Thread: Long-lasting aftershave / cologne

You know what really grinds my gears?

You slap on your aftershave or cologne, and it smells amazing. At the point when you leave your place, you're feeling like Don Draper after closing a big deal. But then, a few minutes later, the wretched stuff has vanished. By the time you arrive to meet up with that hot date, you are back to smelling like a glass-blower's armpit.

My first couple of candidates:

Lasts all day: D R Harris Sandalwood. Classy, old-school, love it.

Named & Shamed: Crabtree & Evelyn West Indian Limes. Gone in 60 seconds.

Sharing is caring, gents, so please share any experiences or advice!

why dont you buy and eau de toillette?

I have a sandalwood cologne that lasts for ages too, I really quite like it.
The other thing you can do is decant some of whatever you like into a small bottle or pump spray and just add a bit more as needed.
I have found brut to have quite good staying power, though maybe a bit too eighties for you.
I have even used the aftershave as underarm deodorant and it worked pretty well. It's.hot where I am too.

Originally Posted by drJustinC

My first couple of candidates:

Lasts all day: D R Harris Sandalwood. Classy, old-school, love it.

Named & Shamed: Crabtree & Evelyn West Indian Limes. Gone in 60 seconds.

Sharing is caring, gents, so please share any experiences or advice!

This is no surprise - the lasting power is not a product of the brand, it is a direct product of the essential oils used in the formulation. All sandalwood based aftershaves will last longer than all lime based aftershaves because the volitile molecule in sandalwood oil evaporates much more slowly than the one in lime oil, and therefore sticks around a lot longer (provided true essential oils and not fragrance oils are used). I think "evaporate" is the proper term but it may be a process similar to but different from evaporation - but the idea is basically the same. So using the tag "Named and Shamed" is a little harsh as far as judging the staying power of the Crabtree & Evely product is concerned - it is behaving in a way that is consistent with its chemistry (can't get around those pesky "Laws of the Universe"!)

If you don't like the scent, that is one thing, but the lime component in any brand of aftershave just won't stick around. This always upsets me because lime is one of my favorite scents...

A little while back I became interested in making aftershaves - a member here "str8fencer" - was very gracious and helpful. I suggest searching for his posts and learn about Top Notes, Heart Notes, and Base Notes - this was very informative and gives a lot of insight into which scents have staying power and which do not.

By the way, I find that Geo Trumpers Spanish Leather sticks around a while - not for ages, but pretty good none the less.
I have Taylor of Old Bond Street Sandalwood and that has lasting power too.

And finally - when judging scents do forget to account for "Olfactory Fatigue"

Three that come to mind immediately are Tabac, Alt Innsbruck and Pinaud Clubman.

I shave at night the majority of the time, and sometimes if I splash some water on my face the following midday I will still get a whiff. Potent stuff.

Originally Posted by drJustinC

. By the time you arrive to meet up with that hot date, you are back to smelling like a glass-blower's armpit.

A glass-blower's armpit? I'll have to remember that one, thanks!

Longevity is [doh!] how long the scent lasts, while silage is how the scent projects.

• Some scents give both;
• Other scents give either/or; and
• Many scents give neither one.

My experiences in NoCal-based high tech startups were generally the same: There's always someone who claims/feigns sensitivity to scents (and is equally sensitive to carpet outgassing, electronic component outgassing, and god-only-knows-what-else) -- and they quickly cross from "assertive" to "aggressive" when they sense your scents.

My workplace solution was to get into samples and department store fragrance test strips. They're a wonderful (read: inexpensive) way to learn about longevity and silage, and maybe to also discover the world of close-in scents: by definition, their silage is minimal, but the longevity!

Unless, of course, you really want that EDC/EDT/ED to herald your arrival a full three minutes before your entrance.

Originally Posted by drJustinC

You know what really grinds my gears?

You slap on your aftershave or cologne, and it smells amazing. At the point when you leave your place, you're feeling like Don Draper after closing a big deal. But then, a few minutes later, the wretched stuff has vanished. By the time you arrive to meet up with that hot date, you are back to smelling like a glass-blower's armpit.

Named & Shamed: Crabtree & Evelyn West Indian Limes. Gone in 60 seconds.

I no longer have the C&E West Indian Lime cologne, yet my experience over the couple of years of using was that it had great longevity on me. Citrus scents tend not to last but this one did. My absolute favourite of the Lime scented fragrances.