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I just wanted to post a few ideas I have about men' fragrances.
I am a late middle-age guy in my 50's who tries to dress beautifully and I select my clothes with care. Grooming and cleanliness are of absolute importance to me.
Here are my discoveries about wearing gentleman's scents:
-- Use very little. Really just a few drops. A good place to apply it is to your temples or cheeks. That you are wearing a cologne or aftershave should only be noticeable to someone very close you ... if they can small it more than two or three feet away - you are using too much.
-- Generally speaking try to stick to only the expensive ones made by professional perfume houses. The cheap ones are terrible. Men's fragrances made by perfumers such as Creed, Hermes, Chanel, Guerlaine, etc. tend to use natural ingredients not those awful chemical synthetic substitutes. There are a couple of exceptions to this rule, however, and if you can't afford the really expensive ones most people agree a few drops of either "Old Spice" or "4711" are nice.
-- There are, in my opinion, "day" colognes and "night" colognes. For day time I recommend something very light, clean, and fresh smelling: a citrusy cologne like Hermes Eau d'Orange Vert or Guerlaine's Eau Imperiale. For evening some a little "heavier" and more complex with notes of things like sandalwood, spice, musk, vanilla, tobacco, etc. A good quality "Bay Rhum" is suitable for going out clubbing.
-- Men should avoid anything that is too floral. Traditionally some scents are just too feminine for a guy to wear. I am annoyed that some of the newer scents smell like women's flowery perfumes.
-- Always try on a cologne before you buy it. Trust your instincts. Never buy one because it has a cool bottle or it is named after a professional sports athlete you like.
The idea of spending $4,000+/gallon for something that's 3% scent/97% water/alcohol/base oil content never really caught on with me. The difference between "expensive" perfumes and "cheap" perfumes is mostly the base. Expensive ones use less water/alcohol and more base oil (coconut is common, costs about $40/gallon which is a big savings considering its 97% of the content). The essential oils cost typically less than $400/gallon (that's the really expensive ones). It just never sat with me very well. Basically, you're buying something that cost 50 cents to make for $50-200+.
I have some Burberry toilet water one of my girlfriends gave me about five years ago somewhere around. It's a little strong, would prefer cologne, but smells good. It's just overpowering for the first five minutes. I'd never use it day to day. If I ever got into it wearing perfume, I'd just mix my own.
Good advice about trying it on first before you buy. Colognes will interact differently from person to person based on your own scent and body oils. If you use a spray cologne you should spray it once in the air in front of you then walk through it. That's it, no need to take a bath in it.
I prefer Acqua Di Gio by Armani.
Last edited by Coolhand68; 07-07-2013 at 08:42 PM..
Some fragrances are "aquatic" smelling and evoke a summer's day at the lake or the crashing waves of the ocean. They have a crisp yet clean smell. A classic is Nautica ... but there are several versions and some are not to my liking.
Every cologne that my husband tries smells good for the first week, then smells like onions after that. The only one he's ever been able to wear more than a week without it smelling odd is Aramis, and neither of us like the way that smells.
I used to really be attracted to great scents on men. I still recall in high school Spanish class one day when I got chilled and my teacher took off his jacket and put it over my shoulders. The scent of his cologne got on my blouse, and I walked around the house sniffing it for days and wouldn't let me mother wash it. Years later, I found out it was Aramis. Have always liked that since.
Another men's cologne which always appealed to me was Lagerfeld. Bought some for my husband, but he rarely, if ever, would wear it.
I have not noticed scent on more than one or two men where I live now in the past five years. I think part of it is because the stuff has gone up so much in price and down in quantity for that price. Since I am now considered a senior, and many seniors have become sensitive or allergic to perfumes, I find that fewer and fewer people wear scents -- both men and women.
Finally, I agree with limited dabbing on of scents or walking through a mist and not dousing yourself in it. There's nothing worse than walking onto an elevator where someone who's doused themselves in cheap cologne has just gotten off. Makes me want to gag.
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