Cologne, Aftershave, Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum, etc.

[Dale-of-Cedars]

Soap
or
Grey Flannel

[Kiltboy]

...bay rum always reminds me of the two barbershops the men in my family went to on a regular basis. ....

As the son of a barber, the smells of bay rum, witch hazel, talcum powder, hair tonic and Clubman products always take me back. Especially since I was the one who had to clean those bottles every week.

Since I work in a healthcare environment, I'm forbidden to wear strong scent.

When I wear scent, it's Scott McClintock.

[English Bloke]

When I was a teenager I used to wear Brut 33... And "splash it all over" I certainly did, but then again we all did because Henry Cooper and Kevin Keegan told us we had to.

You could smell us coming from three streets away!


picture borrowed from fragrancex.com

As I matured I went right off it and when my employment was to run about the woods with twigs in my hat, I never wore fragrance of any kind and thought those that did were a bit ...err... soft.

I used to use Coal Tar Soap and put Dettol in my bathwater. (On the rare occasion I used to have a bath that is... Bit of a thrice daily shower kind of chap to be honest. Once after morning PT, once after work and once before bed, whether I needed it or not).


pictures borrowed from tesco.com & dettol.co.uk

Clean? Yes, poncey? Never!

I've come around a bit now and have mellowed a lot. All since my wife introduced me to Ralph Lauren Romance Silver, which is quite nice, not seen it about in the shops for yonks though and used my last of it early this year. Must get some more on't t'interweb.


picture borrowed from perfumezilla.com

I am still very much of the "less is more" school when it comes to smellies (it took me nine years to get through a 50ml bottle) but I do now like to smell nice. I stress nice rather than Blimey!! *cough-cough* My Brut 33 days are definitely long gone.

I now wear a variety of things most of the time. Even when I'm not doing anything special I have some hint of niffage about me (although not when I'm at work).

My two top runners are Channel Allure (but not the sporty one, that is just dire).


picture borrowed from comparestoreprices.co.uk

and Armani Code.


picture also borrowed from comparestoreprices.co.uk

Wifey likes those too... which is all that matters because I like her. Rather a lot as it happens

[CMcG]

Since I loathe, hate and despise the smell of perfumes and colognes, none for me, thanks!

Does that mean you go out of your way to only use unscented or very mild products? I know some people who also loathe, hate, and despise perfumes and colognes but seem to have a great fondness for fabric softener...

<snip>
Wifey likes those too... which is all that matters because I like her.

This is a rather major consideration I think! My lass likes fragrances on me but also likes to ensure that she has a veto over anything new... that means no blind buying for me.

Thanks also, EB, for your scented history. Interesting how things change, eh? A few people have mentioned wearing what their father wore, while others (like you) change their smell as time goes by. I'm a bit of both. My grandfather used Old Spice aftershave, so I use their deodorant, but I also like to mix it up with other fragrances.

[TurboKittie]

I love the way Grey Flannel or Cool Water smell on a man who can wear them, but they just don't work on Mickey.

Brut does not smell like Brut on him, but instead he smells like a warm sugar cookie, positively mouth watering and not over powering at all.

I can only wear a few scents, being allergic to some. I wear Lancome`- Poeme on special occasions, Bath and Body Works -Butterfly Flower, Halle Berry's -Pure Orchid or Sand And Sable. Wish I could wear other scents, but some change into something horrible, and others disappear.

[Dale Seago]

I love the way Grey Flannel or Cool Water smell on a man who can wear them, but they just don't work on Mickey.

Brut does not smell like Brut on him, but instead he smells like a warm sugar cookie, positively mouth watering and not over powering at all.

That brings up an interesting point: Individuals' body chemistry being a bit different, not all people will smell exactly the same using the same scent.

[CMcG]

My lass and I were trying to describe the essence of the kilt in terms of scent. We came up with things like: peat, whiskey, leather, tabacco, misty Highland air, wool, etc.

I then did some searching and apparently such a fragrance actually exists! It is an "anti-celebrity" scent made by Christopher Brosius for the Scottish actor Alan Cumming. The notes it contains are listed as: Bergamot, Black Pepper, Scotch Pine, Malt Whiskey, Cigar, Heather, Douglas Fir, Rubber, Worn Leather, Highland Mud, Burnt Rubber, Peat Fire and White Truffle.

Needless to say, I'm very intrigued. Has anyone ever smelled this one before?

http://www.cbihateperfume.com/2nd-alan-cumming.html

Oh and for all those who dislike perfume, Brosius' company is called I Hate Perfume

The original:


New packaging, same smell:

[ForresterModern]

For some unknown reason, the olfactory senses are very closely related to memory. So it's not surprising that while smells can take you back to a fond memory, your memory can also recall smells very vividly. It's fascinating, isn't it?

The olfactory sense was actually the first sense developed in the biological world, except back then it was a simple primitive reflex of retraction or flight from certain noxious and potentially harmful chemicals or an attraction to other chemicals which might signal either food or mating. Virtually all multicelled species that precede humans in evolution have a far greater developed sense of smell than we possess. Olfactory sense is very primitive which preceded the closely related sense of taste, then tactile, auditory, visual senses which developed as the evolutionary advancement occurred into higher organisms. However, those olfactory senses still retain their primitive connections and relations to our more base and primitive neurological responses, and as well to stronger memories. This is why certain smells strike us with such visceral strength, and why we often have very strong memories stimulated by certain smells, in comparison to our other senses. Our senses developed evolutionarily first to assess our immediate nearby environment (initially chemical---smell then taste), followed by physical stimulus (tactile sense) with further sense development allowing higher organisms to evaluate their environment at ever greater distances from the primary organism (hearing and sight/light response). At the same time those later developed senses became more prominent and necessary in species survival, required more complicated neurological apparatus, and thus took over ever more and more of our brain capacity, at the detriment of the more primitive sense of smell, which becomes progressively less sensitive and less utilized in higher organisms (who has the better smeller, a dog or a human?). But those base primitive neurological connections are still there, which is why smells can evoke some pretty profound responses in most people (think how people react to manure, vomit, rotting or burnt flesh and you will get the idea).

Mr Science signing off.

[cessna152towser]

When I was a teenager I would cover myself with scented aftershave when going out on a date, but I never wear scents nowadays. A clean person who showers every day has no need to mask their natural aroma.

[artificer]

My lass and I were trying to describe the essence of the kilt in terms of scent. We came up with things like: peat, whiskey, leather, tabacco, misty Highland air, wool, etc.

I then did some searching and apparently such a fragrance actually exists! It is an "anti-celebrity" scent made by Christopher Brosius for the Scottish actor Alan Cumming. The notes it contains are listed as: Bergamot, Black Pepper, Scotch Pine, Malt Whiskey, Cigar, Heather, Douglas Fir, Rubber, Worn Leather, Highland Mud, Burnt Rubber, Peat Fire and White Truffle.

Needless to say, I'm very intrigued. Has anyone ever smelled this one before?

That sounds fantastic! With it being so close to the holidays, I may have to add this to my birthday/festivus list.

ith: