My experience with cologne dates back to the first time I went into my dad's bathroom, sprayed what I thought was liquid gold all over my clothes and walked to the bus stop feeling like a MAN (rawwwr). I walked through the halls confidently until the first person I passed asked if I showered that morning. The next person had a weird look on her face and didn't even have to say anything. My heightened morning confidence quickly turned into a "well, that was a silly idea" moment. I never wore my dad's cologne again. He still wears it to this day.
My PG-13 experimental days
One day I'll share more exciting experimental stories, but since my family reads my posts (occasionally) I'll keep today's story PG-13.
After humbly learning my lesson, I started experimenting with different colognes. When I worked at a mall I would grab samples at one of the anchor stores and use those until it was time to restock. Eventually, I bought my first bottle of Aqua Di Gio. And then a bottle of Pi. Remember those? I can close my eyes and instantly smell both of those (scent triggers).
Fast forward ten years and my use of cologne has been quite different. I started traveling around the world quite a bit and began running into issues. I had a few bottles of cologne break in my bag, bottles confiscated at airport security in multiple countries and I was tired of carrying a larger than needed bottle since I liked to pack very lightly.
Solid switch
After multiple less than stellar experiences traveling with traditional spray colognes, I decided to create a solid cologne. The .5oz tin can would last me months, was easy to travel with, wouldn't break, wasn't overly powerful and was a good way to freshen up on the go. Solid cologne was my new choice of cologne application.
Let's roll
One super basic day, my friend pulled an essential oil roll-on bottle out of her purse. The amount of time it took her to pull the bottle out and apply the fragrance was much quicker than my solid cologne. Not only was it quicker to apply, but she was able to control the amount of fragrance much easier. Another benefit over the solid is that you don't have to touch the fragrance with your hands. Depending on the solid cologne, applying could leave your hands a little oily. After seeing the benefits of a roll-on applicator, I started experimenting with my own. Two years later, Theo was released and the roll-on became my new choice of cologne application. Recap:
- Easier to apply on the go
- Efficiently control the amount of fragrance you use
- No oily hands after applying
Important tip!
If you're going to keep the roll-on in your pocket or some sort of bag throughout the day, make sure the lid is closed tightly. If the fragrance warms up and the lid is loose, it could leak. It's only happened once for me in two years, but I'd like to prevent that from happening to you.
