These days it seems like basic manners to at least put on deodorant when you are out and about. Logically if you have body odor, you can’t smell it yourself. Better wear some perfume or cologne to mask it, because you’ll probably be the last to know if you do have body odor.

Now although the two terms perfume and cologne are often thrown about, do you really know what are the differences between the two? Big deal you say, perfume are for girls and cologne for guys right? Well yes but it is more than that. Do you know what makes them different?

Firstly, perfume contains much more varieties of essential oils than cologne. They have different potency, depending on which brand we are talking about. It is blended with ethanol, water and solvents. This is used to dilute the perfume. If not it could cause irritation to your skin.

Secondly, the scent perfume gives off lingers on longer on your body as compared to cologne. On average, a perfume can linger on the human body for around seven to eight hours. Generally perfume should be applied by a spray or two on the body. For stronger concentrations of perfume, just drape one or two drops on the neck.

Cologne usually has much less concentration compared to perfume, usually about 3% to 4%. Thus, it’s effects on the body will be shorter. To apply cologne, you should place a few drops on your neck and your wrists. Why these areas? Well they are parts of the skin area where it pulses. So what this means is that the cologne fragrance will be radiated out to the surrounding area.

So the next time you are out and about at parties, you can entertain your new friends with this tidbit of information. Or just impress them with how you smell.

For guys, the brand Opium from Yves Saint Laurent is a good buy. This cologne has a strong fragrance that has a hint of cedar or vanilla. The scent is sharp enough to be noticed yet not too overpowering. It is recommended for daytime wear.

Another alternative is the Envy Cologne by Gucci. This is great for daytime wear as well. It has a more spicy fragrance with a mix of ginger, nutmeg, amber and musk. If you are the suit and tie kind of guy, this cologne goes right up the alley with you.

Or if you prefer a softer fragrance, try the cologne Bvlgari. Scent is similar to Envy but there is a blend of other ingredients like rosewood and tea. Want to be a ladies man? Spray this one on for a manly smell.

For the ladies, there are a variety of daytime wear available at reasonable prices. For a feminine scent, the perfume Anais Anais from Cacharel gives off a flower-like fragrance. It comes in other flower scents as well, like the jasmine, lily or gardenia.

For other brands with a flowery scent, try the Pleasures perfume from Estee Lauder. Their brand of perfumes is not expensive and they come in a pretty good mix of scents, like rose, lilac, white lily and violet. For the budget-conscious this is a good choice.

Want to go with an eastern theme? Narcisse Perfume has a line of perfumes that contains oriental flowery fragrances. The prices are pretty reasonable too.

If you want to wear your perfume in the office, you might want to explore the line of perfumes from Ralph Lauren. They make some pretty good flower scents like carnation and rose.

Well the above are just some examples of great-perfumes at simple prices. You don’t have to go broke buying the most expensive perfume on the market.

First off, let us first examine the most suitable perfume and cologne for you. It doesn’t make sense that your friend tells you this brand of perfume or cologne is the best. The particular fragrance should be something you like instead. Remember that each fragrance signifies something.

It should fit and complement your personality and sense of style. Are you the outgoing type? Or the classy individual? Perfume and cologne companies often market their products with different images attached to it.

Alternatively, you can also choose various kinds of perfume and cologne to suit different occasions or moods. The way to do this is first test the various fragrances. They can be basically into light or deep scent.

When you go to a store and try out various perfume and cologne, remember the key is to try it out on yourself. The reason is that even if it smells good on your friend when they spray it, the initial effect will wear off and start to react with the individual body chemistry.

This alters the fragrance of the perfume or cologne. Often people make the common error of buying a perfume or cologne just based on a quick sniff of that initial spray. You should ideally let the fragrance linger and mix with your body’s scent. Only then can you gauge how suitable it is for you. The best effect is to let it linger on your body for several hours.

Remember that purchasing a perfume and cologne is just as important as choosing the right clothes. One size does not fit all and often depends on the individual. You can stand out from the crowd with the right perfume and cologne. Don’t just buy the latest and most expensive perfume or cologne just because some celebrity endorses it.

Well the reasons are many and varied, but we can always trace it back to a few main factors. Firstly, people often buy a perfume or cologne just based on the name of the brand. If and when a star (by that I don’t mean a huge gaseous object) makes an endorsement for a particular brand of perfume, there is an appeal to it. Call it marketing, but people like to buy things that their idols are using.

While we are on the subject of marketing, the other reasons for it can be the way the perfume and cologne company market their products. Not just in the brand name, but how the bottles and packages are being designed. This gives the perfume of cologne a higher perceived value.

Also in advertisements, you’ll see beautiful models striking in poses and looking elegant or cool with the perfume and cologne brand in hand. The kind of feel or image it portrays does trigger the want in consumers to buy it.

Then there are the consumers who buy these perfume and cologne based on the fragrance. They may particularly like a kind of scent and buy it based on this factor.

And of course for obvious reasons, women wear perfume to increase their attractiveness to the opposite sex and boost their self-image. Men just as well too wear cologne to make them smell more ‘manly’ to the females.

Now isn’t it great that we modern people have the advantages of perfume and cologne? But let us not forget that these were already in used many centuries ago. Back in the old days, people often wore scented oils to mask their body odor and maintain freshness. It was also practical as people don’t bathe very often back then. Yikes.

There you go several reasons why people buy perfume and cologne. And try getting a bath first if you start smelling bad!

The Egyptians were using it ever since they have built the pyramids. Now that’s something. During those times, the concoction was made by mixing scented plants, oils and animals. Of course the modern day perfume had it’s popular origins from the 1600s in France.

What about cologne you may ask. What did that come from? Well let’s now take a little history lesson and wind back time about 300 odd years ago. The first records of use of cologne were in Germany. The story goes that this mixture that has come to be called cologne was invented by a Carthusian monk. It was later sold and branded as cologne when it became popular among the male population.

So what differentiates a perfume from cologne? First, what makes them different is the strength of their fragrance. Although both are created with a compound called denatured ethyl alcohol combined with essential oils, perfume has a much more variety of essential oils blended into it. Comparatively speaking, the ratio of essential oils used by perfume versus cologne is about 20:4.

Thus this brings us logically to the next difference: Perfume has a stronger smell and maintains it’s freshness for longer periods of time. Thus, perfume is meant to be sprayed less intensely than cologne.

Even with these differences, keeping both perfume and cologne in storage follow the same requirements. Both should be kept in places away from heat and sunlight. This avoids the perfume or cologne from evaporating.

Usually people will keep their perfume and cologne in their shower rooms. However they often forget that heat is generated from showers. In actual fact, the bedroom is the best place of choice to store your perfume and cologne. You can even store them in the fridge to maximize it’s storage life.

I hope this introductory article on perfume and cologne has helped you understand more on it’s history and features.