This is like saying all the cool kids wear affliction shirts.
I generally agree with the other basic advice, though. Personally, I never wear cologne or anything extra and can’t stand it. Be clean and wear clean clothes. Groom hair, use things like moisturizer/sunscreen and chapstick if needed. Remove grease, dirt, skin flakes, etc. Wipe your ass. That’s about it. IMHO, neutral body odor is the best and 99.9% of any odor offenders miss a critical step like not washing the pits or bits or not wiping properly or having dead skin all over the place.
And see how it smells to you. The “Rose” in the name is for Red Grapefruit, not Roses. The others in their essential citrus line are great too. Pure expressions of grapefruit or orange or rhubarb. They don’t last long IME, but they’re neat to try.
I am currently liking some citrusy fragrance samples from Acqua di Parma. Basically the ones I mentioned upthread, but the fig expression is lasting longer than I expected. About 4-5 bucks each IIRC, at fragrance.net, and at that price, they’re fun to try.
So maybe look there, MMM. Or search by the kind of citrus notes you want at a perfume database like fragrantica’s?
I don’t care for scented laundry detergent. The fact that I’m allergic to some of them doesn’t help. Cologne is right out, so I avoid strong scents.
A good shampoo and a good deodorant can do wonders. I used to use Garnier Frictis with apricot shampoo that they apparently don’t make anymore, together with Old Spice Denali (“with Spruce”) and would get some good compliments about how I smelled. I still use the Old Spice, sometimes the Timber (“with Mint”).
I can see shirts, yeah, but washing your sweaters and pants after every wearing? Shit’ll get worn out. Maybe if you sweat as profusely as good ole Hudgie DeRubertis, perhaps.
Hanging from a nail on the wall by the front door is a bottle of Febreze that I’ll give myself a quick shot with before I head out.
ok kidding I don’t do that.
To my grave horror I’ve seen the ‘P’ word mentioned a couple times in this thread, and of course there’s no way I’ll fully utter it in its sacrilegious full form (other than saying that it might rhyme with tabouli). For Gus’s sake I’ve come close to Pitting that god-awful headachey shit.* (with s-wood a close second in olfactory atrocity)
A couple shots under the jaw with Nivea For Men facial scrub, minimally, is mild and tolerable, but usually I’ll just opt for daily showering and daily change of ginch, socks and shirt to get me good enough reviews. Sadly not these kind of reviews, but I guess I’m just not that adventurous enough.
Bolding mine. Re. technique, something I don’t think has been mentioned is the technique of spraying a scent out in front of you, rather than on yourself. Even though I’m a woman, I have a big bottle of men’s cologne (Versace Eros) because I freaking love the way it smells, but it’s a pretty strong scent if I spray it directly on my skin. So what I have learned to do is spray one spritz into the air in front of me and then walk into it. It makes me smell good without inducing that throat-closing effect that a too-strong perfume or cologne will.
I think the advice here has probably become a bit redundant but hey… responding doesn’t cost me anything so here’s my opinion.
I use cologne every day. I have about 8 different types of cologne, probably 3-4 are in the regular rotation during any particular season and the rest are “nice to haves”. My colognes run the gamut from light, powdery, floral or citrus scents to heavier, spicy, leather/tobacco, cedar, or musk scents. I’m a believer that colognes should be aligned to the season of the year. For example, I don’t wear the heavier stronger stuff in the summer and I don’t wear the lighter stuff in the winter.
If you go the cologne route, it is really a process of going to a cologne counter and talking to the clerk about what you think you would like and trying different recommendations at the counter that are sprayed on the paper sample cards. Try not to stick the paper directly to your nose and inhaling deeply, that will overload your nose with the perfume’s scent. Hold it about a foot or so from your nose and gently fan it back and forth. Many colognes may be strong when initially sprayed but like wine they mellow with some time exposed to the air. Anyway, experiment a bit. Oh, and the little cups of coffee beans are great for helping clear your nose between samples of cologne. Just take a little whiff of the coffee beans between samples. (Note: Yes, I know paper samples are not the best as they don’t really let you catch all the notes of the cologne nor how it smells “on you” but if you’re trying many samples to figure out what you may like spraying on your wrist in the store kinda limits you to two samples).
Lastly, the whole “gagging a group of people in an elevator” is not the fault of cologne (in most cases). It is the fault of the person wearing it having no clue on proper application. Always apply to clean and dry skin, not your clothes. You want to only do 2-3 sprays total targeted to heat spots, i.e. chest, neck, wrist are good. If you’re concerned about over-doing it, start with just one spray on the chest and leave it at that until you are more comfortable. “The fragrance should be discovered, not announced” is a good rule of thumb.
Edited to Add: If you do go to the cologne counter and get assistance from a clerk and end up finding something you like, be a gentleman and purchase from the clerk. He/She spent her time and energy using their acquired knowledge to try and help you discover the cologne that pleases you. The least you can do is make a purchase from the clerk, even if it is just the smallest bottle they sell. If you plan to go to the counter and seek help then not purchase from them but instead bargain hunt online… then just don’t go and waste his/her time.
I should have pointed out earlier that I use unscented laundry and body soap. The only fragrant things I use are my shaving products and they tend to be light in scent as well. One other thing I don’t believe has been mentioned is start working out and getting a good sweat on followed by a shower. Nothing says clean and sexy like a good post workout grooming. Plus, you’ll feel better, too.
