I’m in the midst of shopping for some colognes for my SO and a big part of it is finding a scent I know I’ll like smelling on him. (Or stuff that I wouldn’t mind wearing myself too). I will say that I don’t care for female fragrances at all. I’m curious if that’s because I’m gay or just a personal preference.
Some perfumes are better than others and most are completely un-interesting. If I was trying to pick one at a department store, it would be very hard to find something I actually like. I find the ones my wife wears are always subtle and perfectly suited to her style - smells like coming home.
In general, a good cologne or perfume smells good, regardless of what gender it’s meant for. However, certain smells just seem masculine or feminine, probably because of social conditioning. In general, I prefer the feminine smells on women, and my general preference is for something identifiably flowery or citrusy rather than some sort of unidentifiable smell. Smell has a strong connection to memory and some of the more base aspects of the brain, so I really hope a woman I’m interested in smells pleasant.
As for men’s smells, they’re pleasant too, but I immediately associate them with masculinity, so I will generally just not take much note of it, and it doesn’t tap into that same part of my consciousness that a feminine smell does. I imagine it’s probably much the same for the OP, as you’re gay, it’s not going to tap into that part of your brain because you’re not attracted to femininity.
No. I dislike perfumes and colognes of all kinds.
Wash with soap and you’ll usually smell great. Every now and then there’s a soap that just doesn’t match well with your own body’s scent profile though. I rather like a smidgen of that end of the day smell - “You smell like you today” is something I tell my husband from time to time. So my main two favorite scents on people are “a little bit of human” and “clean”.
I chalk everything scent related up to personal preference.
I feel nothing for my ex-wife any more. But sometimes here perfume hits me like a sledgehammer in the gut. Its hard to get the perfect match between body chemistry and perfume but when you do watch out.
I’ve always hated perfume, and my wife never wears any (and never did, even before she knew me).
A bar of soap is the only odor enhancement that most people need.
I’m allergic to perfume. I’ve had to step out of small meeting rooms when women have too much on.
I’m not complaining - it has save me thousands of bucks since my wife never buys any. And I have a great reason to ward off the perfume saleswomen in Macys.
I don’t care for it in general. It’s part of a larger constellation of “trying too hard” behaviors, wherein women go to a lot of effort to make themselves sexually attractive, as if no one would find them so without a lot of effort and adornment. It all hits me as silly and unconfident and too self-conscious about being perceived as sexy. Women say similar things about guys when guys do things that just scream “I did this in an attempt to look sexy”. I find that it all works better when it comes across as “I’m not making an effort, this is just how I am, is it my fault if you find me hott?”
I like the scent of about half the perfumes out there. I prefer scents that are stronger on spicy or musky scents than the floral or fruity ones.
I appreciate someone who wears a hint of perfume because it can add a nice little extra to their presence… but it should be in moderation, like background music in a romantic restaurant. And I definitely would not want the perfume to mask clean and healthy body odors. You were rigged to smell like you a long time before we had perfumes; there’s probably a reason.
Memory has a huge role in your interpretation of smells.
When I smell the kind of perfume that some women wear, I get flashes of memory of highly attractive women in revealing clothing, and other related experiences. So I like the experience.
As a gay man, perhaps earlier in your existence you had some bad experiences, or lack of good experiences, related to this smell. As you’ve heard, smell is tightly coupled to your brain’s memory systems because, at least for unique smells, if you smell something, that means your brain is actually detecting a particular molecular structure. This makes smell much more specific sometimes than the other senses, and it acts like a good key to find specific memories.
I know exactly what you mean.
It’s interesting, I like an occasional spritz of perfume on me (female) but I can’t stand scents on men beyond your average soap and Old Spice deodorant.
I love cologne…but really, I should not smell it unless I am very close to you. Ideally I should smell it only if I am sitting right next to you in a meeting or if I give you a hug. I love that aroma of cologne on the skin when I’m that close, it gives me a little shiver. It’s somehow intimate. Not so much when I am hit with it across the room!
Problem with people is they often just put on any old thing. When you find perfume/cologne that goes with your natural scent, it can go very well. Which means you have to shop around. I found some stuff this year called “Angel” which everyone compliments me on and even my allergic SO loves.
For me it depends a lot on how it’s used. If it’s sparing enough that it just enhances her natural scent then yes. If she walks past and I can smell her hair, warm skin and her perfume, rowr. There’s something about the right scent that makes her smell more like her.
That said, I’d shop for them with him or at least get sample to take home and try on him. The good stuff smells very different to me once it’s on skin. If you catch yourself sneaking into the closet to smell the collar of his jacket, you’ve probably found a winner.
Never cared much for any perfume on a woman (or makeup, for that matter). I don’t hate it, but nothing about it makes anyone seem more attractive.
Most of the time, sure. I also like most colognes. They are designed to smell pleasant, and most do their job. I will say that I can more readily remember perfumes that I don’t like (usually very “powdery” smelling) then colognes. Most of my bad experiences with colognes has been because people use too much.
Yes, when it’s faint and subliminally invites you to move just a little closer so you can smell him better.
Love the smell of some women’s perfumes. Definitely a turn on for me if it’s a fragrance I like. I tend to like gourmands or incense-woody-orientals and not florals.
That happens with me and a perfume worn by a girl I went out with in 1983.
I prefer a woman’s natural scent to any perfume I’ve ever smelled.
My current gf uses rosewater perfume. As a result, I get aroused by Turkish Delight, and most Indian desserts.