After Shave:

This is traditionally the weakest fragrance category with 1-3% concentration of actual perfume or scent. As a result, it also lasts the shortest time, about 2-3 hours.  With its high alcohol content, we do not generally recommend this be applied on freshly shaved skin (see our Shaving Guide).  Look for scented after shave balms or gels instead.

Eau de Toilette:

This is the most common strength for male fragrances, with a 4-8% concentration of actual scent.  The higher concentration means the fragrance should last 6-8 hours.

Eau de Cologne or Cologne:

This is usually confused with Eau de Toilette and in many instances they are the one and the same (Americans tend to call their Eau de Toilettes Colognes), but a traditional Eau de Cologne is slightly weaker with a perfume concentration of 2-5% and will usually have a fresh, citrus scent.

Eau de Parfum:

These are rarer in men's fragrances, and are a jump up in strength containing anywhere from 8-15% actual perfume.  As a result, they can last 12 hours or more.

Parfum:

These are almost solely made for women, containing 15-30% perfume oil.  They tend to come in very small, expensive, bottles due to this concentration.

After-shaves, as their name implies, are meant for the face, but be aware that their high alcohol content can lead to dryness, burning and irritation of the skin, so avoid them straight after a shave.  At other times, spray or splash on your hands and apply to the face.

Eau de Toilettes/Colognes and Eau de Parfums should be applied sparingly (sprayed or splashed 2-3 times with Eau de Toilette/Cologne, and once or twice with Eau de Parfum) on the body's pulse points.  These are points where your veins are closest to your skin (eg wrist, neck, chest) and hence the fragrance reacts with the heat from the blood allowing it to evaporate and spread.

When using a spray, spray onto the skin from a few centimetres away and let the fragrance dry naturally.  Apply fragrances before you put on your clothes; there is nothing worse than getting your favourite shirt stained by scent!

For those of you interested in more information...

Fragrances are typically a combination of many different scents derived from many different natural and synthetic products, put together within a structure devised by the maker, in a solution of alcohol and water.  Typically, a fragrance contains top notes, middle or heart notes, and base notes, which are constructed like a pyramid with the top notes at the top of the pyramid and base notes forming the base of the pyramid.

The top notes last only briefly, a few minutes at most, and are the first scents you smell.  Typically, in masculine fragrances, top notes are comprised of a mixture of citrus notes such as lemon, lime; fruit notes such as apple, or orange; herbal notes like rosemary or mint; or floral notes like lavender or rose.

The middle or heart notes start to appear as the top notes fade, and last for several hours.  They are usually the scents that define a fragrance.  Common heart notes in masculine fragrances include spices such as pepper and cinnamon; and woods such as sandalwood, patchouli and cedar.

Lastly the base notes are what you smell left on your skin after a few hours.  Base notes contain typically woody notes as described above; sweet notes such as vanilla; mossy notes like oak moss or animalistic notes such as musk or leather.

As a result of this kind of construction, a fragrance "develops" on your skin over time - different scents appear and evaporate at different times.

Given the vast range of fragrances that are in the market place, the decision to choose one can be difficult. Understanding that fragrances are divided into common families can make your choice easier.  At Art of Man, we classify fragrances according to the system devised by fragrance expert Michael Edwards, which has rapidly become the industry classification standard.  According to Michael Edwards, there are five main groups of fragrances; Fresh, Floral, Oriental, Woody, each emphasising a certain range of notes in their construction, and Aromatic, a universal group that has elements from all the families.  They can be described and further broken down into sub groups as follows:-

Fresh (Citrus, Green, Water)  – as the name implies, they are fresh and invigorating, ranging from the Citrus family, including scents like Annick Goutal's Eau d'Hadrien, Les Nuits D'Hadrien and Mandragore, Parfum de Nicolaï's Balle de Match and Cologne Sologne, Acqua di Parma Colonia and Trumpers' GFT and Extract of Limes, to Green/Grassy/Leafy scents and the Water/Marine scent family.

Floral (Floral, Soft Floral, Floral Oriental) – perhaps in the main the realm of feminine fragrances, but the inclusion of a flower like lavender can make a masculine scent a floral one, such as Parfum de Nicolaï's Pour Homme.  The archetypal floral scent is one that smells like a bouquet of fresh cut flowers, like Parfum de Nicolaï's Number One and Annick Goutal's Gardenia Passion, while Soft Florals, such as Annick Goutal's Grand Amour, are made more powdery by the addition of notes such as vanilla.  A Floral Oriental has the addition of sweet spices.

Oriental (Soft Oriental, Oriental, Woody Oriental) – these are often warm, spicy and sweet.  Soft Orientals include incense and amber notes, traditional Orientals include oriental resins, musks and vanilla, while Woody Orientals, including Parfum de Nicolaï's New York, Lalique's Le Faune, Geo. F. Trumper's Sandalwood  and Annick Goutal's Sables, overlaps with the Woody family through their inclusion of notes like sandalwood and patchouli.

Woody (Mossy Woods, Dry Woods) – as the name implies, these are based on woods such as sandalwood, cedar etc.  Mossy Woods include forest notes of oakmoss and are often also known as "Chypre" (the French name for Cyprus where oakmoss is traditionally sourced), an example is Parfum de Nicolaï's Vetyver.  Whereas Dry Woods can include notes of tobacco, smoky tea and leather with examples including Parfum de Nicolaï's Baladin, and Annick Goutal's Duel.

Aromatic – these contain elements of many families, spices, woods, florals etc., in various combinations, are usually very masculine and make a perfect complement to many women's scents.  Parfum de Nicolaï's Carre d'As and Zirh's Eau de Toilette are examples.

So when buying a new fragrance, know what family the scents you like belong to and choose another from the same or a similar family.  For example, if you like a Woody Oriental, try another from the same family, or explore Mossy and Dry Woods or a pure Oriental.  Ask the sales person for the notes in the fragrance you are trying or the family it belongs to or tell them the names of the ones you like. 

The first step is to try the fragrance you select to sample on one of the blotter cards stores supply.  This is not the same as it will smell on your skin, but is a good indication.  As fragrances develop over time, give the sample a few minutes and then go back to smell it.  Note that your ability to differentiate fragrances will deteriorate after 3 or 4 samples, so stop and take a break, or smell the little pot of coffee beans most stores now provide to clear your nose.

Once you have narrowed the field down to 2 that you like, you must sample them on your skin.  Fragrances will smell differently on different people because of variations in each person's skin chemistry, due to lifestyle, diet etc.  Spray each of the 2 you have chosen onto each of your wrists.  Then go and do your other shopping.  Fragrances develop over time so after a few hours, the scent you sprayed on your wrist will have changed.  If you still like the scent after this time you're ready to make a purchase.  If not, come back another time and try a different range of them.  Most stores will also provide samples to take home, so don't be afraid to ask and try the fragrance over a few days.

Fragrances are very personal things, so we recommend you buy and wear fragrances that you like and have personally tried on your skin.  Fragrances also make wonderful gifts, but we recommend that if you are purchasing a fragrance as a gift, you try and ascertain what the recipient likes or wears and try to match your purchase to the scent he or she already wears.