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How to find my scent?

I live in a scent-hostile environment. So I never used any perfume my whole life. But all these creams and after-shaves made me curious. How do I find something which I like and which is only noticeable very near to me? I have seen here in Germany a shop which sells from most of his perfumes also 3ml samples. Order some random samples there? How did you find your scents?

Thanks
 
If you want something subtle, there are a few hard and fast rules IMO.

1) Stay away from department store fragrances. All the stuff sold at Macy's etc is so strong, it will knock your socks off.
2) Stay away from highly synthetic scents. IME, synthetic scents in general have a tendency to be very intrusive.
3) Stay away from Eau de Parfums, extraits, and even some Eau de Toilette. Most colognes are going to be subtle as will be EdTs that are relatively natural (I will provide some example of fairly natural / low sillage options later on).
4) Stick to a handful of perfumers that work within your tolerance.
5) Buy decants and samples as much as possible. I have bought samples from Surrender to Chance and Luckyscent and have learned a bunch in the process.
6) Know your fragrance. Some fragrances can be managed by applying one spray vs multiple, other need multiple sprays. Also know where to spray certain fragrances. If you want the scent to be more subtle, resist applying to clothing and apply to your skin only (for example).

I started out loving subtle scents, then got into more powerhouse stuff, and now I am back into more subtle stuff.

In the subtle category, here are the perfumers I can recommend:

- Aqua di Parma
- Penhaligon's
- Floris
- DR Harris
- Guerlain (only the Eau de Colognes though...EdT can be very strong)
- Australian Private Reserve (Splashes only)

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks! I will try to get some samples from the brands you mentioned and then try to proceed from that. Penhaligon already came to my attention, mostly because I love old stuff.
 
I live in a scent-hostile environment. So I never used any perfume my whole life. But all these creams and after-shaves made me curious. How do I find something which I like and which is only noticeable very near to me? I have seen here in Germany a shop which sells from most of his perfumes also 3ml samples. Order some random samples there? How did you find your scents?

Thanks
You could try aftershaves. They are much less potent for the most part. Definitely more affordable....
 
My selection of after-shaves is probably limited due to problems with witch hazel and tee tree. At least did this narrow down a lot my search for an after-shave balm.
 
I live in a scent-hostile environment. So I never used any perfume my whole life. But all these creams and after-shaves made me curious. How do I find something which I like and which is only noticeable very near to me? I have seen here in Germany a shop which sells from most of his perfumes also 3ml samples. Order some random samples there? How did you find your scents?

Thanks

I find that if I spray a cologne or EDT under my shirt, the delayed evaporation decreases the perception of scent, but increases the life of the scent. Also, I find that oils (in my case, beard oils) have somewhat lower sillage. They might be strong, but they're usually very up-close. As for particular scents, I like Stirling Arkadia, PAA John Frum, PAA Cavendish, Stirling Spice and Stirling Haverford. Also included are older colognes and aftershaves: Obsession for Men, Aqua Velva, Old Spice, Brut, Pierre Cardin, Jovan Musk, Paco Rabanne Pour Homme, etc.
 
I stumbled over a bottle of Harry Lehmann's Pure Cologne Water in a drawer and used it today as an after shave. Probably not the designated purpose, but it has a smell that I like. It starts with a strong fresh citric scent which fades very fast. It leaves a very faint, light, sweet scent. So it is mostly a personal experience. For other persons to smell it, they need to come probably very near.

The reason why I have this cologne is that I found out that Harry Lehmann has old types of parfums and I ordered some samples. For this I look through old catalogs to get a list of old scents. Essentially these were all flower scents, e.g. lily of the valley, jasmine, reseda. And these I ordered at Harry Lehmann, plus this cologne. The concept of the shop is that you pay for: shipping, bottles and parfums by ml. So 100ml cologne is 3.60€ for the cologne, 2€ for the bottle, 6€ for p&p. Two bottles would be 200ml cologne for 7.20, 2 bottles for 4 and 6 for p&p. I did not like the flower scents at all. I don't know what I did with them. Perhaps give it away. But I kept the cologne.

For those of you, who understand German, the web site is: Index - http://www.parfum-individual.de/
They do have a store in Berlin. So when I come to Berlin, I will go there to have a smelling session. I found here an English description of a shopping spree: https://www.fragrantica.com/news/Harry-Lehmann-A-Vintage-Scent-Heaven-in-Berlin-9440.html

The content of the cologne is: Alcohol, water, parfum, limonene, linaluol, citral, geraniol, citronellol.

Attached is today's shaving photo.
 

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I don't know many soaps. Of these I like the Speick shaving cream the best, but all red/blue Speick aftershave products contain hamamelis. So I can't use them.
 
I don't know many soaps. Of these I like the Speick shaving cream the best, but all red/blue Speick aftershave products contain hamamelis. So I can't use them.

A large number of aftershave products contain witch hazel. You are the first person I have ever run across that has indicated they are unable to use witch hazel. I am sure there are other, but I have not encountered them.
 
I ordered some stuff at Harry Lehmann's. It arrived yesterday. I put a little Mol Intens on my left wrist and one spray of Russisch EdC (Russian) on my right. Mol Intens has a light scent, but it is so annoying for me. Russisch EdC has a stronger scent and is for me nearly as annoying. When I get the scent into my nose it draws my attention and I don't have the feeling to smell a nice scent. Both scents are sweet and don't smell like rosemary, cinnamon, potato dumplings or salad. And both are very persistent. I tried to wash it of, but after 16 hours the smell is still there, at least at a level which is not annoying.

When I am through all my samples (possibly also from somewhere else) I will make a PIF together with my shaving soaps, after-shaves and spare razors and parts which I don't want or need anymore.
 
Cologne water is probably a good choice. Just use it sparingly.

A large number of aftershave products contain witch hazel. You are the first person I have ever run across that has indicated they are unable to use witch hazel. I am sure there are other, but I have not encountered them.

Witch Hazel can be skin sensitizing. That's one reason it isn't as popular with dermatologists and aestheticians as it once was. If it's blended with other ingredients, it isn't so bad, but on its own it can be harsh.

I also think rosewater or lavender water would be worth looking into. They have light scents that don't linger too long.
 
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Second duo: Fougere EdC, New York EdC.

Not annoying. I think the Fougere EdC is also quite persistent and the NY EdC not so much. Scent of both is less sweet. I won't through these out of the window.

Lavender sounds indeed interesting.
 
Fifth: Eau de Berlin. No duo this time, because the Fougere EdC on my left hand is still to strong after a shower to put a new perfume on it.

The last three have similarities. I think I like the Eau de Berlin best of these.

Question: When you apply some scents. Do you smell yourself them over the day? Or do mostly the others smell it?
 
Seventh: Oud
Sweet. At the beginning nice, then also annoying. Persistent.

Eightth: Ambra
Sweet and so far nice. Persistent.

Nineth: Wasch EdC (Wash EdC)
I got the impression, that it was a different smell as the Echt Köllnisch Wasser (Genuine EdC), but it is the same smell, just lighter and less alcohol. That is a smell I like. It has fresh citrus scents (bergamote?) at the beginning, which fades very fast and leave a slight sweet smell.
 
I don't know how available it is in Europe, but have you given any thought to Florida Water? Depending on the brand it usually has a very light, citrus scent that won't overwhelm you or anyone else. Great for a cooldown during hotter seasons, as well.

Florida Water is a type of cologne, not a brand.

EDIT: Actually, Florida Water is pretty easy to make yourself. It has requires few ingredients. Search online until you find a recipe that you like.

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