I imagine I'm not the only person who's had this dilemma. I never thought of myself as a "cologne" guy for most of my life. I had some free samples of Brut Actif Blue I got with their deodorant years ago that I'd throw on occasionally (we're talking probably close to a decade to go through a handful of travel-size bottles). I kept some Axe around to wear instead of deodorant once in a while--not very often, though I tend to buy supplies like this in quantity so I don't have to bother grocery shopping very often. I remember smelling a Cool Water ad in a magazine when I was like 15, but I always figured that was too exotic for me. That's as close as I ever got to cologne.
It's you people's fault. ;-) Somehow I stumbled across basenotes in some unrelated searching, and I started reading reviews. Got curious. Ventured out to the local discount retailer. Started smelling.
So, $800+ later... Have walked all the department stores at 4 different malls to see what they have. Got a little enigmatic collection in my cabinet from Kouros & Antaeus to Hanae Mori HM & Very Irresistible (though almost completely free of the Cool Water / L'Eau D'Issey clones that all the perfume counter people assure me are "popular," as if smelling like every other guy is somehow a good thing?). Have two Serge Lutens bottles standing alongside the rest, and a bunch of Lutens samples that I fear will also turn into full size bottles at some point (if one can use the word "full size" about a Lutens bottle and keep a straight face).
The smell of Original Santal is still swirling in my nostrils when I close my eyes, but I deliberately avoided smelling any more Creed, since, you know, I'm already a hopeless Lutens fanboy now, and I can't afford to lust after *another* line of $150 fragrances. I'm avoiding Malle for the same reason. I'm probably about to order a decant of M7 since nobody around here carries it anymore, and I want to know what it smells like. I'm debating whether I want to order a decant of MKK while I'm at it, or if I should just wait until Lutens will be exporting it later this year.
Two months ago I thought Cool Water was exotic. Today I know the perfumer who formulated it. When I hear the word "git," it now means more than just a British slang term for an annoying person. And, astonishingly, I am able to pronounce "Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido" ... correctly. Basenotes carries a nontrivial amount of responsibility for this, well, rather expensive turn of events. ;-)
Anyway, so I was cleaning up my bathroom today, and I stumbled upon a couple of cans of Axe that I must have picked up some time back that had gotten hidden behind some other stuff. So, I thought to myself ... what do I do with this stuff now?
I guess I just throw them away. :-)
It's you people's fault. ;-) Somehow I stumbled across basenotes in some unrelated searching, and I started reading reviews. Got curious. Ventured out to the local discount retailer. Started smelling.
So, $800+ later... Have walked all the department stores at 4 different malls to see what they have. Got a little enigmatic collection in my cabinet from Kouros & Antaeus to Hanae Mori HM & Very Irresistible (though almost completely free of the Cool Water / L'Eau D'Issey clones that all the perfume counter people assure me are "popular," as if smelling like every other guy is somehow a good thing?). Have two Serge Lutens bottles standing alongside the rest, and a bunch of Lutens samples that I fear will also turn into full size bottles at some point (if one can use the word "full size" about a Lutens bottle and keep a straight face).
The smell of Original Santal is still swirling in my nostrils when I close my eyes, but I deliberately avoided smelling any more Creed, since, you know, I'm already a hopeless Lutens fanboy now, and I can't afford to lust after *another* line of $150 fragrances. I'm avoiding Malle for the same reason. I'm probably about to order a decant of M7 since nobody around here carries it anymore, and I want to know what it smells like. I'm debating whether I want to order a decant of MKK while I'm at it, or if I should just wait until Lutens will be exporting it later this year.
Two months ago I thought Cool Water was exotic. Today I know the perfumer who formulated it. When I hear the word "git," it now means more than just a British slang term for an annoying person. And, astonishingly, I am able to pronounce "Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido" ... correctly. Basenotes carries a nontrivial amount of responsibility for this, well, rather expensive turn of events. ;-)
Anyway, so I was cleaning up my bathroom today, and I stumbled upon a couple of cans of Axe that I must have picked up some time back that had gotten hidden behind some other stuff. So, I thought to myself ... what do I do with this stuff now?
I guess I just throw them away. :-)
