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

[gary meakin]

Shower then Old Spice deodorant. That's pretty much it.

[CDNSushi]

Nowadays I'm afraid that being scented makes one a bit of a pariah much like smoking does. The problem is that many people really overdo it and it's just impossible to be anywhere near them. Also, there are many who are very allergic to scents, some quite seriously so. A good friend of mine is so extremely allergic that merely walking by him while wearing cologne or perfume can (and often does) land him in the hospital, in shock. He has an epi-pen with which he can be jabbed to save his life if need be. And he has used it on many occasions. Before meeting him I literally have to shower with scent-free soap, use scent-free anti-persperant, and have washed all my clothes with scent-free laundry detergent.

Having said that however, I was recently given a bottle of "Samourai" that I like very much and wear daily, hopefully in moderation.

[rtc872]

Nowadays I'm afraid that being scented makes one a bit of a pariah much like smoking does. The problem is that many people really overdo it and it's just impossible to be anywhere near them. Also, there are many who are very allergic to scents, some quite seriously so. A good friend of mine is so extremely allergic that merely walking by him while wearing cologne or perfume can (and often does) land him in the hospital, in shock. He has an epi-pen with which he can be jabbed to save his life if need be. And he has used it on many occasions. Before meeting him I literally have to shower with scent-free soap, use scent-free anti-persperant, and have washed all my clothes with scent-free laundry detergent.

Having said that however, I was recently given a bottle of "Samourai" that I like very much and wear daily, hopefully in moderation.

The first thing I noticed when coming back to Australia was the amount of "scented" people.

My wife always told me not to wear deodorant or not much when working because Japanese people don't wear it so much. I think because mostly the Japanese don't seem to have such bad body odour as compared to us red meat eating foreigners.

[spglenn]

I use Le Male by Jean Paul Gautier...but as there are variations on the theme within that brand some seasonal I may vary slightly on that.

[Hamish]

Having spent the last 34 years of my working life in the employ of the United Kingdom's oldest perfumery house (Floris of Jermyn Street, London - Perfumers to HM The Queen and Manufacturers of Toilet Preparations to HRH The Prince of Wales. Founded in 1730 and still in the ownership of the founder's family), I tend to use their products - but only colognes. 'Santal' and 'Elite' mostly, but I love, 'Vetyver', a truly special fragrance which was discontinued a year or two ago. However, I ensured a secret 'stash' of it before it finally disappeared! My all-time favourite, going back maybe 50 years was 'Chanel pour Homme', but it became very expensive - as I had to buy it elsewhere and pay full price for it!

Deodorant: Marks & Spencer's 'Woodspice' suits me perfectly.

Shaving soap/cream: I don't use it. Ordinary toilet soap works just as well when I need a wee tidy-up.

Take care,
Ham.

[JSFMACLJR]

Having spent the last 34 years of my working life in the employ of the United Kingdom's oldest perfumery house (Floris of Jermyn Street, London - Perfumers to HM The Queen and Manufacturers of Toilet Preparations to HRH The Prince of Wales. Founded in 1730 and still in the ownership of the founder's family), I tend to use their products - but only colognes. 'Santal' and 'Elite' mostly, but I love, 'Vetyver', a truly special fragrance which was discontinued a year or two ago. However, I ensured a secret 'stash' of it before it finally disappeared! My all-time favourite, going back maybe 50 years was 'Chanel pour Homme', but it became very expensive - as I had to buy it elsewhere and pay full price for it!

Deodorant: Marks & Spencer's 'Woodspice' suits me perfectly.

Shaving soap/cream: I don't use it. Ordinary toilet soap works just as well when I need a wee tidy-up.

Take care,
Ham.

Hamish,
I have 2/3 of a bottle of Santal that belonged to my father. He was a bay rum man, but swore by Floris for very special occasions.
Brings back memories...

Cheers,
Sandy

[Tobus]

I used to wear Drakkar many years ago, but these days I find that men wearing cologne can often be annoying. I strive to smell like a clean person and nothing more. But I smoke, so I'm sure that's what people smell on me, and it's pretty pointless to try to mask that with foo-foo. I do use Axe body spray, though, which can only really be smelled by my wife when she's up close.

Is it just me, or is the whole "scent allergy" thing pretty new? I had never heard of it until a few years ago, and now it seems that a whole lot of people have it. It all seems very odd to me.

[Lyle1]

Is it just me, or is the whole "scent allergy" thing pretty new? I had never heard of it until a few years ago, and now it seems that a whole lot of people have it. It all seems very odd to me.

No it isn't new, but I think it wasn't recognized or acknowledged; people suffered in silence. On the other hand, some people think the incidence of environmental allergies is on the rise.

I sometimes have a reaction to the smell of after shaves, but it must be an ingredient reaction. Old Spice is the worst for me. On a 10 minute car ride with a friend I started to feel queasy even before I smelled the very faint odor of Old Spice. I spent the rest of the brief ride wondering whether I would vomit or pass out first.

I like Azzaro, Paco Rabanne, Obsession for Men, and almost anything from Casswell Massay. I like the Casswell Massay samplers for traveling. Now that I'm retired and my daily grooming routine is rather simplified, so I rarely wear cologne on a daily basis.

I have vivid memories of the heady fragrances of the 70's, particularly patchouli (oil was better than cologne) and musk. I remember wearing a cheaper brand with a musk base to work one day and having a nurse ask me what I was wearing. When I told her that it was a musk cologne, she leaned in closer, took another sniff, and said, "Damn, my husband doesn't smell that good wearing musk!" I had a great day after that!

[piperdbh]

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

[Zardoz]

Is it just me, or is the whole "scent allergy" thing pretty new? I had never heard of it until a few years ago, and now it seems that a whole lot of people have it. It all seems very odd to me.

Not just you. I think it's related to the nanny state smoking bans, now that many public places don't have the background smell of tobacco, lots of folks had to find something else to complain about. I don't dispute that people have reactions to various chemicals, but I think that rather than allergies, some of the symptoms are due to odor hypersensitivity or are mainly psychological. I saw a show on TV a while back where patients in some clinical trails reacted as often to the exposure to the chemicals they said bothered them as they did to placebos, including filtered air.

Me, I've been using Irish Spring soap since I was a teenager, and I wore English Leather for years as well. About 10 years ago, my wife gave me some "Bone Daddy" cologne, a tie-in with the movie 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'. This was sort of a novelty thing, but everyone seems to like the smell of it, so I've been sticking with it. But I just wear a bit, enough to be noticed if someone hugs on me.