What Does Your Scent Say About You?

We use our senses to gather information around us in order to form an accurate idea of our surroundings, recognize possible threats, look for basic necessities, and to check out that hot cutie sitting across the room. Of course we use our ears to listen for tones of voice, our eyes to pick up on body language, and our touch to communicate certain messages. However, there is a certain untapped wealth of information within our sense of smell. It is often disregarded, but the power of scent on the human mind is simply uncanny. In fact, it has been discovered that our sense of smell is directly linked with the limbic system of the brain, which is responsible for long term memory. In essence, there is nothing better for triggering memories than scents.

Upon learning this, I thought about what impression I was leaving on people with my scent. It is widely known that pheromones are dispersed and detected by members of the opposite sex. These pheromones cause attraction and desire. I wanted to make sure I wasn't sending the wrong kind of smell out!

Although I recognize that most people do not consciously consider a person's scent when they think about their qualities, your scent has a unique subconscious impact on other people's perception of who you are. I wanted to make sure that my scent evoked thoughts of appeal, success, confidence, cleanliness, and gentlemanly professionalism. And so began my grand journey to find The Perfect Cologne.

Now, this journey lasted approximately 3 long and greatly enjoyed years. I set out to find the cologne that would make people turn their heads and say "You smell good!" I wanted to see just what kind of reactions I could get from people. After all, smell is somewhat of an animalistic sense which intensifies our reactions. Just think about how badly you want to eat when you smell fresh barbeque ribs being smoked outside, or hot apple pie baking in the oven. It makes you drool just thinking about it. I wanted a cologne that would evoke those same emotions out of anyone who smelled me.

Naturally, the first place I looked was YouTube, as I always do when I want to research something new. I searched "Best Men's Colognes". The video I found changed my life. I cannot say that about many things, but this one did. It completely changed the way I present myself to others and the confidence I have every day. I have included it for you in the the hopes that every guy will take notice to the importance of smelling the way that you want people to interpret you.

Without further ado, here it is:

I tried every cologne on Jeremy's list and got amazing results, but by far my favorite and people's unanimous favorite was La Nuit De L'Homme by YSL. Just as Jeremy had said, strangers were turning around to tell me I smelled good. Women were asking me what I was wearing so they could buy that cologne for their husbands! It was truly amazing and it boosted my confidence in myself. I didn't have to be self conscious about if I smelled like B.O. or if my outfit wasn't perfectly put together. People loved the way I smelled and naturally gravitated toward me! It really did feel like a magic pill.

After trying out the ten fragrances on his list, I recognized that some got more compliments than others in certain circumstances. For instance, some worked better indoors and some better outdoors. Some were great in cold weather and others were better in hot weather. There seemed to be specific situations when certain fragrances drew in more compliments. I decided to play this to my strengths.

I went in to Sephora and got multiple samples of nearly every men's fragrance they had! I went to Sachs Fifth Avenue, Nordstroms, and Neiman Marcus to get samples of very expensive niche fragrances such as Creed, Tom Ford, and Bond No. 9. I tried them in all different scenarios and in all types of weather with multiple different outfits and occasions over the course of the past three years. 

As a result, I have successfully compiled a full chart of the most successful men's fragrances depending on the situation. I can now consider what my circumstances will be and correlate them to the specific fragrance I should wear in order to evoke the most attraction and compliments. My collection and database now spans over 250 different fragrances. I have this down to a science!

I truly have found a hobby in collecting fragrances, but the average wearer need not worry about matching the perfect cologne with each occasion. Just find what smells good to you, and most people will like it too. Again, take a look at the video above to get some excellent recommendations. La Nuit De L'Homme remains my most favorite and cherished scent to this day. I have not found another fragrance to garnish me as many compliments as it has.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this last free-topic post. Most people wouldn't guess that I collect colognes at first glance, as I am an avid outdoorsman and hunter. I suppose that even though I enjoy being rough and tough, I also like to smell the best I can when the time calls for it.

Until next time,

Good Fortune and Godspeed.

-Mike Knipp