I've been lurking around your forum obsessively for about a week. It all started when I decided to buy my boyfriend something to replace the David Beckham stuff his ex bought him. He doesn't wear cologne everyday, and David Beckham is all he has. That, and a Hugo Boss deodorant stick that he "saves" for special occasions. 
I ended up at a department store fragrance section, and beelined towards the scent that I adored as a teenager - Acqua Di Gio. It was an instant disappointment, not at all what my sixteen-year-old self thought it was cracked up to be. I only sniffed a few others, including Hugo XY, Dolce & Gabbana, and Chanel Allure Homme Sport. In my confusion, I bought and took home Chanel Allure Homme Sport EDT, with a bonus deodorant stick to appease my boyfriend's love of upscale deodorant. Now I'm not so sure of my choice. It's not that I don't like it, it's just that I can't help wondering if I made too hasty a decision.
I have so many questions... my boyfriend is largely uninitiated to the world of fragrance, and thus tends to prefer very safe scents - is Allure Homme Sport a safe bet? Then again, do I want to buy him something completely ordinary and safe? Is it ordinary? He told me that he avoids heavy scents - is Allure Homme Sport considered heavy, or light and fresh? And by avoiding heavy scents, I don't want to buy him something that has no lasting power (the reason why I nixed XY, because after 5 minutes I could no longer smell it).
And most importantly, why can't I trust my own nose when it comes to answering these questions??? The salesman at the store sent me home with several samples, and over the last week I've been reading basenotes reviews while sniffing. Not only am I rarely able to pick out the various notes in any of the fragrances, but some that are supposed to be "fresh and fruity" smell old and musty to me (Chanel Chance) and even then, my opinions change from day to day. Two days ago, all I could smell of the Allure Homme Sport was the cedar and I wanted to return the bottle immediately, but today it's the citrus and aquatic notes and I like it again. I still can't stand Chance, even though I loved Coco Mademoiselle from the first spray and they're supposed to be very similar fragrances.
How did you all develop such fine noses for fragrance? Do you find that you have certain instinctual preferences that have never changed, or has your perspective of what is good or bad shifted since you became a fragrance enthusiast? Are you usually instantly sure if you like a scent, or does it take time for them to grow on you? Is there a fragrance FAQ sheet somewhere that newbs like me can refer to, such as a glossary of terms?
I'd love any input you all might have re: my choice of scent for my boyfriend, and how best to learn to appreciate fragrances. I have to say, I'm as fascinated as I am bewildered by this world of olfactory delights!
I ended up at a department store fragrance section, and beelined towards the scent that I adored as a teenager - Acqua Di Gio. It was an instant disappointment, not at all what my sixteen-year-old self thought it was cracked up to be. I only sniffed a few others, including Hugo XY, Dolce & Gabbana, and Chanel Allure Homme Sport. In my confusion, I bought and took home Chanel Allure Homme Sport EDT, with a bonus deodorant stick to appease my boyfriend's love of upscale deodorant. Now I'm not so sure of my choice. It's not that I don't like it, it's just that I can't help wondering if I made too hasty a decision.
I have so many questions... my boyfriend is largely uninitiated to the world of fragrance, and thus tends to prefer very safe scents - is Allure Homme Sport a safe bet? Then again, do I want to buy him something completely ordinary and safe? Is it ordinary? He told me that he avoids heavy scents - is Allure Homme Sport considered heavy, or light and fresh? And by avoiding heavy scents, I don't want to buy him something that has no lasting power (the reason why I nixed XY, because after 5 minutes I could no longer smell it).
And most importantly, why can't I trust my own nose when it comes to answering these questions??? The salesman at the store sent me home with several samples, and over the last week I've been reading basenotes reviews while sniffing. Not only am I rarely able to pick out the various notes in any of the fragrances, but some that are supposed to be "fresh and fruity" smell old and musty to me (Chanel Chance) and even then, my opinions change from day to day. Two days ago, all I could smell of the Allure Homme Sport was the cedar and I wanted to return the bottle immediately, but today it's the citrus and aquatic notes and I like it again. I still can't stand Chance, even though I loved Coco Mademoiselle from the first spray and they're supposed to be very similar fragrances.
How did you all develop such fine noses for fragrance? Do you find that you have certain instinctual preferences that have never changed, or has your perspective of what is good or bad shifted since you became a fragrance enthusiast? Are you usually instantly sure if you like a scent, or does it take time for them to grow on you? Is there a fragrance FAQ sheet somewhere that newbs like me can refer to, such as a glossary of terms?
I'd love any input you all might have re: my choice of scent for my boyfriend, and how best to learn to appreciate fragrances. I have to say, I'm as fascinated as I am bewildered by this world of olfactory delights!
