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How picky are you?

post #1 of 7
2/23/06 at 1:18am
Thread Starter 
While reading these forums I have noticed that people have different threshholds at which they draw the line between "like" and "dislike"

How many of the things you have smelled have you liked? Disliked?

I was just thinking that I am about as unpicky as they come, although it is possible that I am just good at knowing *what* I want and then *trying*/*acquiring* it, because I have never bought any samples or decants or bottles that I have disliked. At worst a fragrance to me is "slightly boring" but even those serve their function well on a day when I can't handle any mental stimulation. But on the rare occasions that I go out and just sample random frags my like/dislike threshhold becomes a lot more rigid, so it is possible I am more picky than I think

Also, do you think pickiness about smells relates to food pickiness, fashion pickiness, other kinds of pickiness I can't think of right now? Musical pickiness? I am trying to think of a category in which I am especially picky and off the top of my head I have the weather but maybe that doesn't count. So. . .
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post #2 of 7
2/23/06 at 2:14am
What defines "pickiness" , I wonder...

What's picky to me might not be picky to another.

To be more personal though and answer your question I have noticed that the more one smells , the less picky one becomes in a way and the more picky in another way.

What I mean is : when one starts to smell many different perfumes one starts to evolve and differentiate nuances and become disillusioned of many products out there that are not original etc. On the other hand , the more one is into perfumery the more one understands that there are no bad smells. Bitter , harsh , urinous , fecal even , all have their place and reason. There is no bad smell for someone involved in smells , there is perhaps an unpleasant - yet interesting- smell , not a bad one. Like there is no bad colour for a painter or a bad note for a musician.

So "pickiness" has to do only with personal preferences and not objective attributes of the said perfume in my opinion.
It has to do with knowledge and expertise and that goes over all the aspects of visual/sensual matters you described ( food , fashion etc)
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post #3 of 7
2/23/06 at 2:23am
Think I'm getting pickier as i get older. We call it "choosy" over
the pond! I certainly seem to have more idea what I want now in terms of clothes,
home comforts, perfume etc. I also think that as life gets more comfortable-
kids grow up, wages increase etc it is easier to fulfill one's desires in general.
Since reading this website my nose is becoming pickier also!!! That sounds wierd
doesn't it? :-*
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post #4 of 7
2/23/06 at 5:07am
I am picky in my own way. I think my pickyness generaly has more to do with the ratio between pretention (including things like price, mythology and such) and result. Then of course there is personal taste, admiration for artisanal genius and memories involved. And experience and knowledge, like helg sais.

Most of the times I think am like you with scents Lonefish; I find them boring, interesting, pleasant or fantastic, for different reasons or unreasons. But it has happened that I have been repulsed with some scents though. Some considered cheap and some considered excellent. Oh, and then there is one particular wishy-washy mix of musc, sandalwood and alcohol, now and then appearing on some of the male customers where I work. Whatever it is I can´t stand it.
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post #5 of 7
2/23/06 at 5:23am
Oh, dear, I`m the opposite of picky; I`m not a gourmet, I`m a gourmand.
Less is NOT more, MORE is more.

:-X 8-)
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post #6 of 7
2/23/06 at 6:50am
I'm picky picky icky. Mostly from the standpoint that to 'like' a fragrance I have to like it all. I have no patience with the whole "wait for the drydown concept". I'm not willing to ugh along for a hour to get to the good stuff!

I've had this discussion--if the top notes suck, its like banging my head against the wall. The base seems great, because whew! at least that bitter note is gone! What a relief!

I've got a real problem with perfumes that bring a smile because part of them is finally gone. I mean, what's up with that?


I like fresh, pure, simple florals. They are beautiful to me. Other things that are interesting, with a 'gee, how did they do that' factor as part of the appeal, can stay on the Science channel.


And then there's Fumerie Turque. My mouth drops open, and it's oooohhhh time. Fresh florals? Who? Me? [smiley=huh.gif]

You must have me confused with someone else.... [smiley=wink.gif]
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post #7 of 7
2/23/06 at 2:40pm
Food--Zero pickiness. Will eat anything that isn't very spicey and hasn't spent too much time on the floor.

Clothing--Zero pickiness.Will wear anything. On gardening or remodeling days, I'll wear bag-lady clothes anywhere in public.

Music listening--Near-zero pickiness. Sorry, no country or religious music, please.

Fragrance--Picky! Picky! Picky! Having tested hundreds of fragrances, I've found only a half dozen to be bottle or decant worthy, and some of those I won't even bother to replace if I empty them.

Not finding a correlative amongst these fields.
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