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Which fragrance are you ashamed to love?

post #1 of 43
6/11/08 at 7:04pm
Thread Starter 
There are so many fragrances, mostly mainstream designer fare, which are slated on the boards - often in part due to being able to smell them on every other guy in the street. Whilst many are generally detested because they really are universally horrible, i want to know - which commonly hated fragrance do you secretly love?

I'll start the ball rolling.... i harbour a secret passion for carolina herrera's 212 men.

i know it's annoyingly commonplace, it's obnoxious with more than three sprays, and my mother refuses to be near me if i'm wearing it due to it's odd synthetic tang, but there's something in it's drydown which i find utterly irresistible.

come on guys, tell me your dirty little secrets!
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post #2 of 43
6/11/08 at 7:36pm
I would say Cool Water, but there seems to be a little bit of a CW revival as of late. More people are sticking up for it rather than passing it off as the synthetic bastard child of the beloved GIT. So I'm gonna say CK Euphoria. CK doesn't seem to get too much love around here, and Euphoria was especially blasted in the reviews, but I have to say, I just enjoy how it smells. It's crisp and refreshing and pretty versatile too.
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post #3 of 43
6/11/08 at 7:56pm
Salvatore Ferragamo PH and Fendi Uomo are high on my list of FU, I love them anyway frags.
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post #4 of 43
6/11/08 at 8:00pm
"...which commonly hated fragrance do you secretly love?"

I do not "secretly love" any fragrance. If I love a fragrance, I proudly wear it. That other basenoters think little of the fragrance is of no moment to me. I certainly take into account reviews and comments here in evaluating a fragrance. But once I fall in love with a fragrance, it doesn't matter to me that the consensus here is that it is a dud. Being able to fall in love with what others think little of is part of what makes me an individual.
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post #5 of 43
6/11/08 at 8:13pm
Xeryus Rouge and Friends Moschino take alot of flack, but I have no shame about wearing them. (Okay, maybe a little.) I am another person who enjoys 212 Herrera.
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post #6 of 43
6/11/08 at 8:31pm
I am not ashamed.

I proudly wear Canoe, David Beckham Instinct and Mediterraneum pour Homme.
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post #7 of 43
6/11/08 at 8:35pm
Acqua Di Gio! Love might be an extreme word though as no matter how good a fresh smelling fragrance is, I find it boring after a few wearings.
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post #8 of 43
6/11/08 at 8:38pm
I may try Euphoria based on the above. Thanks for the tip!

I'm pretty shameless, but some life choices have the added rush of people looking down their noses at me. For that....

CK Crave. Crappy reviews, smells like Martian grapefruit, written off as a skateboarder scent... What's not to love? Discontinued, even - the mark of a true guilty pleasure! I found some old ad copy, and the teenage male model looked like he was going to spit out gum and call me "dude". Perfect for a guy on the far side of midlife crisis.

In general, I like to switch to absurdly light sport scents every few days, just to keep my olfactory envelope pushed back in as many directions as possible. Acqua di Gio is a great scent, especially for its genre. But people need to try so much more - that would be my only criticism of its relentless popularity.

I agree - we shouldn't secretly love anything. Shame is so '50's. It went out with a lot of other stuff we don't need around here any more.
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post #9 of 43
6/11/08 at 11:20pm
Despite its popularity, I wear Chrome almost every day, which is why I recommend it a lot for a good all around fresh scent.
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post #10 of 43
6/11/08 at 11:57pm
Just about anything crapmeister Hugo Boss released. I know they're lightweight, throwaway scents, yet, somehow, I've wound up with just about all of them at one time or another. Lovin' me a little in motion creamsicle at this very moment.
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post #11 of 43
6/12/08 at 12:00am
I wear Stetson by Coty pretty regularly and have loved it for about 20 years now. Some may think it is a cheap drugstore scent, but women seem to love it as much as I do.
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post #12 of 43
6/12/08 at 12:13am
I'm not Ashamed of anything i own but i'll play along and say Paris Hilton. I have all 3 mens and i accually like all 3.
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post #13 of 43
6/12/08 at 1:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by noirwest View Post

Just about anything crapmeister Hugo Boss released. I know they're lightweight, throwaway scents, yet, somehow, I've wound up with just about all of them at one time or another. Lovin' me a little in motion creamsicle at this very moment.

haha me too.. secretly like the Hugo stuff
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post #14 of 43
6/12/08 at 1:04am
I have a few that I really like which wouldn't be seen as "cool" in the perfumisti community.

One of my all time favourite fragrances, niche or mainstream is Pierre Cardiin pour Homme. You can pick it up very cheap, but I just feel fantastic when I wear it.

I also think Eternity smells great and lasts well, and yes, I too like Cool Water, it's a big seller for a reason.
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post #15 of 43
6/12/08 at 1:42am
My least "cool" fragrance is probably the FCUK Him. It is also my SOTD today.
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post #16 of 43
6/12/08 at 6:33am
Oh yes, I am totally ashamed to say that I secretly love CK One, Acqua di Gio, Leau dIssey and Sunder Sun so please guys dont tell that to anyone other-wise people would probably despise me and treat me like I am a war criminal or something like that
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post #17 of 43
6/12/08 at 6:44am
Hmmm... I'm not ashamed really... but I probably wouldn't tell the whole world I actually really like Yardley's "Lily of the Valley".

There are a couple of fragrances I'm ashamed to say I hate though - especially with the reviews they get here!
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post #18 of 43
6/12/08 at 6:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Redneck Perfumisto View Post

I may try Euphoria based on the above. Thanks for the tip!

I'm pretty shameless, but some life choices have the added rush of people looking down their noses at me. For that....

CK Crave. Crappy reviews, smells like Martian grapefruit, written off as a skateboarder scent... What's not to love? Discontinued, even - the mark of a true guilty pleasure! I found some old ad copy, and the teenage male model looked like he was going to spit out gum and call me "dude". Perfect for a guy on the far side of midlife crisis.

In general, I like to switch to absurdly light sport scents every few days, just to keep my olfactory envelope pushed back in as many directions as possible. Acqua di Gio is a great scent, especially for its genre. But people need to try so much more - that would be my only criticism of its relentless popularity.

I agree - we shouldn't secretly love anything. Shame is so '50's. It went out with a lot of other stuff we don't need around here any more.

I really like CK Crave too. I guess this would be my guilty pleasure. I like the citrus smell and there seemed to be a hint of musty old book that makes it enjoyable for me.
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post #19 of 43
6/12/08 at 7:44am
Prob'ly Mulhen's 4711.
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post #20 of 43
6/12/08 at 10:11am
Axe Proximity Amber. Ha.
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post #21 of 43
6/12/08 at 12:46pm
I love Polo Black, which is often chided. It's not in my daily rotation but Hummer H2 is much better then anyone will ever give it credit for.
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post #22 of 43
6/12/08 at 1:07pm
Paris Hilton Heir. It's fresh, it's sweet, but it doesn't last long on me. Maybe 3-4 hours tops? I forgot why I bought it, but it smells good to most of the people I'm around. It was only $10 for a 1 oz, I figured, why not?
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post #23 of 43
6/12/08 at 1:08pm
I'm actually not ashamed....
I wear my Kouros with pride!!!.... along with the bath and shower gel, spray deodorant, shave cream and after shave.
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post #24 of 43
6/12/08 at 1:31pm
I liked what someone else was wearing one day - so I asked him. It turned out to be one of the newer AXE deoderants! I'm deeply ashamed to admit this! So now I'm careful to buy only that which I think other basenoters will think is cool.
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post #25 of 43
6/12/08 at 2:28pm
Quote:
CK Crave. Crappy reviews, smells like Martian grapefruit, written off as a skateboarder scent... What's not to love? Discontinued, even - the mark of a true guilty pleasure! I found some old ad copy, and the teenage male model looked like he was going to spit out gum and call me "dude".

Well said, nice scent ( I like to wear it, but will not brag ....OK, I'm ashamed).

Yeh, and the model, in his denim and shirtless body, thats soo CK dude !!
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post #26 of 43
6/12/08 at 2:41pm
Im not ashamed of any.. I love Old Spice as much as any in my collection
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post #27 of 43
6/12/08 at 2:53pm
Aqua Velva - my favorite after-shave. It's fresh, clean, manly, and it feels good too (and it's dirt cheap!). I'm glad to see it gets a lot of love at the Badger & Blade website.
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post #28 of 43
6/12/08 at 3:27pm
Davidoff Echo and scents by Becks..
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post #29 of 43
6/12/08 at 4:11pm
OK, I'm not ashamed of any scent in my wardrobe per se.

But Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Male is heavily advertised on TV and in magazines, and they sell a bottle of the tin-canned stuff somewhere in the world every six seconds... still, I'm a very big fan of it.
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post #30 of 43
6/12/08 at 4:57pm
I love the original Joop for men.It always cheers me up when I wear it even though it is synthetic.Always get good comments at work on how I smell.I find it is one of the few affordable fragrances that lasts on my skin without making me feel sick,those being e.g Kouros and both JPG male fragrances
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post #31 of 43
6/12/08 at 5:13pm
Thread Starter 
ok, i see the point several people have made about not being ashamed, wearing what you like with pride etc. I just meant that there is a social stigma attached to many things we do, much of it related to commonplace consumer goods being seen as low-grade and therefore a signifier of poor taste within a social group where the item in question is a common interest - if i was part of a gourmet food society, i'd certainly call it 'shameful' to profess my (quite real) love for mcdonalds cheeseburgers! (admittedly macdonalds food actually is horribly low-grade, but i hope you see my point)

perhaps this post should actually be a discussion titled 'which commonly disliked fragrances do you personally really enjoy?'

i've actually started a personal quest to wear all of the hugely popular scents which i've never tried due to this common distaste for them. the ever-popular le male, once a favourite, now induces slight nausea - perhaps tomorrow i'll try cool water. i've never been inspired by it on others, maybe i'll feel different wearing it. or maybe i'll revisit Hugo.........
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post #32 of 43
6/13/08 at 6:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by itsthepens View Post

ok, i see the point several people have made about not being ashamed, wearing what you like with pride etc. I just meant that there is a social stigma attached to many things we do, much of it related to commonplace consumer goods being seen as low-grade and therefore a signifier of poor taste within a social group where the item in question is a common interest - if i was part of a gourmet food society, i'd certainly call it 'shameful' to profess my (quite real) love for mcdonalds cheeseburgers! (admittedly macdonalds food actually is horribly low-grade, but i hope you see my point)

perhaps this post should actually be a discussion titled 'which commonly disliked fragrances do you personally really enjoy?'

i've actually started a personal quest to wear all of the hugely popular scents which i've never tried due to this common distaste for them. the ever-popular le male, once a favourite, now induces slight nausea - perhaps tomorrow i'll try cool water. i've never been inspired by it on others, maybe i'll feel different wearing it. or maybe i'll revisit Hugo.........

So you're asking which scent is our guilty pleasure? I felt the same about Le Male too. It was the first bottle I ever bought. Wore it all the time for a couple weeks. I got carried away with the sprays and it ended up traumatizing me. Whenever I smell the sprayer of Le Male at a store, it's an automatic "yuck". I used to really love this stuff.
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post #33 of 43
6/13/08 at 6:48pm
Paris Hilton for men. Its fresh and fruity and last a long time.
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post #34 of 43
6/14/08 at 10:17am
English Leather is ancient history......but I do love it. The fact that is is sooooo old makes me laugh, because people always comment when I am wearing it. With todays synthetics, EL is so old that people don't know what it is. I have many designer frags but I will wear EL on a night out on the town with my wife. Everyone tells me how good I smell, too.
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post #35 of 43
6/14/08 at 11:35am
THE SPICE!!!! I'm not really ashamed though. I keep it on the mantle in my bathroom. I wear it like once every 3 months but yap about it a lot. I tell people how every TRUE man needs a bottle of Old Spice. It puts hair on your chest and length in the nether regions with each splash (guess I should wear it more huh?).


DO NOT DENY THE SPICE!

Cheers,
Al
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post #36 of 43
6/14/08 at 7:45pm
I am amazed that people mostly name cheap or common fragrances as the shameful ones. Is it not also shameful to love a very expensive perfume just because of its marketing and not because it is necessarily *good*?

I actually love to find "cheap thrills", and have a slew of drugstore and Avon scents, all of which are very cheap, and many of which are very enjoyable, either on skin or as air spray, etc.

If I have any shame at all, it is the shame of considering a $600 bottle of MDCI. :P
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post #37 of 43
6/15/08 at 2:32am
I really like Giorgio Armani fragrances, i like just about all of them but i only own Acqua Di Gio and Code, wouldnt mind getting "Attitude" too, dont know I just find them nice fragrances and there popular with the ladies
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post #38 of 43
6/15/08 at 2:37pm
Hugo Boss often gets spit on around here, but i find Selection a very good fragrance.
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post #39 of 43
6/15/08 at 6:24pm
Fracas for Men. Nearly everyone hates it. I feel fresh, clean, and vigorous when I wear it.
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post #40 of 43
6/15/08 at 6:41pm
For me it's Polo original and Drakkar Noir. I think both are fantastic scents, and just old enough for all of us to bring back as the new retro-cool thing. However, I don't wear them anymore (don't even own Polo) because I fear people would smell me walking down the street, recognize the scent, and think I'm so flat brained that I've been wearing them since the '80s and think I'm the suavest thing to hit the big city once they're on me.
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post #41 of 43
6/18/08 at 11:29pm
I love the smell of Brut deodorant. Not Brut. Brut deodorant.

The question was "ashamed to love," yes?
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post #42 of 43
6/19/08 at 12:33am
I like Canoe, the old Old Spice, and Aramis. They are all good in different contexts.

Oh, and I used to wear Brut every day, and that's even after trying some designer fragrances and discovering Basenotes.. It's not really a summer fragrance, though, as it can turn cloying in the heat.

Another one, Orange County Choppers Full Throttle Paul Sr. I like this one, not sure what it's suppossed to be based off. It really seems unique. It's orange, leather, musk, and black pepper. The smell is intense. The Jr. version, IMO, is a bit more sensuous and soft, not sure I like it as much. I've actually got a few bottles in a fridge I bought them on sale, I've got alot of frags in a fridge.
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post #43 of 43
6/19/08 at 1:47am
Le Male
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