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male fragrances you didn't like but girls do

post #1 of 22
12/11/07 at 12:06pm
Thread Starter 
Hi guys. As a rookie starting to get fragrances, I often find myself pretty clueless in the store. I would smell something I don't like, sometimes I feel it was too strong or too spicy, but the salesgirl said she liked it. She seemed honest to me and not just trying to get a sale. I think fragrances sell themselves, you either want it or you don't want it, I could be wrong but the salespeople wouldn't actually lie and stuff would they?

So what do you guys think? Is it still like any other product where someone has to try to sell it? Besides the ads, I mean regular nice day job people, how many do you think share their honest opinion? Because I've asked to smell something before and a salesgirl said Eh it doesn't smell good. Also, do you guys recall any frags where supposedly many girls like it but you don't, and would like to share or any comment at all? Whether or not it's one of those really really common frags that everyone has and carries that negative connotation about being common, some girls admit it does smell good anyway. Thanks a lot!
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post #2 of 22
12/11/07 at 2:08pm
Well, first of all, sales assistants are working on a commission and manager do ask them to push certain products. However, that does not mean that the girl you asked is not telling you the truth. Contrary to the some here on Basenotes I actually believe that SA are decent people just doing their job. They can actually give you an honest opinion.
On your second question.. Perhaps the only tendency I have noted is that some women are not that crazy about woody heavy scents and actually like sweet, floral and fresh scents on a man. IF he smells clean, then he's got some appeal. For each scent you do not like there will be a group of women that will love it. Kouros, Amen, Polo Green, Joop, Aqua di Gio, Dior, CK one, Happy, Old Spice...

A scent I do not like but many people love is Cool Water. Envy too.
scents I like but many people do not Black Aoud and YSL pour Homme, M7.
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post #3 of 22
12/11/07 at 10:02pm
Heh, when I read the title of the thread I thought you meant "frags you didn't like on yourself, but that girls do [like to wear]"

Which of course made my beloved Prada Amber PH come to mind. Granted, I DO like it, a lot, but I know a lot of guys find it too feminine or soft, and a lot of women like it on themselves.

Regarding the actual question, just wear what you like. Never buy anything without trying it on your skin first, and wearing it all the way through its drydown. Don't worry if the sales person likes it. The only person whose opinion should really matter is your significant other if you have one.
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post #4 of 22
12/12/07 at 12:45pm
At work, I am surrounded by mostly women, of different ages and backgrounds, so I like to test out my colognes and ask their opinions.

I wasn't too impressed by Endymion but I was astonished by how many women I asked to smell it said they absolutely loved it.

I agree that women tend to prefer the sweeter scents or very fresh. Scents like Knize Ten or Blenheim bouquet are a bit harsh and many men enjoy but women don't seem to like as much.
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post #5 of 22
12/12/07 at 9:29pm
Sadly enough, even as a rookie myself, I have noticed several sales-folk as being pretty clueless scent-wise. I asked about Herme's Jardin en Mediterranee and was told that it was fresh and clean... I mean this is fig-gy and earthy (!?). It's a wonderful and deep scent, but in my mind it's far from fresh and clean ocean-y. Did she think she could fake it on the name?? The same sales woman was surprised when I said I thought Herme's Kelly Caleche was rosey... so she left for a few moments to look up / read the detail on the perfume to tell me it has tuberose and iris. So I say go with your gut on what something smells like and take the sales people with a grain of salt. Some of them are very good at what the do, others unfortunately aren't.
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post #6 of 22
12/12/07 at 11:10pm
Lately I have been surprised with some female reactions on my colognes, my collection bordering 97 total, anyway, MONTANA for men cheapie blue box... tons of compliments from my female coworkers.I like it OK. but it is not even close to my favs. go figure.... another big one lately Dunhill Desire men, I hope this helps a little, good luck.
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post #7 of 22
12/12/07 at 11:47pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all these comments guys. I've heard once that many girls like similar scents and you could ask the salesgirl for her opinion and if she likes it, chances are other girls will too. I only took this into consideration of course.

I'll share an experience with a specific fragrance. I was looking around and the sales girl shows me Bulgari Blu. She asks me if I've smelled this before and I said no, so she gives a spray on a paper. I personally thought it smelled kinda weird, definitely had a blue feeling. I ended up getting something else that day. I came back to the same store but happened to be a different salesgirl. She also shows me Blu and again I just thought it smelled weird. I check out 3-4 more frags and look down on all the strips of paper to recap. I smell the Bulgari again and ask Do you really like this one? She smells it and smiles and says Yeah. Then she continues to smell it, closes her eyes, and smiles like she remembers something nice. Since I'm young and naive I decided to get it. I couldn't believe it had that kind of effect on her.

I think salesgirls often show you fragrances they personally like. I noticed that more than one salesgirl showed me a certain frag so it had to be a favorable one. So it was a Bulgari where I didn't like but I met girls who did. Thanks again and please bear with me I'm young!
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post #8 of 22
12/13/07 at 12:38am
Two SA offering the same product... i think they aer actually pushing it. Think about this. You are the manager of the sales assistants and X brand of perfume is not selling as much as you expected. What are you going to do, tell the SA that they can offer whatever they want? No, you would actually ask your people to suggest x brand to all the customers so you can get all those bottles out of your shelves. If I were SA I would offer you two kinds of EDTs: the one that is not selling very well and the one I believe you are going to buy. If you are 20 I'd give you something like Lacoste Essential. If you are 40 I will offer Terre Dolce and Gabanna becuase eventhough I do not like either one of those I know you are likly to buy them.
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post #9 of 22
12/13/07 at 8:42am
I don't think you should blindly trust the salesgirl at her own counter. The best opinion would be the opinion of a salesgirl from another counter, as long as she doesn't immediately send you to her own.

Maybe ask a random shopper. She might think you're hitting on her, but that's not the worst thing in the world.
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post #10 of 22
12/14/07 at 10:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bernat View Post

I don't think you should blindly trust the salesgirl at her own counter. The best opinion would be the opinion of a salesgirl from another counter, as long as she doesn't immediately send you to her own.

Maybe ask a random shopper. She might think you're hitting on her, but that's not the worst thing in the world.

The department store SA's are crap. Most of them are not store employee's thus the hard sell tactics that burn out the customers. And yes they will lie to you. I'll bet that SA didn't give a **** about whatever she's assigned for the day.

Reps get hired by fragrance wholesalers to work on comission. This is why you see one person pushing fragrances from only one line, or assigned to different lines put out by the same house.

Representing fragrances isn't very hard work, and so it attracts bored housewifes and other maladjusted people. The floor managers hate the SA's, since they annoy and overwhelm the customers.

This support system is one reason why most department stores have such a limited selection of fragrances, the older/obscure stuff doesn't get the same level of support. Why stock Lolita Lempicka, if the wholesaler will only give you support on the current Burberry line?

Many department stores will also have fragrances available in the men's department, and you should be able to try them to your hearts content without any pushy SA's.
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post #11 of 22
12/14/07 at 11:32pm
As far as fragrances that I didn't like but women did...hands down winner is acqua di gio. Maybe its a skin chemistry thing, but that has given me the most. Unforgivable would probably be second.
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post #12 of 22
12/15/07 at 1:35am
I blind bought DKNY Be Delicious. Used it only once. I think it's way to static, it smell the same all the time, no dry down-change. It smells like some of the cheap AXE-deodorants available here in europe. But a female friend loved it and said I couldn't sell it as I was about to...
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post #13 of 22
12/17/07 at 9:39pm
Thread Starter 
I'm sorry if the moderators mind that I brought up multiple issues; I just realized that.

I think it's obvious when it's the big department store with it's limited selection and a sales person spraying everyone walking by. But I have a little more faith at a small perfume outlet store with a much larger selection. This one store I almost feel like a regular at, has girls that seem down to earth and work there probably just for college.

I've heard of positive feedback from Azzaro Chrome but I didn't like it when I sampled it.
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post #14 of 22
12/19/07 at 6:29am
I do not like M7 by YSL but women ALWAYS compliment me on it when I wear it. Go figure.
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post #15 of 22
1/24/08 at 5:24pm
Armani Black Code doesn't agree with my nose, but women love it.
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post #16 of 22
1/24/08 at 8:26pm
As the Acqua di Gio haters club throws this one away. I know plenty of women who love the smell. Hey, it's about what we like, right? Obscurity doesn't necessarily entail great fragrance.
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post #17 of 22
1/25/08 at 5:34am
I was going on holiday with one of my gay harem, and he tried something on in the Duty Free which smelled terrific. Of all things, it was XS Black!

My other half used to routinely spray his armpits with Lynx (I think it's called Axe in the US) but I've now got him wearing VIW.

A lot of guys just want to smell fresh and clean, but I loathe aquatics. I like warm fragrances both on myself and on men - woods, ambers, leathers.
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post #18 of 22
1/27/08 at 12:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jlan99 View Post

Do you really like this one? She smells it and smiles and says Yeah. Then she continues to smell it, closes her eyes, and smiles like she remembers something nice. Since I'm young and naive I decided to get it. I couldn't believe it had that kind of effect on her.

I think salesgirls often show you fragrances they personally like. I noticed that more than one salesgirl showed me a certain frag so it had to be a favorable one. So it was a Bulgari where I didn't like but I met girls who did. Thanks again and please bear with me I'm young!

You realise that most women are very good at faking?

Fact is SA's work on a spiff system, they get paid min wage plus bonuses for pushing a particular line. So long as they can get the cash out of your wallet, they will say anything. If I'm going to buy fragrances at full price, I'm going to do it my local beauty supply store or sephora. Then I don't have to deal with slimy and pushy sales associates. Sephora will gladly give you samples, and my local beauty supply store is a fun place to hang out.
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post #19 of 22
1/27/08 at 1:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nitromusk

You realise that most women are very good at faking?

hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
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post #20 of 22
1/27/08 at 8:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Indiscreet View Post

I was going on holiday with one of my gay harem, and he tried something on in the Duty Free which smelled terrific. Of all things, it was XS Black!

My other half used to routinely spray his armpits with Lynx (I think it's called Axe in the US) but I've now got him wearing VIW.

A lot of guys just want to smell fresh and clean, but I loathe aquatics. I like warm fragrances both on myself and on men - woods, ambers, leathers.

Congrats on getting your other half away from Axe. It's better than nothing, but it's like having McDonalds when you can eat Filet Mignon.
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post #21 of 22
1/28/08 at 2:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jlan99 View Post

Thanks for all these comments guys. I've heard once that many girls like similar scents and you could ask the salesgirl for her opinion and if she likes it, chances are other girls will too. I only took this into consideration of course.

I'll share an experience with a specific fragrance. I was looking around and the sales girl shows me Bulgari Blu. She asks me if I've smelled this before and I said no, so she gives a spray on a paper. I personally thought it smelled kinda weird, definitely had a blue feeling. I ended up getting something else that day. I came back to the same store but happened to be a different salesgirl. She also shows me Blu and again I just thought it smelled weird. I check out 3-4 more frags and look down on all the strips of paper to recap. I smell the Bulgari again and ask Do you really like this one? She smells it and smiles and says Yeah. Then she continues to smell it, closes her eyes, and smiles like she remembers something nice. Since I'm young and naive I decided to get it. I couldn't believe it had that kind of effect on her.

I think salesgirls often show you fragrances they personally like. I noticed that more than one salesgirl showed me a certain frag so it had to be a favorable one. So it was a Bulgari where I didn't like but I met girls who did. Thanks again and please bear with me I'm young!


That's OK. It's better than being old and cynical, though I've noticed, as I go through life, that it's rare to go into a Honda dealership and have the salesman tell you to buy a Volkswagen instead.

I get the feeling that had you gone back to that store a third time and met another sales girl she would also have been enraptured if not positively orgasmic over Bulgari Blu.

Yes, they're told what to push, oftentimes what's new or what's most popular.
And telling you she doesn't care for something before telling you what she recommends can be a way of gaining your confidence to clinch the sale.

Then again, they might have been entirely honest.

And as Bulgari Blu is not a bona fide horror, you will get compliments from girls who like you, and like that you're wearing a scent, period.

Next time, go with your nose.
Don't overdo the cardboard cards---hard to keep them apart, or really judge more than 3 scents at a time.

And always put the 'candidate' on your skin--it smells very different than on cardboard, then take a walk and let it develop. Good scents change over time, it's hard to judge just by the top notes.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Mario
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post #22 of 22
1/28/08 at 3:06am
I'm only lukewarm on GIT but women always compliment it.
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