How to find my scent?

[Yukonmark]

Depends on what suits you. A scent will smell differently on different people.
I find that traditional Turkish Kolonya, like Osmanli, or Duru are pretty low key, but are refreshing and non offensive.

 

[Cepasaccus]

Thanks. From the description I believe I should get something here.

Just ordered a sample pack of Penhaligon.

 

[RigelDust]

A solid cologne might do well for you. You have to be kinda close up to be able to enjoy em.

 

[Cepasaccus]

Got my 10 Penhaligon samples. Don't know which is which. I guess it is in the same order as I had it in the comments to my order. I hope this is in the order confirmation email as it isn't in the web shop.

 

[Cepasaccus]

I sadly asked twice for Equinox Bloom, so I have only 9 different samples from Penhaligon. I tested so far three of their EdTs and all three were very nice. It might be some work to narrow it down to my favorites.

My second order, which could arrive on Tuesday, contains Faberge Brut, the Spanish Aqua Velva (both so cheap that a sampler doesn't make sense) and for personal historic reasons L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme after-shave (sample would have made sense, but it was so easy to put it into the cart).

 

[Cepasaccus]

Found a sample of Opium on a colleagues desk. That smells awful!

 

[Cepasaccus]

And it is very difficult to scrub of Opium. Soap, olive oil and it is still there.

If I like multiple of my samples, how could I narrow these down to a few? I don't want to spend thousands on Penhaligon perfumes. The Blenheim Bouquet has the advantage that there are shaving supplies with that scent.

 

[Cepasaccus]

Btw. it is quite strange, that I could not find online anywhere the ingredients list of any of Penhaligon's products.

 

[Cepasaccus]

I am now through all actually eight scents once.

The Equinox Bloom, which I took accidentally twice, is actually so far the only perfume, which I don't like. It is annoying.
Two are interesting. They are very different than the others. They might be scents which could grow on me. These are Blasted Heath and Alizarin.
The remaining five are sweet scents, but not flowery. Out of these Endymion and Blenheim Bouquet are at the moment my favorites. The other three scents are Lothair, Opus 1870 and Juniper Sling.

 

[Alum of Potash]

Isn't the word cologne taken from the German city, Köln? Perhaps you might start out with 4711 in this case. Here's a shot I took while changing trains in Cologne a few years back.

 

[Cepasaccus]

Yes, its name came from Köln. Johann Maria Farina gegenüber dem Jülichs-Platz - Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Maria_Farina_gegen%C3%BCber_dem_J%C3%BClichs-Platz I already tried it and comments were "you smell like a grand dad".

Tried the last two days the Blenheim Bouquet. No comments. I think it is not bad, but I have some times smell like soap tastes. So I can check it off.

It will be interesting of my order from parfumclub.de from the 5th will be here untill the holiday. It is still not really shipped.

 

[Cepasaccus]

Retested Blasted Heath and Alizarin. No. Not for me.

Put one spray of Lothair on my wrist and got extremely negative comments. No.

Three of that pack remaining.

 

[Cepasaccus]

With extremely negative comments I mean something like "you smell like a brother" (one spray on my wrist). At least I have not yet been attacked.

Aqua Velva and Brut arrived today.

 

[Cepasaccus]

l'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme aftershave: No negativ comments.

Penhaligon's Endymion Concentré: Nicely fresh, but could be a bit less sweet. One spray to the collar region. Very negative comments.

I think I live in a very perfume-hostile environment.

 

[The Knize]

I think I live in a very perfume-hostile environment.

Apparently so!

When you say "negative comments," are folks actually volunteering comments, or are you asking people what they think of a given scent you are wearing? I do not think anyone in a workplace setting has commented on a scent I was wearing more than a few times over the decades and certainly never negatively. One time I can think of, btw, was l'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme, but I find Issey pretty powerful. You are not applying the scent at work, right? Scents just after application are way more noticeable than they are after they dry down. (For that matter, I would not personally take "smelling like a brother" as negative, but I do not think we need to get into that.)

Given the amounts you are applying, I would expect them to be low key. Maybe this is a minority opinion, but to me our environments and selves are loaded with smells--bath soap, shampoo, toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, laundry detergent, dry cleaning solution, furniture polish, coffee, etc., etc. It seems to me that someone who is complaining about a scent at the level I wear them is looking specifically for a scent/perfume to complain about because it is not going to stand out any more than anything else in the environment, and I am not that sympathetic. So perfume-hostile. But, again, it has not come up for me.

I like most of what Penhaligon puts out for men--or at least the ones that have been out for a while, Pen's seems to have gone crazy with the number of scents it has out!--and would consider virtually all of their scents as office appropriate/safe. (Maybe not Hammam Bouquet. ) I do not lot love Endymion, but many folks seem to.

4711 sells an Eau de Portugal in Europe--an orange/neroli scent--I really like that might pass as unobjectionable. Get the edc, not the edt. If you read reviews, if they say "skin scent," or fleeting, or wears close, that may be what you are looking for. Maybe something like Ach Brito Lavanda, which dissipates quickly.

Otherwise, I do not have any great advice on specific scents. Just to go very lightly. As you become more familiar with scents you may find that your tastes change and expand.

 

[Cepasaccus]

The most negative comments are at home without asking for comments. I am living in an as scent free as possible environment. (Scent-free soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, no mouthwash or deodorant, organic solvent are used outside, so only toothpaste and food has scents.) In the office it is only the kind of look from the persons I am most familiar with. Nearly all will probably not notice due to the amount and it has dried down. I don't know any of my colleagues who is using perfumes. Sorry, typo (hopefully). It was "Smelling like a brothel" (with L, in case it was not a typo but an automodification somewhere).

Positive comments I got with Lavera after shave balm (from Ingredients: ... Fragrance, ... Linalool, Limonene, Coumarin, Cutral, Geraniol, Citronellol) which smells IMHO like l'Occitane 3 esential oils as I remember it (from Ingredients: ... Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Froit Extract, Juniperus Mexicana Oil, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Canaga Odorata Flower Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, ... Fragrance, ... Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, ... Limonene, Linalool, Citronellol).

I like to try new things. Shaving with a DE razor, eating insects, bouldering, a new restaurant, etc.. If I like something I can best tell after I tried it. The perfumes are now for me new things.

I will look into the Eau de Portugal. I also wanted to see how lavender perfumes are. I don't see it really as an advantage that something is gone quickly.

Aqua Velva smells to artificial. Sounds maybe strange, because perfumes nowadays don't smell really natural, but that is the feeling I had. With the Brut I am unsure.

At the moment I have on my right wrist Opus 1870. That's really nice! A lightly sweet, warm smell. Similar to vanilla, even so it isn't.

I got the Escentric sample box yesterday. It looks like art! I am really looking forward to examine it. (Also from the point of view of a chemist.)

 

[Cepasaccus]

Juniper Sling is for me one of the best of Penhaligon's perfumes. It is a very mild scent. Powdery? I think it is to mild, so Opus 1870 is still my favorite.

Put some Molecule 01 (Iso E Super) on my wrist. It is just like Lehmann's MOL Intens in the category "annoying". I think I can understand, why someone might describe it as skin scent. It is really low key, but still there are here and there some whiffs of a scent, which grab my attention, distract me and annoy me. Fascinating to read what others write about Iso E Super, how different the perception is.

 

[Cepasaccus]

Molecule 02 (Ambroxan): It has a very faint smell. I can barely notice it, when I put my nose to the skin.

 

[The Knize]

Molecule 02 (Ambroxan): It has a very faint smell. I can barely notice it, when I put my nose to the skin.

That sounds right. Should work in your perfume hostile work environment. Should sort of come and go. I find I do not love it as a singular molecule, but it is a prominent ingredient of some wonderful modern scents.

 

[Cepasaccus]

Ok. Put Escentric 02 on my wrist.

Some long time ago. I was ill. Might have been a cold or so, but I don't know. For sure it was nothing serious. But during this illness everything tasted similar to mustard. Sausages, joghurt, everything like mustard. The reason why I mention this is, that Escentric 02 very much reminds me of that time.