Before you test directly on your skin, the first step is to find out if you even like the scent that much. When you go to the perfume section of the store, there will be little strips of porous paper that can absorb the scent. Spray the air a couple of times and then pass the paper through the mist. Without touching your nose, bring the strip up to your face and fan it under your nose. If you like the initial smell, you can move on to trying it on your skin. Spritz the cologne on your wrist and wait 20 seconds for it to settle on your skin. Once it's dry, bring it to your nose and exhale. As tempting as it is to decide then and there if you like it or not, it's not enough time for the fragrance to react to your skin. Wait about 30 mins - go about your day as usual, and once that amount of time has passed, take another inhale of your wrist. The resulting scent is what it will more likely smell like on you as you wear it throughout the day. The best way to do a series of tests without going to the store every other day is to ask for samples. Those are the colognes you can test at home over a series of days.