Perfume question for the lounge

[Tyler Durden]

This question appeared on another thread:

"Should people who wear perfume that can be smelled more than one inch away from them and who then go out in public making life hell for other people be perfunctorily executed? Or executed in some other way, such as "horribly" or "with great prejudice" or "immediately"?"

To which I responded:

"Am I weird or what?

Having one of the most hyper sensitive schnozzolas I have ever run across, I DELIGHT in the occasional scent of a FINE perfume melding with the body chemistry of a female.

My wife wearing "Knowing" is one of the few truly FREE delights I have left in my life.


"You use Evian skin cream, and sometimes you wear L'Air du Temps, but not today."

Hannibal Lecter, "Silence of the Lambs"


I LIKE perfume. I LIKE interesting scents. When Deb and I go to the symphony or the art museum, we try to identify ALL the scents we detect like perfumes, old wood, fabrics, REALLY fine cigars (before lighting), Cognac, Wine, Scotch....

I LIKE my nose. I LIKE IT A LOT since I quit smoking 12 years ago. I HATE colds and other nasal function impairments.

Why does everyone seem to hate fine scents?

[Connonym]

1. Nope, you've pretty much nailed it

I'd like to add that life is way, way too short to wear bad perfume.

BTW, it's been my experience that men are more often than not the ones who don't know the art of scenting themselves subtly.

[Tyler Durden]

3. I always take Deb's lead on Male scents, their use and application.

I have a couple she likes so I stick to them. Men's stuff seems to be high on the volatiles and low on the organics anyway.

[femmocrat]

2. Well, some people have allergies....

just sayin'!

Perfume gives me migraines. I even go the long way around in the dept. store to avoid those "perfume ladies" !

[Tyler Durden]

5. Oh, I have no prob with that.

Hell, they have "peanut free" classrooms at Cailee's school.

I just like the way things smell. I guess I was a Corgi in another life! Dogs don't seem to care HOW things smell: They're into INTENSITY. I like that.

Have you ever noticed that a Corgi's paws smell of cinnamon and bread (yeast type)? Deb and I sniff them all the time. The dogs think we're pretty cool.

[femmocrat]

11. LOL!!!

I think their feet smell like popcorn! Actually I love the way my dogs smell. They don't have that "doggy odor" at all. When they need a bath, we wash them with baby shampoo, so they really smell sweet.

I tried to smell Roxy's feet (she was snoozing by mine) and she "growled" and me and walked off in a huff! They are such characters!

[Tyler Durden]

15. Ours just look at us as if to say, "Is there something WRONG with you?"

Popcorn. I'll have to mention that to Deb. Maybe it's diet.

[Pool Hall Ace]

4. I'm not exactly sure what you mean by a 'fine' scent, but

so many women feel the need to drown themselves in perfume, even going so far as to keeping some at work so they can spray it in the air and walk under it.

I don't have any chemical sensitivity to perfumes, but I do find it annoying when I can smell someone coming and going. I used to work with a woman whose sent would hang in the air by her desk even when she wasn't there!

I stopped wearing scents at work when I saw how it effected some people (mostly in the form of debilitating headaches and sinus issues); it just wasn't worth it.

In my opinion, ideally you shouldn't be able to smell someone unless you are practically on top of them.

[Tyler Durden]

6. I buy nothing for Deb she has not "tested" with me there.

We "agree" on them, and that's that. I guess it's a "taste" thing, because a truly fine scent costs way too much to use as an "after bath splash," so one tends to be "conservative" to use a bad word.

[NewWaveChick1981]

7. I think you're right.

The only caveat I have is that too much of any scent can be overwhelming. I wear a nice fragrance, but I use it in moderation. I like to be able to smell it, but only those who are standing within a foot or so of me will smell it too. :)

I have a bad reaction to fragrances with amber in them---that spells instant headache for me. :(

[Tyler Durden]

9. A foot distance is ok.

I guess one SHOULD be inside the "comfort zone" to be tasting another's "chemistry"....

Of course YOUR pheromones can cross fiber optics!

BAD TYLER!!:spank::spank:BAD TYLER!!

[NewWaveChick1981]

37. Interesting....

:rofl: :hi: I guess that would qualify as Smell-O-Vision...:P

[Zuiderelle]

31. A foot is too close when you are sitting next to someone in an airplane or the theater.

[NewWaveChick1981]

36. Maybe so. But my fragrance is very light and inoffensive, so

I'm going to wear it anyway. I don't douse myself with it---one quick spritz is all I use. :)

[Tyler Durden]

38. What do you wear? Just Curious.

Deb's best (at least as far as MY nose is concerned) is "Knowing."

[NewWaveChick1981]

40. Sensi by Giorgio Armani.

It's EDT and not the full-strength perfume. It's harder to find than it used to be, but I still love it. :) Very light, subtle floral.

[Tyler Durden]

41. Not available anymore, or just rare?

I love steering Deb by perfume aisles. Some of you ladies just got the right chemistry going to wear fine scent.

[Tyler Durden]

42. Nordstroms, Macys. AHA.

Got a good local Macy's, and a Nordstrom's we've been meaning to cruise within reasonable distance.

[NewWaveChick1981]

46. I used to get mine from Sephora, but I had to order it from

www.fragrancenet.com this last time. It's become harder to find overall.

[NewWaveChick1981]

43. I think it's being phased out.

It came out in 2002, and I've loved it so much that it's been the only one I've used since then. Perfumes have a way of disappearing if sales are not as strong as they'd like, but I'm going to be really pissed off if they do away with mine. :( I guess companies have to stimulate sales somehow. :P

[Zuiderelle]

48. Just be aware why that person sitting next to you is holding their nose.

Or rubbing their temples, or getting up and leaving. ;)

[NewWaveChick1981]

50. Never had a problem with it before, but I'll keep that in mind.

:hi:

[Zuiderelle]

51. Thanks.

I've had many a concert ruined sitting next to or near someone wearing a perfume I'm allergic to. As I get older, it seems there are no perfumes that I'm not allergic to anymore. :( It's really no fun to have a headache while trying to enjoy music, just because someone next to you wants to smell "good."

:hi:

[China_cat]

52. Or wheezing and unable to catch their breath.

Or reaching for the oxygen mask. There are scents I dearly love. I think they smell great. But 2 days of not being able to breathe after being subjected to them just isn't worth it.

At least not all are as bad as the worst encounter I had with a person's perfume. I was in my hotel room, with the door closed and sitting as far as possible from said door. Someone walked by and I could smell their perfume. It was horrible.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

56. Ever be outside and have a car drive by and give off a cloud of eau de something?

[China_cat]

58. Yeah. and my neighbors use these terrible dryer sheets

that they spray with perfume...gets vented all over the neighborhood.

[Katina]

8. It's not wearing perfumes or scents that's offensive

it's taking a bath in them so that people smell you coming before you've arrived and long after you've left.
A scent should be something hinted at, not something to beat the rest of the world up with.
I love a good perfume, but the only way I ever apply it is as a mist. Spray it up in the air, and walk through the mist. That is all you really need, if at all.

[Tyler Durden]

10. Deb uses ONE short shot behind the ear on the neck.

That way when I'm behind her in a line or going to our seats I get a treat.

She is so WAY my bud.

[Katina]

12. that's how it should be

enjoying an intimate wiff of the person you care about.

[crispini]

14. Right on!

I don't need to smell someone when they enter an elevator and are three feet away from me and leave whiffs of scent behind. I think what you are describing is great! what others are complaining about is the overuse. :D

[MissMillie]

49. I told my son that he should wear his cologne lightly enough

so that when someone gets a whiff of it, they'll want to get closer to smell it better.

That is the essence of wearing a scent.

[XemaSab]

13. I have asthma

and it's really awful. x(

[Tyler Durden]

16. I feel badly for you.

Catching a whiff from Deb when we're out in public is a true vicarious pleasure for me.

I don't think I'm truly allergic to anything that doesn't live in Texas and throws pollen. I've never experienced anything like Houston in my life: I wouldn't go back on a bet. SNEEZE.

[Midlodemocrat]

17. I love scents. I spent $200 at Yankee Candle yesterday.

:hide:

I love, love, love, colognes and smelly soaps and bath washes and stuff like that.

I am very careful not to overdo it though, especially with the HP in the house.

[Tyler Durden]

19. Williams and Sonoma has some natural scent hand creams that just make me drool.

I think I bought Deb about $100 worth last time.

[Midlodemocrat]

21. Restoration Hardware sells the most delicious smelling

cleaning supplies.

The stuff I use these days is scent free and green, hence the extreme candle usage.

[Tyler Durden]

18. Thanks guys. Thought I'd grown "odd" in my dotage. n/t

[David__77]

20. I'm suffering EVERY DAY from some stinky ass "perfume."

This lady's fragrance is poisonous! And I cannot escape it short of fleeing the office. I have allergies - I've requested she lay off it, very politely, but to no avail. She says she will, and then two days later, the smell creeps back in.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

24. We had someone like that in the office for a while. Turned out she was

trying to cover up the smell of alcohol on her breath.

[David__77]

26. I'd rather smell the booze. Or the BO, or whatever it is.

That, I could handle. At least it's "organic." Something about the artificial floral, super-sweetness makes my nose go berserk, and my stomach turns in disgust.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

22. I'm allergic to many types of perfumes. It's a chemical sensitivity thing, nothing to do with >

> whether I enjoy the scent or not. Some nice scents (in my judgement) nearly choke my air off even in small quantities while some cheesy stuff doesn't affect me at all. It's definitely not about 'icky,' it's about chemicals and perfumes can use thousands of them.

[Zuiderelle]

23. Many perfumes give me horrid headaches.

Most people don't understand that perfume was meant to be noticed an inch away only, and lay it on so thick that my sinuses are obstructed by it several feet away. In an airplane, where the interior air is recirculated, if someone in the back of the plane is wearing too much perfume, I am in tremendous discomfort.

I HATE perfume. Those who don't care about those of who are so severely and adversely affected by it, and think they have a "right" to wearing whatever and as much as they want, just suck.

[Deep13]

25. My hyper sensitive schnozzola triggers acute sinusitis.

So it is not a question of liking or disliking the smell. For me it is my reaction to it that makes me think the best smell is no smell.

[skygazer]

27. There's a difference between "interesting" and "overwhelming"

I like interesting scents, too. But much of the perfume and cologne that I smell is not pleasant. So many people just pour it on and have no idea how it reacts with their body chemistry. It winds up smelling horrid and overpowering. Light, fresh, pleasant - that's cool. It should be put on in such a way that you can still smell something else.

Besides, the smells I like most of all are natural ones rather than the ones you mention - trees, blossoms, horse manure (yes, I love the smell of horse manure - call me strange), grass. I don't like it when they're drowned out by all the manmade scents.

[Arkansas Granny]

28. A little perfume goes a long way. Some women forget this fact, or

perhaps their noses have become desensitized to the scent they wear and they think the scent has gone away. Whatever the reason, some women use entirely too much of their favorite scent which can be downright unpleasant for people who have to be in close quarters with them. I suspect that it is the fixative that is used, but I develop a headache almost immediately when I am around someone who is wearing certain perfumes, whether it's over applied or not. If they have drenched themselves in it, it feels like I've been hit right between the eyes. BTW, the same applies to men who wear too much cologne and aftershave.

[ghostsofgiants]

29. Many perfumes and colognes give me headaches.

Simple as that, at least for me.

[Rabrrrrrr]

30. It's the selfish, socially inept shitbag fucksticks who insist on others smelling it

It's not a problem with the scent itself - if someone wants to put on perfume, that's fine, but put it on properly, so only your beloved can smell it, and only when intimately close.

But to all the shitbag evil fucksticks who think others need to smell it - they should be executed. Immediately.

And yes, I do think they're evil: they clearly have no concern for others, have no moral center or sense of conscience, clearly are focused solely on themselves. Call it psychotic or evil, either way it's worth killing for.

Especially for those of us with profound allergies to perfumes.

Show some goddamn consideration, you evil shitbag fucksticks, and put on only the proper one or two drops, just for your lover person to smell.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

32. Anyone know whether they cover perfume use in school hygiene classes?

[Fran Kubelik]

33. I think a subtle smell can be great.

But if you have worn a perfume for awhile, you stop smelling it on yourself - I think that is why so many people slather it on. And that is when I start having trouble breathing. :shrug:

[amitten]

34. Everyone just needs to wear Guerlain. Their fragrances are

classic, beautiful, understated and never seem to cause "allergic" reactions.

Oh, and they are very expensive but then again so is a lot of the crappy stuff you find at the local mall.

[Tyler Durden]

39. Thanks! I will look it up. n/t

[Tyler Durden]

45. Neiman Marcus....HO-kay.

and I thought I was going out on a limb with Nordstrom's.

[REP]

54. I Get It At Bloomingdale's

They have a pretty good perfume counter (and our local one has amazing sales people who - alas - know all too well what kind of scents I like!).

[davsand]

44. Yep. I agree. Sadly, it is getting difficult to even find Guerlain any more.

My mom is not a "makeup" kind of woman. Little bit of lipstick maybe some powder on her nose but not much more than that. One of the ONLY bits of advice she ever gave me about that kind of stuff is, IF you are gonna wear perfume, pay enough to buy the good stuff, don't run around smelling "cheap."

Guerlain is (to my knowledge) the one of last of the great French perfume houses left. The rest are all design houses that happen to make perfume. I'm not knocking those other houses, either, because there have been several classic scents that have come out of houses like Chanel (Chanel #5 is a signature scent that should NEVER die, IMO) but Guerlain is just in a class all by itself.

I was out with my daughter just a couple of weeks ago and we were shopping. She was sampling perfumes. I was HORRIFIED when I took her into one of the local department stores and they told me they no longer carry Guerlain...



Laura

[REP]

53. One of the Newer Ones - "Insolence" - Is Divine

It's a violet-based scent, and not sulphurous, as some violet scents tend to get (Bvlgari "Pour Femme" is another nice violet-based scent, but I like most Bvlgari smells).

[somewhere_out_there]

64. Shalimar is the best

[Duppers]

35. I love perfume but cannot tolerate it now.

I wore it for yrs.--the good, expensive stuff that is, until I developed my hypersensitivity.

Now ANY cologne or perfume makes me dizzy, absolutely dizzy.

Sorry.

[FloridaJudy]

47. Can anyone tell me why the manufacturers of hygiene products

Such as soaps, shampoos, deodorants, and skin creams assume that every woman on earth wants to smell like a freaking fruit salad? Melon & raspberry. Apple & vanilla. Strawberry & kiwi. Pineapple & banana. Pomegranate & peach. Lime & coconut. These products ought to come with a little paper parasol sticking out of them.

I'm fond of light florals and sandalwood myself, but it's getting near impossible to find them. The rest of these scents belong in the kitchen, not the bath-tub.

Seventh Generation does make an organic laundry detergent that smells beautifully of lavender, but it seems to be the exception.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

55. I like to smell perfume

"They" say the sense of smell is the sense most closely linked to memory.

A whiff of certain perfumes can take me back to memories that would lock this thread.

:hi:

But some can be so overpowering that I have to leave the area. I'm sure the stuff was just poured in. I'll stop an elevator at an earlier floor just to get away from a reek. I've had a fully-served meal moved to another table in a restaurant to get to fresher air. It beats hanging around and getting a headache.

[liontamer]

57. yeah, i'm with you

I love perfume, and I generally like smelling things. ( including food) My rule for perfume is to wear it so that only people really close to me can smell it. (ex, someone who leans over me to hug me or look at my screen will respond, "you smell nice"), But it seems a lot of people hate any smell :( I don't wear perfume much in the summer, cause the heat makes scents spread, and I don't wear it on planes or in car trips.

It's a very american thing, people here seem to want to block out as much sensory information as possible. :shrug:

[Gidney N Cloyd]

59. I disagree on the "It's a very American thing"

If anything, American people and manufacturers seem to love to drench things in artificial scents.

And again, it's not about 'hating' the smell, it's about reacting to it as an alergen.

[liontamer]

66. I'm not talking about people who are allergic

Being allergic is very different from just not liking. I didn't meant to imply that people who are allergic to perfume are reflecting cultural bias.
I think of perfume as olfactory jewelry. I only wear it occasionally, and I try not to wear a lot ( or any if I'm going to be in close quarters). I also don't go around smearing strangers with peanut butter :)

My comment was less about perfume and more about not liking smells in general.
For example, the way most air fresheners work is by deactivating your olfactory receptors. And the drenching in artificial scent is about limiting the spectrum of scents to a few "acceptable" ones. Many people complain about "foody" smells like garlic, onions, and curry. I've also heard people complain about "orange juice breath" and don't get me started on "feminine deodorant sprays". The reason people drown in perfume is usually to cover up other smells. While I like perfume, I would hate to not be able to smell anything else on a person or in a room because of it.

It makes sense to mask "unpleasant" odors. But in our current society, almost any human/animal produced smell is considered unpleasant, so there's a push to make everything either floral,minty, or lemony fresh. But the holy grail is usually odorless. That was what I meant when I referred to it being an American thing.

[Midlodemocrat]

62. That is my rule of thumb. I wear it so lightly that when someone

hugs me, they say, "ooh, I love that smell, what is it?" rather than puking into the bushes.

[NC_Nurse]

60. I like the smell of some perfume, but it is a very common allergan

and asthma trigger. When I wear it, I get a headache within ten minutes.

We aren't allowed to wear it to work at the hospital because so many people have health problems that could be
made worse by it.

I hear it's actually the propellants in the perfume that make it cause headaches. I don't know what they consist of however....

[crim son]

61. There is a fine, light scent melding with a body's natural perfume,

and then there is the instant-headache power-perfume thing. My nose is quite literally hypersensitive and I can't even stand my own perfume (were I to wear any) let alone the scents of others when applied with a heavy hand.

[LibraLiz1973]

63. I used to wear perfume every day

And I had a big collection of it too- Poison (back in high school- cant stand the smell of it now), Happy, Shalimar, Amerige, One, Alfred Sung, Sun Moon and Stars, Opium... tons more.

Now I only have a bottle of Happy. I've had it since my 30th bday- 3 & 1/2 years ago. Surprisingly it still smells perfect.
(but I keep it in the fridge)

I use ONE small spritz on one wrist- then I dab the wrists together, touch my wrists to my neck & then rub the wrists together.

Too much perfume is DISGUSTING. I've gagged standing 4 or 5 people away from someone who REEKS.

I now only wear perfume on special occasions- cant wear it at work because there is a baby class in the building and my niece is there. I hold her
every day (even now that she's one) and I don't want her baby scent washed out by my Happy Scent.



But let me tell you what I LOVE LOVE LOVE--- Mens cologne. When a man is wearing a good cologne (very faint) It's a MAJOR turn on if the scent is good!! lol

[ScreamingMeemie]

65. For me, Migraines are no fun. When someone has "overdone it" it

gives me a migraine. I don't normally hate fine scents. I love them. Just please, lady shopping at Krogers with the fondess for "youth dew", please go easy.


*** I happen to love youth dew as it reminds me of my youth and knowing my parents were going out when I smelled it on my mom...just not in Large quantities. :)