to overcome the fact that every scent will, over
time, fade and the corresponding fact that some scents fade
faster than others. The French answer to this was layered fragrances
-- three layers, to be exact. In the perfume industry these
layers are called notes: there is a top note that consists
of the most volatile scent that will last for only a few hours
(perhaps, to get you through your morning break), a middle
note made of a less volatile scent that will last you until
you're ready to punch out at the end of the work day and the
base note that will follow you into your shower or tub just
before bed.
A slight down side to this French solution to the all day
fragrance problem is that each 'note' is a different scent,
so your scent will be a bit different (but still fabulous)
at each stage.
Not just a matter of taste! There are certainly many, many
perfumes available that are not French and that will provide
you with many hours of beautiful scent. Its a matter of taste,
of course; which scent appeals to YOU and which one is preferred
by those close to you. Its also, however, a matter of expense!
The best French perfume will be prohibitively expensive and
out of the question for those without a lot of money to spend
on beauty products while many perfumes (as well as other scented
products) will be well within their reach.
Cologne
Cologne
is a single-scented fragrance (as opposed to layered perfumes)
that is somewhat less potent than perfume.
Most colognes for women come in spray applicators but some
brands of cologne are also available in a splash. Cologne is milder than perfume, true, but can be easily over-applied
(especially as a spray) to produce a too-bold scent. Most women
prefer to suggest their presence in a room with a whisper of
scent, using too much of any fragrance can turn that whisper
into a deafening scream. The obvious way to avoid this is to
use less than you think you need and carry a purse size with
you to 'touch-up' during the day. Another way to apply an appropriately
subtle fragrance is, before you dress, spray your cologne to
create a mist in front of you, close your eyes, and then walk
through the mist; one trip will be all you need.
Other fragrance products! Your world of fragrance choices
does not end with perfume and cologne; consider the alternatives.
Eau
de perfume
Eau
de perfume is the most popular fragrance type because it
is less expensive than perfume and lasts a
good long time. Eau de perfume is best applied to the warmest
body areas, the pulse points on the wrists and the side of
the neck, between the breasts, in the crook of the elbows,
behind your knees, on your inner thighs, and around the ankles.
Never put any scent behind your ears and never overdo it.
You want your scent to suggest not to scream.
Eau
de toilette
Eau
de toilette contains a small percentage of fragrance oils
and will only last three to four hours (depending
on your skin type. Many women use eau de toilette and expect
it to last throughout the day but are disappointed by mid-morning.
This is really a minor problem that's easy to get around,
simply carry a purse size with you and refresh your scent
when you
get the chance. Eau de toilette provides a wonderfully subtle
scent and that's certainly a positive point -- it bears repeating
that you should want your scent to suggest not to scream.
Scented
body creams and lotions
Scented
body creams and lotions have approximately the same fragrance
content as eau de toilette
but because of their thick cream or lotion base they last
somewhat longer; the scent should still be detectable at
the very end
of your day.
# # # # #
KissMeGoodnight.com
: 2006
>
Home > Fragrances,
Perfumes & Colognes: Main Page
|
