Questions Asked by the Fragrance Community

Yes, this is just a random pic of myself with shaving cream on. I am strange :P

Good morning! I hope everyone has been blessed these past few weeks. I am doing quite well, but it's getting pretty toasty down here. It's been in the low 90s(Fahrenheit) here for the past few days. When it gets this hot, I can't even stomach any complex fragrances. Is it almost autumn yet? 

I posted a thread a week ago asking people to ask me questions and essentially "interview me". These are some of the questions that were asked. I added a few myself as well. Some of these were asked in private as well, so I will not be crediting anyone who asked any of these. I also compressed some of the questions to more accurately portray what the person wanted to know. I hope you get a general idea about me and what I think about certain things. Not all of the questions are related to fragrances. 

Remember, this is only my opinion. It is not the "truth" by any stretch of the word. It's only my reality. Let's get into it!

P.S. I apologize for it not being very orderly. I just answered them as I received them. 


Q: What fragrance started you on your fragrance journey?

A: This could be one of two things depending on what you count as starting your journey. The one that I credit with starting me off the most is Lacoste Pour Homme. I bought it in a PX(a military store on base). I later discovered how much more complex it was over my Avon fragrances and the general stuff I grew up with (Tommy for Men, Cool Water, Eternity, Hollister Jake). So, in a certain way, it "unlocked" the potential of fragrances in my brain.

The other one would be Nautica Voyage N-83. I purchased this one shortly after finding Jeremy Fragrance's channel. I meant to get the OG Voyage, but I ended up purchasing the wrong one. This was essentially the start of me beginning to collect fragrances.


Q: What fragrance(s) put you in a nostalgic mood?

A: Stetson has a lot of nostalgia for me because I worked on a farm growing up and the gentleman I worked for wore this. Yes, he was a cowboy. He was a very kind man that passed away a few years back. I keep a bottle around to remind me of him. 

Tommy for Men would certainly be one as well. It was probably my most worn in high school. I am glad that it has stayed mostly the same through the years. I have a decant of it, but a full bottle will come at some point. 

Hollister Jake as well. When I was in high school in the early 2000s, Hollister was just then getting popular. Every Hollister store smelled like Jake and I thought it was amazing. Honestly, I still do, but that might be because of my scent memory of it. I need to get a bottle of it, even if it changed. If anyone knows where to get an old brown bottle of it, please let me know. I would love to revisit it. I will probably pick up the blue one when it's on sale.

Avon Haiku because my mother wore it when she sold Avon. It has this floral airiness that is peaceful to me. I actually enjoy the scent, but it clearly makes me think of my mother. I haven't smelled it in quite a long time though.


Q: How have your fragrance preferences changed since you started reviewing?

A: They have changed quite a bit. I started out like most reviewers, which cheap and generic stuff. I found a love for fougeres and citrus aromatics along the way. I was absolutely hooked on vetiver after smelling Guerlain vetiver and the rest is kind of history. 

I still visit those mass appealing freshies. I enjoy quite a few, even though many people think I only enjoy classics and indie fragrances. If you follow my SOTD posts in my group(link below), then you will see that I wear a wide array of scents. I just love perfumery as a whole. That is not something I could claim when I began.

I would have never dreamed it was this complex, but I put work into it with research and testing everything I could. This helped me be able to identify notes and pick them out. I was used to using my nose to help guide me when I was a chef, so my sense of smell has always been an integral part of my life. I just never knew how important it was until I was reviewing for a few years and came into my own tastes. 

I wanted to be so different when I started. I despised things like Bleu de Chanel and Aventus because of hype. I guess part of me likes to go against the grain. When I visited these fragrances more in-depth, I found out that they are actually good and had to do a 180. Aventus still isn't a love, but I see the appeal with it. Bleu de Chanel EDT is an amazing fragrance.


Q: What is the best Scottish gentleman's fragrance?

A: I was asked this one because of my deep Scottish roots, for those who don't know.

This is a very difficult question to answer. I think I will go with Chanel Sycomore. It can be a bit reminiscent of the vast noble forest in Scotland. At least what I imagine them to be. My family was kicked out of Scotland in the Lowland Clearances and no one has been back there since. One day...I hope.

Sycomore is a noble ancient tree among the masses. Given the Scottish history of Druidism, it makes sense with this one. It's gentlemanly and foresty. I think that is the perfect combination for a Scottish gentleman. I will own a bottle one day...


Q: What are the best and worst coffee brands that you have tasted?

A: The worst is clearly Starbucks. They overroast their beans to hide the subpar quality. Coffee should never taste burnt. The gall they have to charge premium prices for it is appalling. Seattle's Best,m which is also owned by Starbucks now, is equally terrible and bitter. 

As far as the best ones...For the mainstream brands, it would be Cafe Bustelo and Caribou.  Caribou actually has the tasting notes from the earth of where the coffee was grown. These nuances signify a good cup of coffee and that they didn't get the cheapest stuff available. Cafe Bustelo is a classic. One that I have only recently tried. Cuban espresso is quite impressive. 

I will leave it at that for now. Many of the artisan brands aren't widely available, so it may not be advantageous to mention them. 


Q: If you were on death row, what would your last meal be?

A: Scottish lobster, macaroni and cheese(baked, not boxed), and a loaded baked potato. 

I have never had Scottish lobster, but I want to try it. It's just insanely expensive. I do quite enjoy lobster from Maine though. 


Q: How would you name a future James Bond movie? 

A: The Cost of Freedom. It would be James actually giving Moneypenny a shot. I am not sure about the villian, but maybe it could be one of his ex-lovers trying to stop him from finally being happy.


Q: How would you rank Licorice as a note on a scale of 10?

A: It's not a love for me, but I am coming around to it. I used to hate it. I am much more partial to minty anise. I still don't like it as food.

Q: If they said you could have a million dollars to wear ambroxan every day for life, would you do it? 

A: Yes. Ambroxan isn't my favorite note, but I could use that money to catch up on things I have been putting off. I could also help so many other people with it. The outcome is greater than my personal opinion on it. 

Q: Where do you buy your Penhaligon's? 
 
A: Various places. I buy them from friends, but they also sell them on discounters like FragranceNet.


Q: What are the best niche brands that you or others don't mention much? 

A: Thameen and Diptyque are probably the most criminally underrated brands out right now. 


Q: What scents do you like on women?

A: Mon Guerlain, Houbigant Iris des Champs, and Dolce & Gabanna Light Blue Pour Femme. 

Mon Guerlain is just so feminine and classy. A masterpiece for women. 

Houbigant Iris des Champs is the best iris on the market to me. I wear it myself, but it's even more beautiful on a woman. It's such a clean and classy scent. 

Light Blue Pour Femme is just carefree and casual. It's a woman on the beach dressed in white with a tiare flower in her hair and a huge smile. That is attractive.


Q: What notes are good in women's perfume? 

A: Iris, tuberose, rose, lily-of-the-valley, jasmine, champaca, musk, vanilla, orange blossom, neroli, any variety of citruses, ylang-ylang, tiare flower, lavender, coconut, freesia, orchid, magnolia, cacao, fig.

There are so many, but I think it's obvious that I love florals on women. It's just my personal taste. Jasmine is incredibly attractive on a woman. 


Q: Why do you dislike compliments and performance? 


A: I don't dislike either. I just don't like it when it's the only metric used to judge a fragrance. 

Everyone has their own reasons for getting into fragrances, but if you are only after those two things, then you can just watch some Jeremy fragrance videos and be done. No offense to Jeremy, but those are the metrics that he uses. Buy 20 fragrances that he suggests and you're good to go.

I just think only wanting compliments makes fragrances into purely a means of attraction and it's vulgar. Yes, fragrances can be sexy and they are marketed as such, but there is still art and an idea behind most of them. There is nothing wrong with attraction. We all want to be attractive, but using it as a means to boost your own ego is unhealthy to me. 

It's not like I say I don't appreciate compliments. I do. I just don't think too much about them or care too much. It's nice to get them, but I think that only seeking a linear means in anything that we want to seek only leads to disappointment.

As far as performance goes, I have yet to hear a convincing argument as to why fragrances have to perform. "I like performance" and "I want bang for my buck" doesn't convince me. This doesn't mean that these stances are incorrect. They just don't correlate with me. You are robbing yourself of so many different scent profiles and great fragrances for only wanting strong stuff. There is a time and a place for every fragrance to me. Having only strong fragrances limits my pallette. I don't like feeling restricted. I like being able to have an open mind about things. 


Q: What are you favorite notes?

A: At the time of writing they would be vetiver, lime, lavender, mint, and fig. 


Q: Why do you think that you are not as popular as other reviewers who have been around as long as you have?

A: Blogging isn't a preferred source of media consumption for many people. Many folks don't like reading anymore and I am okay with that. I don't care about being famous. I only care about helping people find great fragrances that bring them joy as they have to me. I don't run ads or have any sponsors. I make no money from this at all.  The only money I had received from this was from donations from readers. That money was always put back into my blog in one way or another to improve it. 

I just got a new Canon M50 camera, which can be used for videos. Once I get a few more supplies for it, I might try my hand at it. I am not sure if my passion is in that though, but I am willing to try. If you shoot for the stars and miss by a mile, then you might end up in a desert and have a new place to explore. All I can do is do what I love. WHatever else happens just happens.


Q: Where are you from? 

A: I am an American who was born in Hanover, New Hampshire. It's the same place that Dartmouth is. That's an Ivy League school, for those who don't know. It's similar to Harvard, but not as famous. I currently live in South Carolina and I have been here since around 1995. 


Q: What advice would you give to new reviewers? 

A: Don't do it for money or free bottles. Do it for the love of fragrances. 

Don't do it to stir up drama. 

Don't think your opinion is the only one.

Don't hype stuff. Remind your viewers that they should sample first and not trust you alone. If their money isn't important to you, then don't review. 

Be honest and transparent. 

Make your own style and do it the way that you want to. Don't copy someone else.

If you say you will review something for someone, then do it. 


Q: Have you ever had someone copy you or steal your work?

A: Yes. I have had pictures and descriptions stolen. I even had someone make a fake profile on FB of my blog. Some of my takes are quite unique, so I know they were mine by the words I used.

I didn't say anything. If someone has to steal your work instead of making their own, then that says a lot about them. I always tell people that I am not scared when the truth comes out about me. I have been honest the whole time. Some others won't have that luxury.


Q: Which reviewers inspired you to start reviewing?

A: Joy Amin and Mr. Smelly 1977. I enjoy their styles and content. I don't always agree, but no one agrees with everything. 


Q: What do some reviewers do that annoys you?

A: I will let it be known that I do not hate any reviewer and this is not to bash them. This is only an opinion.

The silly thumbnails bug me sometimes. I think the focal point should be the fragrance and not the reviewer. Sometimes folks look like they are constipated in them as well. It's also annoying that they have text like "Best XX Flanker?"


It also bothers me when they review something that they got the same day or the day before. There is no way you can break down an entire fragrance in that time span. Maybe you can have a slight idea about it, but I don't think it's fair to do that. 

There are way too many top 10 lists. It dilutes the pool for reviewers like myself who rarely do them. 

How many compliments do you actually get? Every other fragrance is a compliment monster in your videos. You must be quite popular. 

I know most of these things are algorithm things and I don't blame them for playing to it. It doesn't make it any less annoying. I still watch many reviewers who do this stuff, but I would be lying if I didn't answer these honestly. I don't lie. 


Q: Why do you hate overspraying?

A: I don't. I just don't like people telling me that I have to overspray to get compliments when that is not my experience. I get more compliments on 3-4 sprays. That is not why I wear 3-4 sprays though. I just think that is the magic number. 

I just don't like how aggressive some of these guys who overspray are. If you need 20 sprays of a fragrance to enjoy it, then you shouldn't buy it. The fragrance is simply not your style.That is just my two cents. 


Q: Why do you think misinformation is so widespread about fragrances?

A: Basically it boils down to inexperience and subjectivity.  Many people don't have trained noses to pick up notes because they are not experienced enough to know that their noses can't always smell things. There are also genes that change how we perceive smells, so it's not exactly misinformation. It's a lack of understanding.


Q: What are the top 3 most annoying posts in fragrance groups?

A: The ones that shun retail employees and have the meme "I know more than you". Just because you are a "fraghead" doesn't mean you know more than a fragrance sales associate. Be humble and open to learning things. They are just trying to provide for their families too.

The fabled "I just bought this, what do you think?" posts. You have the fragrance in front of you. Why do you need our opinions? If you bought it because you liked it, then why do we need to affirm that it's good. Rock what you enjoy!

When you post a scent of the day and someone comments "performance sucks!". Okay, that's cool. I didn't ask about that though. Yes, I know posting on the internet opens you up to such things. 

I apologize for being a bit brutal here. I didn't ask the question. I am just being honest. 


Conclusion

I know this was a bit rawer than my other posts, but I couldn't put out an article that wasn't 100% me. That is just not my style. I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to ask me more questions in the comments and I will answer them if they aren't troll ones. 

Remember to say something positive to someone today. You never know who you might help. We can't change the world, but we can change someone's world. 

Love to all of you and thank you for the support. Keep smelling great and being great.

Want to see what is going on in my group and vote on my upcoming articles? We also discuss fragrances and fragrant topics in a drama-free environment. You won't see any troll Aventus and CDNIM posts in my group! Join my Facebook group!

Want to learn how to support my work? Click here

Follow me on Instagram!

How to Prevent Body Odor

 

Source

Good afternoon! I hope everyone is doing well. It's a beautiful spring Saturday here. It's a bit windy and a welcomed respite from the heat that will soon be upon us.

Body odor is something that not many people want to discuss. It's something that we all deal with at some point. Even if you don't think you have body odor, then you still might. It's easy for us to not smell what we actually smell like. I am going to give you some of my tips. This article is aimed towards guys, but women can probably use most of these as well. 

I hope you enjoy this one! Let's get into it!


1. Bathe Daily

This pretty much goes without saying. Bathing is by far the most important thing. You should bathe at least once per day. Twice on some days. 

I won't go too far in-depth on this one. It's pretty much common sense. Make sure you exfoliate at least every other day. Those dead skin cells building up can give you a funky smell. 


2. Use Deodorant 

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Deodorant prevents your underarms from stinking up the place. It's essential for good hygiene. 

I wasn't going to put this on the list, but we all have had the displeasure of running into someone who wasn't wearing any. That is a living nightmare for those of us who are sensitive to smell.  

I understand some folks are opposed to some ingredients in deodorants, but there are plenty of natural alternatives out there. There isn't much of an excuse to not wear any.


3. Brush your Teeth

It's an alarming number of people who don't do this enough. People can smell your breath and it can overpower any fragrance you have. Maybe this isn't as important in the current times with people wearing masks, but good hygiene is always a must. 

If you are not brushing your teeth at least twice per day, then you should change that. 


4. Eat a Healthy Diet

This is probably the thing that most people struggle with the most. Your skin is an organ and needs nutrients to function properly. This will probably help the performance of your fragrances as well. All of that junk food can make some unpleasant smells come out of your pores. 

Eating a balanced diet isn't all there is to it. If you consume healthy foods like onions and garlic on a regular basis, then you might need to cut back a bit. There are known to give you body odor if you eat them frequently. 


5. Trim your Waistline

Losing weight will help you with your body odor. The more fat you have on your body, the more it has to work to do everyday tasks. This causes you to sweat more and leads to more bacteria being present on the skin, which will leave you smelling pretty terrible. 

This can also tie into number 4. The two work hand in hand. 


6. Dress Well

Wearing clothing made of linen or cotton will help you sweat less because they are more breathable. Less sweat will lead to less body odor. Unless you are in the gym and can grab a quick shower afterward, then your goal should be to sweat less. 

Don't wear the same clothes again without washing them. They stink, bro. I know some people like the selvedge jeans, but I would stick to wearing them around the house to break them in. No one wants to smell those clothes you haven't washed in 3 weeks. That's just gross.

I often see people saying they can still smell a fragrance on their clothes from yesterday. That fragrance isn't going to overpower the funk on the clothes from not washing them. Do yourself and everyone else a favor...Only wear clean clothes. 


7. Take Care of your Groin 

This is something that many guys don't do. It seems almost taboo to even talk about it. I am not sure if it's as applicable for women on this one. Please don't message me details. I don't want to know. 

You sweat down there, guys. That builds odor and leads to chaffing. You don't want to chaff. You try to be a man and act normal, but inside you are crying. Use some powder, deodorant, or dry spray deodorant down there to keep the sweat and odor away. No one wants to smell that. 

Also, this should go without saying...never wear the same underwear for two days straight. Also, be sure to change them after a workout. Those gains aren't going to help you if you smell like body odor.


Conclusion

I know this was a short and quick article, but most of these explain themselves. Some guys have some very bad habits which are impacting the way they smell. It could also be impacting how your nose smells certain things as well. 

The bottom line is bathing alone isn't enough. You need to actively work to prevent sweating and odor. Your fragrances aren't going to mask body funk. It doesn't matter how strong they are. People will still smell the bad smells. 

I know some people do have some medical conditions that give them an unpleasant body odor. I am not a doctor so I can't give you advice on that. However, the things I have mentioned here might be able to help you minimize those smells.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day. Keep smelling great and being great. Remember that a positive word to someone today can be the difference between life and death. There are tons of people who are struggling and looking for hope. Be that hope. A kind word is free and its value is priceless. 

Want to see what is going on in my group and vote on my upcoming articles? We also discuss fragrances and fragrant topics in a drama-free environment. You won't see any troll Aventus and CDNIM posts in my group! Join my Facebook group!

Want to learn how to support my work? Click here

Follow me on Instagram!

My Thoughts on Jeremy Fragrance

 

I used my own picture of Office for Men, just in case Jeremy sees this article and doesn't like it. I don't need to be hit with a copyright violation. 

Good afternoon! I hope everyone is doing well today. I am doing fine, but it's a bit chilly here. We actually had freeze warnings overnight. That is pretty much unheard of here in April. I am glad I didn't plant my garden yet...

I usually don't comment on reviewers publicly. I actually think this might be the first article I have done on something like this. Before you go off saying I did this just for views, I don't have ads turned on. I get nothing from this, as I do with all of my articles. 

Jeremy Fragrance is a polarizing figure in the fragrance community. Some people love him and some love to hate him. I have seen so much unwarranted hate towards the man that I decided to make an article. I am not naive enough to believe this article will change anyone's mind. I will probably just get laughed at for it, but I could care less. 

Without further ado, let's get into it!


My Thoughts on Jeremy Fragrance

Like many of us, Jeremy fragrance was the first fragrance YouTuber I was exposed to. It was back when I was watching Alpha M's style channel and he made a guest appearance on there. I started watching him and taking notes, then I found Ashton and Redolessence. After that, I found the fragrance community and it's been downhill since then. I am kidding, this has been a wonderful experience that saved me in more ways than one.

Jeremy has changed a bit over the years. I very rarely watch his content anymore. His obsession with how women react to certain fragrances just isn't my style. I don't dislike him as a person for that, but I do wish he would use his influence in more of a way to advocate that women aren't just robots to smell your fragrance and tell you that you smell nice. I think his reliance on compliments has shrouded his ability to find new and interesting fragrances. A lot of his videos do contain the same fragrances that he has spoken about for 5 years now. 

I also have Office for Men and I think it's mediocre. Sauvage is much better and smoother. However, that is just more of a personal opinion than anything else. The other fragrances seem too sweet for me to even warrant trying. 

On the other hand, I see that Jeremy is just trying to have fun with what he loves. He's just a human like all of us are. We all make mistakes and have ups and downs. People are constantly ridiculing him and demeaning him, but he just comes back stronger every time. I respect his drive and motivation. 

People often accuse him of using drugs with no proof to back it up. Suspicion is not proof of any caliber. How would you like it if someone accused you of doing drugs because you liked to say silly things? It's not fair, is it? You would probably be livid about it. I don't think it's fair to say Jeremy is trying to steal people's money(even though the first Ferrari thing was a bit suspect, I will admit) because he asks people to buy his fragrances. Doesn't every businessman try to get you to buy their products? Isn't that what a business is? 

It's equally shameful for people to be so obsessed with every wrong step this man does. It's almost like they have to live their lives in an attempt to demean someone to feel some sort of self-worth. That is not a life worth living, folks. It's better to ignore all of the negative stuff and just embrace life and the wonders that it has. Getting that like on your Facebook or Instagram post is never going to make you feel complete. You have to do some soul searching and dig deep to find the difficult things to overcome in order to do that. Jeremy has found himself. Even though he still probably struggles, we all do. Have you found yourself or are you just trying to live vicariously through an internet personality in a vain attempt to fit in with the crowd?

At the end of the day, Jeremy isn't stopping any of us from living our lives. Our own mind is the only thing holding us back. Grown men don't sit around gossiping about other grown men. It's time to rip the bandage off and act like a grown-up. Just let the man live his life and you can live yours. That makes everyone happy. 

In closing, I do wish that Jeremy used his influence for more positive reasons, but at the end of the day it doesn't impact my life, so I don't care. I know some of you might try to say I care because I made this article, but I really don't. maybe this article will help someone. Maybe it will make me the laughing stock of the fragrance community. I will sleep just as well at night knowing I spoke up for what I thought was true and just. That is all that matters to me. 

I hope everyone has a fantastic day. Remember to say something positive to someone today. You never know when someone needs to hear it. Lots of people are struggling these days and a kind word is free!

I appreciate all of the support and keep smelling amazing. Until next time, be blessed!

One more side note- Don't ever listen to Jeremy's diet advice!

Want to see what is going on in my group and vote on my upcoming articles? We also discuss fragrances and fragrant topics in a drama-free environment. You won't see any troll Aventus and CDNIM posts in my group! Join my Facebook group!

Want to learn how to support my work? Click here

Follow me on Instagram!

Why you Should Wear Classic Fragrances

 

Greetings! I hope everyone is having a wonderful day today. I am doing just fine. It's a cool and rainy day here and I decided to wear some Rogue Bon Monsieur to go with it. Such a wonderful scent that I need to review at some point...

I have been watching for years and years as people have trashed classic fragrances as "dated" or "old man". If you follow my blog, then you know I love the classics, so I figured I would give my opinion on this. I am well aware that people have different tastes and "to each their own". I just want to illustrate some common misconceptions people might have about classic scents. This includes modern scents made in a classic style, such as Rogue Perfumery and Meleg Perfumes. 

Many people will probably disagree with me on these points, but that is okay. These just come from my personal experiences. I also know that someone will comment "99% of classics are shadows of their former selves", which a part of me thinks they hold that opinion because someone else said it or it's the cool thing to do. I don't know, but in regards to certain formulations, that statement has some vague validity to it. However, these things are not what I am discussing. I am speaking for vintage and modern iterations of classics. 

A classic fragrance to me is something made before 1990. Be sure to let me know what you think in the comments. If you reply on here, I do reply to every comment. Blogger just doesn't always tell people that I do. 

I have rambled on for long enough, let's get into it!


Classics are Still Made

Classic fragrances, such as the pictured Shalimar, have been produced since their introductions to the market. You don't typically go to a furniture store and see carpets and couches from the 70s that are still made today. Yes, some antique or very niche stores might have these things, but they are not mass-produced in the same styles as they were back then.

These vintage fragrances are still made today. That is because they are still being purchased...by a lot of people. Not all of those people are elderly either. I don't have any data to prove that, so it's just my assumption based on what I have personally seen. If there wasn't a market for them, then they wouldn't be produced. Businesses don't like losing money for nostalgia. 


Dated Smells

Can a smell actually be dated? What determines what is dated and what isn't? A scent memory of someone older wearing it? If that is the case, then Creed Aventus and Bleu de Chanel can be considered dated. I have smelled them on men who were over 50. What metrics do we use?

It seems like it's a misconception about something we are not familiar with. If something is new and foreign to us or it reminds of us something in the past, then we cast it off as dated or bad. The same thing goes for most oud scents. 

Early on, I wanted modern stuff too. I still like some modern fragrances. However, the more I explored the older fragrances, the more that I found that I liked them. They don't smell dated to me at all. Many do come off as products of their era though. 

I think our natural inclination towards progress and advancing technology makes us shy away from things of the past because we want to embrace the future. The future cannot happen without the past. 

Compliments

As many of you know, I shudder at the thought of talking about compliments. It's just not my style and I don't care about them. However, I realize that many people do, so I am going to cover it. 

I can count how many times I have been told that I smell old on one hand. I get far more positive comments on my classic fragrances than negative ones. You do have to have the presence to pull off these scents though. Wearing ripped skinny jeans is going to conflict with the vibe you are giving off with these. I am not saying that ripped skinny jeans are bad, only that they don't fit the classic style very well. 

I have been told that I smell very manly and masculine before wearing these scents, but I can only count the times that has happened on two hands. Most of the time people say "fresh" or that I just smell "good". 

I am not one to care what people think. I am 35. Some of the women who have complimented me have been in their 20s. Some of them don't like men smelling super sweet. Let's not put women in a box and say all of them like the same things. That's just not cool. If your goal is to impress every woman you come across, then you might need a reality check. Sorry, but I am not sorry. You only need to impress one, not all of them. The same goes for impress men, if that is your thing.


History


Houses like Guerlain, Penhaligon's, Floris, and Caron have been around a long time. There is a lot of history, love, and passion in their fragrances. These houses have been around for so long because they are making good fragrances.

Maybe I am a bit biased because I love history. This side of them just appeals to me. To think that some guy in the 60s shaved with the same shaving cream and slapped on some Eau Sauvage aftershave and then sprayed some on...That appeals to me. To think that some women might have worn Shalimar to celebrate their husbands returned from World War II. Maybe my mind is being too creative here, but those things intrigue me deeply. 

The fragrance that is pictured above is Guerlain Jicky EDP. It was the first fragrance to use synthetic vanilla and to make the Guerlainade that we all know today. It was revolutionary and led to many of the fragrances we have today. Yes, I do wear Jicky and I love the scent deeply. 


Masculinity

I am hesitant to cover this topic because I know someone will say "masculinity isn't in what you smell like. It's how you present yourself". That is very true, but at the same time, I can't help but to think that some of the classic women's fragrances such as Shalimar EDP, Jicky EDP, and Mitsouko EDP are more masculine smelling than many of today's men's releases. 

This is just my own perception of the scents though. I am not saying that all modern releases smell feminine to me. I wear plenty of unisex and feminine stuff. I do believe that fragrances are unisex, but some do have more masculine qualities than others. 

I think part of this association is do to the men who were influential in raising us. They wore some of these fragrances and therefore we associate the smells with masculinity. Maybe the next generation will think that way for Bleu de Chanel and Creed Aventus. I am not sure, but it would make sense.

I see a lot of men asking for masculine scents. Classics will give you that. I also see people asking for "alpha male" fragrances, which I find to be humorous. I will probably get some heat for this. but the whole alpha male ideology is flawed to me. No fragrance will make you an alpha male, even though I don't think alpha males exist. It's just some fantasy/facade that guys have that makes them cover up their insecurities. There are men and there are boys. That is my take on it. A fragrance isn't going to make you appear as either if you are a man. 


Conclusion

I might have upset some people with what I said in this one, but I still love all of you. I just try o speak from my heart. Sometimes I can be a bit opinionated and abrasive. That is just who I am. 

Remember to say some kind words to someone today. You never know what they are going through. You could be the voice that makes a difference. Keep smelling great and being great. Thank you for the support. Until next time, be safe.

Feel free to connect with me! My Facebook

Want to see what is going on in my group and vote on my upcoming articles? We also discuss fragrances and fragrant topics in a drama-free environment. You won't see any troll Aventus and CDNIM posts in my group! Join my Facebook group!

Want to learn how to support my work? Click here

Follow me on Instagram!

Why I Dislike Discussing Performance

 

Photo by Castorly Stock from Pexels

Good afternoon! I hope everyone had a blessed and merry Christmas! Mine was pretty good. I had a few readers actually chip in to buy me a 180ml Fico di Amalfi and a decant of Azzaro Wild Mint, so I am pumped about that. Some of you who chipped in are probably reading this, so thank you again. 

How a fragrance performs is often the most intensely debated topic in the fragrance community. I dislike talking about performance, even though I just made an article a few days ago that listed the performance that I get from fragrances. I really dislike speaking about such things and I am going to tell you why. 

Many of you know, that I have held a belief that performance is overrated for a long time, but a recent video by Mr. Smelly(link) Inspired me to cover the topic again. For the record, I agree with everything he says in this video, even though I think my take is a bit different than his. 

I hope you enjoy this one. Remember folks, this is only my opinion. You are free to your own opinions. I am simply stating my case against the performance culture in the fragrance community. Take it as you will. Let's get into it!


Performance is a Guess

Yep, you heard it from me. Most of us reviewers just guess about projection and performance based on comments from others. Like Mr. Smelly said in his video, we can't smell how strong a fragrance is on us. Sometimes you can get feedback from people, but that also tends to vary significantly depending on their perception of the fragrance and how long they have been exposed to it. 

There is no way to accurately gauge performance. You can't just say, I can or can't smell it, so it lasts a certain amount of time. It's like throwing darts at a map and aiming at one continent and hitting a country in it. It's in the same area, but it's still not as accurate as simply choosing where you want to go. 

There is no way that any reviewer, despite how good their nose may or may not, can tell you how well a fragrance performs with any sort of standard accuracy. Most of the time we just say how long we can smell it, which is a shot in the dark if the fragrance is still there or not. I have had fragrances vanish to my nose, only to come back hours later. It's just something that is too subjective with too many variables to track.

This also goes for random people on Fragrrntica and in the Facebook groups as well. We are all guessing.


The Pressure

Oftentimes, we reviewers are pressured into talking about performance. At least, I feel like I am sometimes. If I post a SOTD or article then people will ask how it performs and not what it smells like. That is quite possibly one of the most annoying things to me. It has become a pet peeve of mine, honestly. I do understand that people are in different stages in their perfume discovery and YouTube influence has a lot of sway on newer people into the community, but it's just frustrating when it seems like that is all people care about.

So, we almost feel obligated to make guesses about performance and what weather to wear stuff in because people constantly ask us those questions. It gets really tiring answering the same thing over and over. At some point, you just give up and guess so they will stop asking. I love interacting with people, but I would much rather talk about notes and what fragrances smell like than compliments and performance. 


Value vs Quality 

I see many people say that notes that last a long time are of higher quality. I vehemently disagree with this assumption. There are many expensive notes and accords that do not last very long. For instance, many citruses do not last very long. Now, some of the heavier notes like woods, vanilla, and some florals will last a long time in their natural form. 

However, the thought that performance is equal to quality is flawed to me. To me, that would be valuable to a person who is concerned about performance. The value would be getting what you want for a good price. A bergamot oil that is natural is still a high-quality note, even if it doesn't last long. A synthetic bergamot note that lasts longer, like the one in Dior Sauvage, would be an example of value to some people.

Just because you don't enjoy a note/accord or how it performs, that doesn't mean its quality is decreased by any margin. It just means it's not valuable to you. 


Please Smell Me

It seems primitive to me that some guys want others to always smell them. It's like some sort of animalistic mating call in the animal kingdom to me. They seek out the heaviest projection fragrances and overspray. Now, I am not saying overspraying is terrible, just the motive behind it might not be agreeable to me.

If you are doing it with the sole purpose to get reactions from people, then I think that could be an issue. I just think always seeking the approval of others is a toxic mentality to yourself. I don't seek approval from anyone, that is why I make articles such as this. It's because I flow to the beat of my own drum and I expect there to be negative reactions from this one, but I do it anyway, despite my generally positive outlook on things. 


Pressuring Perfumers

I have spoken to many perfumers. Some of them have voiced their distaste for people wanting long-lasting fragrance, even if it means the fragrance won't smell like they want it to. They have spoken of feeling crippled to use certain ingredients and not being allowed to be as creative as they want. If they were that creative, then people wouldn't buy their stuff because they wouldn't last for eight hours. 

I think it's a bad thing when the whole performance thing is so mainstream that it makes perfumers have to choose between creativity and staying in business. I wonder what amazing and inspiring creations we would have if this wasn't the case. This is why I speak out against this sort of mentality. We should never be seeking to hinder someone's creative freedom based on such trivial things. 


Being Noseblind 

This is something that everyone says, so I feel like I have to include it as well. I often see people say that fragrances only last 20 minutes. I have never smelled or worn a fragrance that lasts 20 minutes in my 34 years of life. I have probably smelled at least a thousand fragrances. Even 4711 lasts longer than that. I am not sure if this is an over-exaggeration or if it's caused by an outside factor

These situations can be caused by many different things such as weather, number of sprays, diet, and many other things. Some fragrance notes need heat to make them perform as intended. Overspraying overloads your nose with alcohol, so it can make you not able to smell anything. Using more sprays doesn't mean you will smell it more with fragrances.

Your diet can play into this. Your skin and nose both need nutrients and water to perform correctly. There have been studies that the overconsumption of some foods are linked to body odor as well, even with healthy foods such as garlic. 

One other possibility is that people just aren't familiar with fragrances and expect them to smell like the opening for the whole time, then they can't detect the dry down. This is very rarely the case, unless it's a very linear fragrance. 


Hype

I think many people fall into the hype regarding performance because everyone else speaks about it. When it's spoken about ad nauseam in the groups and YouTube videos, then it tends to stick. Repetition is one of the best ways to learn, so when this stuff is repeated so often, people don't second guess it and just go with it.  

Many of us, including myself, started to learn early on from Jeremy Fragrance. One of the things he pushes heavily is performance, so I think some of it can be attributed to that. I find it amusing that some people like to hate on Jeremy, while they promote many of the same things that he does. That was just a random musing. 


Conclusion

I am going to go back to not mentioning performance in my reviews most of the time unless I think it's merited. I honestly don't care about it that much and it dreads me to speak about it. I would much rather spend time speaking about how the fragrances make me feel or what it makes me think of. 

I could probably come up with many more topics about why I don't like talking about performance, but I am already tired of talking about it from this article. It's just very mundane to me. Perhaps that is because I err more on the artistic side of things and want to discover perfumes and not just wear them. 

I hope I didn't offend anyone with this article. If I did...then perhaps my blog isn't the place for you. I am sorry to be so direct and forthcoming, but that is just how I feel. I want to get back to reviewing things that are fun and inspirational to me. I care nothing about hype and compliments. I didn't start this blog to be rich and famous. I don't even run ads, even though I can. I started it as a passion and I am going to let my passion show and not feel pressured into speaking about things that don't interest me. The soul of the perfume interests me. It always has and it always will. 

I hope everyone has a fantastic day. Remember to say something kind to someone today. You never know who is struggling, especially after the holidays. A kind word is all it takes to make a friend or to help someone through a rough time. I hope everyone is looking forward to a new year and getting past the trials of this year. The future is always bright if you look at it from the proper angle. 


Feel free to connect with me! My Facebook

Want to see what is going on in my group and vote on my upcoming articles? We also discuss fragrances and fragrant topics in a drama-free environment. You won't see any troll Aventus and CDNIM posts in my group! Join my Facebook group!

Want to learn how to support my work? Click here

Follow me on Instagram!