New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

the horror of 4711

post #1 of 28
6/3/08 at 10:01pm
Thread Starter 
i put a dab on my wrist today.....i SERIOUSLY wanted to throw up.

i don't think i've ever smelled a scent so nauseating before........seriously.

even the memory of the scent is making me wanna boot right now! UGH
Reply
Reply

Features on Basenotes

Basenotes Reader Awards 2013 - Finalists Announced.
Greatest Hits: Annick Menardo
Petals Falling From The Sky - A Report From The Cote d'Azur's Bataille De Fleurs
post #2 of 28
6/3/08 at 11:15pm
granted it's not the most complex scent ever - but I personally find it refreshing, calming and enjoyable. It's not quite Acqua di Parma, and probably only something I'd wear round the house or to the grocery store... but it's pleasant.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 28
6/3/08 at 11:18pm
At least it wasn't a massive blowing of money?
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 28
6/3/08 at 11:46pm
I recently had the pleasure (misfortune) of experiencing a similar effect .. with an Ava Luxe scent
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 28
6/4/08 at 2:24am
Is it really so black (or white) with fragrances?? Maybe your bottle didn't have the real (fresh) juice! I have yet to gag on a fragrance but apparently it happens often enough - so I don't doubt your word in the least.

My mom used to have a small bottle on her dresser but honestly I can't remember how it smells. (Maybe she didn't reach for it that often.) This thread is yet another reminder that I've got to try this one out.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 28
6/4/08 at 2:49am
Nauseating? No, just a terminally boring and laughably short lived eau de cologne. Fine, I suppose, for geriatric German dowagers and college kids on extreme budgets. (What else can you buy by the half gallon, let alone for that price?)
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 28
6/4/08 at 3:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tvlampboy View Post

Nauseating? No, just a terminally boring and laughably short lived eau de cologne. Fine, I suppose, for geriatric German dowagers and college kids on extreme budgets. (What else can you buy by the half gallon, let alone for that price?)

I'd be happy if most "kids" at uni wore 4711 - its far better than the usual stink of sweat you get in summer months. Sometimes a class smells more of a locker room than a class.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 28
6/4/08 at 3:17am
All I have to say is "Farina" (Jean Marie Farina Extra Vieille by Roger & Gallet, cheap & excellent, or the original Farina Gegenüber, expensive & excellent).
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 28
6/4/08 at 4:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tvlampboy View Post

...I suppose, for geriatric German dowagers and college kids on extreme budgets. (What else can you buy by the half gallon, let alone for that price?)

Anybody who expects 4711 to last misses the whole point of the classical cologne. There are far worse body fresheners than 4711 which is not meant to have a lasting smell at all. The smell of citrus (and rosemary) is usually perceived as refreshing and clean for the short period it is around. It's not the fault of colognes from the 17th - 18th centuries to have become so popular that house cleaners and dishwaters smell similar all over the world now. I agree that there are much better 'eaux' than 4711, but the difference between it and the Farinas, or Guerlain's classical eaux are sometimes overstated. Emphasizing extremes seems to be a must for perfume discussions to stay alive
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 28
6/4/08 at 5:13am
I have the same effect when I smell A*Men.

I want to like it, but I just can't get past it.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 28
6/4/08 at 5:20am
I find the stuff to be pretty darn vulgar.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 28
6/4/08 at 5:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruggles View Post

I find the stuff to be pretty darn vulgar.

which, to paraphrase Turin, is not a bad thing in itself. But...
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 28
6/4/08 at 7:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by the_good_life View Post

which, to paraphrase Turin, is not a bad thing in itself. But...

But, you say?
4711 smells like a cheap souvenir of a mom and pop drugstore from hell.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 28
6/4/08 at 7:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by everso View Post

i put a dab on my wrist today.....i SERIOUSLY wanted to throw up.

i don't think i've ever smelled a scent so nauseating before........seriously.

even the memory of the scent is making me wanna boot right now! UGH

I don't understand your reaction. It's just a faint citrus scent that disappears in 5 minutes. There should be dozens of feminish citrus scents that you'd react worse to than this one.
Renato
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 28
6/4/08 at 7:31am
I enjoy 4711. It wouldn't be an every day frag, but the historical perspective it has in fragrance history is interesting. I find it an acceptable aftershave (certainly better than Royall, but not as refreshing as Trumper's), and there is a cooling/calming effect I get that works nicely on hot days.

In the historical sense, I can definitely see this as a handkerchief frag - it does last longer on cloth and would probably have helped ameliorate some of the more animalistic(?) scents one would encounter throughout the day. Chamber pots, ahoy! And such.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 28
6/4/08 at 7:33am
I find it to be a perfectly lovely 'freshener', specially after a shower on a hot summer day. It has been a staple in our home since long before I was born, my grandmother was from Prussia and she instilled a love of it, and I will always have a need for it. It is not meant to be a 'fragrance' per-se, it is a 'pick-me-up' type of product, and let me tell you, it is quite invigorating on a hot day. I personally detest air-conditioning, most french people do as a rule, and it is like quick 'cool-down' for the skin. On a hot summer day I would rather have my jug of 4711, than my Über-priced Djedi, or other Guerlain marvels.
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 28
6/4/08 at 7:44am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Renato View Post

I don't understand your reaction. It's just a faint citrus scent that disappears in 5 minutes. There should be dozens of feminish citrus scents that you'd react worse to than this one.
Renato

it's not faint...it's VERY sweet....sweet like some kind of household cleaner mixed with fruit juice mixed with vinegar...it has this odd 'sourness' to it....like something has gone rotten...

it sort of smelled like a garbage bag full of old fruit and oranges!

i dunno. i think alot of people are fascinated by its history and all....i don't care about that, i was just trying the scent out
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 28
6/4/08 at 9:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by everso View Post

it's not faint...it's VERY sweet....sweet like some kind of household cleaner mixed with fruit juice mixed with vinegar...it has this odd 'sourness' to it....like something has gone rotten...

it sort of smelled like a garbage bag full of old fruit and oranges!

i dunno. i think alot of people are fascinated by its history and all....i don't care about that, i was just trying the scent out

Many years ago, when they used to give people refresher towelettes on planes, they used to smell of 4711. I guess that's where I got used to it. I do understand the "sourness" you mention, I just don't find it disagreeable.

Also, tonight 4711 is making a liar out of me. I bought a cheap bottle of it for my wife a while back. So I sprayed some on the back of my hand two hours ago. And it's still there!

Which means that other threads I've written are now incorrect. When I wrote that Neroli Sauvage only outlasts 4711, I was wrong. It now outlasts nothing relative to this bottle of 4711.
Renato
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 28
6/4/08 at 12:35pm
It is virtually impossible to underestimate the influence of the eau de cologne: The first time that different fragrance oils were mixed into a composition. The first time that they were mixed with a fixative such as musk to make the scent last longer. The first time that they were mixed with alcohol to assist in the evaporation -- and therefore transmission -- of the scent. The creation of the first "category" of fragrance. Hundreds of fragrances, from simple household products, as has already been noted, all the way to super-expensive niche houses, have explored the eau de cologne formula.

I find nothing sour about 4711. I actually prefer it to other, more expensive eaux -- I smelled Caswell-Massey Number 6 last week, for example, and was disappointed at its lack of rose or rosemary in the heart. Like the difference between 2-D and 3-D.

Nevertheless, 4711 is not my favorite eau de cologne. Just about every eau that Guerlain has made is a masterpiece. But, compared to a Guerlain's price, 4711 ain't half bad, and I would certainly like to have both in my wardrobe.
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 28
6/4/08 at 12:48pm
I prefer Berdoues 1902 "Naturelle" Eau de Cologne. It's the same type of scent, but is smoother. 4711 is too sharp to my nose and ends up giving me a headache (which is exactly opposite of what it is supposed to do!).
Reply
Reply
post #21 of 28
6/4/08 at 1:01pm
I think 4711 is just fine for what it is and the price that it costs. But I also prefer the Berdoues 1902 EDCs which I can find cheaper.
Reply
Reply
post #22 of 28
6/4/08 at 1:07pm
I third the preference for Berdoues, which I can find for $7.99 per jug.

That said, I have no problem with 4711. Like Hoos, I frequently use it as aftershave. It dies off quickly and I can follow it with a variety of different scents.
Reply
Reply
post #23 of 28
6/4/08 at 1:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by everso View Post

i put a dab on my wrist today.....i SERIOUSLY wanted to throw up.

i don't think i've ever smelled a scent so nauseating before........seriously.

even the memory of the scent is making me wanna boot right now! UGH

Quick...see a Doctor. That is not a normal reaction to fragrance.
Reply
Reply
post #24 of 28
6/4/08 at 1:21pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by samplermike View Post

Quick...see a Doctor. That is not a normal reaction to fragrance.


i am a doctor
Reply
Reply
post #25 of 28
6/4/08 at 1:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TBoner View Post

I third the preference for Berdoues, which I can find for $7.99 per jug.

I am intrigued that three people in a row mentioned this. Where do you get it for $7.99? I only see one place on the internet that has it, and it is fifty dollars.
Reply
Reply
post #26 of 28
6/4/08 at 1:51pm
I get it on the cheap at TJX stores. I bought 3 large (10 oz? more?) bottles, and likely won't ever need to pay for it again.
Reply
Reply
post #27 of 28
6/4/08 at 1:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Advocate View Post

I am intrigued that three people in a row mentioned this. Where do you get it for $7.99? I only see one place on the internet that has it, and it is fifty dollars.

I have found the Berdoues 1902 colognes for $7.99 at both Marshalls and TJ Maxx (15+ ounces). Sometimes cheaper if you find it in the clearance section. I have found 4 different scents:

Naturelle
Lavender
Green Tea
Vetiver
Reply
Reply
post #28 of 28
6/4/08 at 2:21pm
stop letting this man suffer this indignity. Get him some Yatagan!!
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: MFD Archive