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smelling cologne on yourself

post #1 of 11
3/24/08 at 12:29am
Thread Starter 
Hi there I just have a question, why is it when I wear aquatic type fragrances like Acqua Di Gio or D&G Light Blue I cannot smell them on myself after like a few mins but other people can smell them on me, but with colognes like Armani Code I can smell it on myself for hours, even the next day, can anyone tell me why this is??

cheers
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post #2 of 11
3/24/08 at 12:36am
Possibly you experience olfactory fatigue with aquatics a lot earlier after application, maybe?
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post #3 of 11
3/24/08 at 2:58am
Can't really explain it either, but just know that you are not alone. I notice that with some of my frags as well. I think that my frag has left the building and someone will say that I smell good and ask me what I'm wearing. I'm surprised cause I'm thinking that you can't smell it. Now my Angel, Alien, Belle En Rykiel, 2 Creeds and my So In Love I can smell it on me as long as I have it on until I wash it off.
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post #4 of 11
3/24/08 at 4:02am
Thread Starter 
Yeah it had me confused too, im thinking that in the Armani Code there is an ingredient that my nose can keep detecting even tho its on my body for hours where as the aquatics ones i wear after a few mins i cant detect the smell on me, maybe the code is just a stronger cologne too maybe its just projecting more? not sure..
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post #5 of 11
3/24/08 at 4:12am
I think the lighter scents, due to their 'inoffensive nature' get more easily tuned out by the brain. It's an evolutionary defense - the brain stops paying attention to inoffensive scents that linger so that it can process other stimuli - noticeably other scents that could warn of danger or disease, etc.
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post #6 of 11
3/24/08 at 11:31am
There are many factors that influence what you are expiriencing:
one is the complexity of the scent. The more the top notes differ from the basenotes, the higher the probability you will smell it during the day.
Another one is the place you apply it. Scents last longer on different parts of the body.
There is a family of fragrances just shut down my nose. They have above average sillage but I cannot detect it 5 min after I applied them (Eternity, Dolce and Gabanna Platinum Egoiste). I cannot really explain it but it just happens.
Another one has to do with your skin. Different scents react differently with you skin chemestry and heat. Some of them may evolve to become srtonger (not always a good thing).
Even the atomizer is importnat. Not all of them spray the same amount of juice.
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post #7 of 11
3/29/08 at 5:28pm
maybe this is a personal,, "defect" but i tend to have problems with new scents. and i really struggled with even smelling anything with most aquatic fragrances at first. i used to go department stores and do some card samples, get home, sniff them and couldnt actually smell a damned thing! now i own half a dozen and wonder why i couldnt smell anything 6 months ago.

Two that spring to mind are L'Eau D'Issey pour Homme and im too embaressed to admit to not being able to smell the other,,, Creed Erolfa,,, but to redeem myself i now own and love, and can smell, erolfa. and to redeem myself further i can also now smell that L'Eau D'Issey pour Homme is horrible, imho
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post #8 of 11
3/29/08 at 8:49pm
I find that I have to experiment to learn what is optimal for the particular frag. Some I apply twice to the same spot, whereas others I apply to spots separated by a small distance. Some are best on the chest whereas I like others on the arm, just above the wrist. Some I like to apply a spray to my shirt, whereas others I just want on my skin. Of course, some might require at least 4 or 5 sprays at one time whereas others work with just one or two.
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post #9 of 11
3/30/08 at 5:49pm
There's some possibility that I'm particularly slow but when I was inexperienced with frags I often wasn't able to distinguish the relatively faint smell of certain perfumes from other ambient smells. This is still sometimes the case with new frags. On application you get the strongest smell, right? And to compound the problem, often the drydown is pretty distinct from the first several minutes. So if you identify the first blast as the smell of the frag, after an hour you may find yourself not sure if that relatively quiet fragrance is what you're wearing or just some soap wafting through the room or whatever.
So see if you're better able to identify the subtle drydown stage of your fragrances better after several wearings, when you really know what you're sniffing for. Happy sniffing.
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post #10 of 11
4/2/08 at 10:38am
I spray colognes on my face and then one spray on the back of my left hand/wrist. The reason I do this is that the scents close to the nose the brain phases out so you can smell other things.

So, if you want to get an idea how well a scent is lasting on your skin, a spray on the back of the hand/wrist is a good way of getting an indication.

Even if I can no longer smell my SOTD on my face, a quick check of the hand/wrist will tell me all I need to know.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by softmatty View Post

maybe this is a personal,, "defect" but i tend to have problems with new scents. and i really struggled with even smelling anything with most aquatic fragrances at first. i used to go department stores and do some card samples, get home, sniff them and couldnt actually smell a damned thing! now i own half a dozen and wonder why i couldnt smell anything 6 months ago.

Two that spring to mind are L'Eau D'Issey pour Homme and im too embaressed to admit to not being able to smell the other,,, Creed Erolfa,,, but to redeem myself i now own and love, and can smell, erolfa. and to redeem myself further i can also now smell that L'Eau D'Issey pour Homme is horrible, imho


I agree, I hate Issey Miyake for men. And loads of women seem to like it, I think it's vile.
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post #11 of 11
4/2/08 at 11:32am
Nose fatigue...

You build a resistance to the scents that you are wearing. It doesn't help, as previously stated, that the aquatics are lighter and less offensive (to some). AdG is a very generic scent and is easily overlooked by the nose. I think that you are just used to those scents and you don't recognize them on your skin anymore.
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