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Negative comments about ur cologne?

post #1 of 38
1/3/10 at 12:30pm
Thread Starter 
Hey, When I first started to wear cologne I wanted to receive complements. But honestly I never received any real complements but i did receive some negative comments. Before I went in my aunt's car I sprayed burberry london on, one on the neck and one on the wrist and i put them together. My aunt said something really smelled horrible so she opened the door. Other day was today at church. I came in with chanel Allure and my friend gave me a sign that I put on too much. But all i did was 2 sprays, one on neck and one on a wrist which i held together.

Is it the cologne, the chemistry to my skin, or did I just put the wrong amount. Is there a amount I should put on when im in a church,car, or school setting, so I wont offend anyone but people can still smell me?
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post #2 of 38
1/3/10 at 12:35pm
Applying to open skin such as the neck or wrist will typically lead to significant projection of a scent.

I find scents far more enjoyable with a couple sprays to the chest. Let the sprays dry before dressing. Also, scents are strongest when first applied so even when applying under clothing scents may be very or 'too' strong for the first 15-30 minutes or so.
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post #3 of 38
1/3/10 at 12:37pm
Some people just think that if they catch a whiff of scent from someone, it means they used too much... Weird.

Two sprays is def. not too much!
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post #4 of 38
1/3/10 at 12:37pm
Thread Starter 
So in a school/church setting where ur only couple of inches away from a person, how many sprays do u recommend?
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post #5 of 38
1/3/10 at 12:42pm
IMHO, most guys do not know how to wear cologne. You should put just enough on so that people around get just a whisper of the scent, a mystery, a faint 'what-was-that' .. that I think I just got a scent of? The only way anyone should be able to smell any more than that is to nuzzle right up to you. I work in very tight closeness with my clients - so I am uber-conscious of this. For me it is spray in the air and walk into the mist type of application. Woman can get away with a bit heavier hand (from a cultural acceptance perspective) but guys need to learn how to apply cologne in ways that create intrigue and mystery. Just my opinion.
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post #6 of 38
1/3/10 at 12:44pm
Thread Starter 
But that mostly gets on ur clothes which makes no chemistry O_O
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post #7 of 38
1/3/10 at 12:45pm
Be careful in church or school settings where people are "trapped" with you. There is no exact science. It's trial an error for you as to how much/where to apply. In those settings I might do one to chest. Maybe on wrists. Depends on how strong the frag is.

We all love compliments on our scents, but don't make that your goal. Many people won't say anything if they love it or hate it because it seems too personal.

Find stuff you like.
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post #8 of 38
1/3/10 at 1:03pm
I usually use about 4-6 sprays depending on the situation but thats mainly because I live in England. The weather reeks havoc on your scent and after an hour outside nothing would remain of your perfume otherwise.

If I were you I would spray once on each wrist and maybe two sprays onto the chest and let it dry before wearing a shirt. That way while your moving your wrists people will get a faint whiff of your scent and similarly your scent will emanate through the shirt as the day goes on but in small amounts not to knock anyone off their chair.

If that fails then attempt the good age old method of trial and error!
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post #9 of 38
1/3/10 at 1:05pm
For me it is spray in the air and walk into the mist type of application.

N*A*K*E*D, that is.
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post #10 of 38
1/3/10 at 1:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by neal View Post

IMHO, most guys do not know how to wear cologne. You should put just enough on so that people around get just a whisper of the scent, a mystery, a faint 'what-was-that' .. that I think I just got a scent of? The only way anyone should be able to smell any more than that is to nuzzle right up to you. I work in very tight closeness with my clients - so I am uber-conscious of this. For me it is spray in the air and walk into the mist type of application. Woman can get away with a bit heavier hand (from a cultural acceptance perspective) but guys need to learn how to apply cologne in ways that create intrigue and mystery. Just my opinion.



Quote:
Originally Posted by Aerandir4 View Post

I usually use about 4-6 sprays depending on the situation but thats mainly because I live in England. The weather reeks havoc on your scent and after an hour outside nothing would remain of your perfume otherwise.

If I were you I would spray once on each wrist and maybe two sprays onto the chest and let it dry before wearing a shirt. That way while your moving your wrists people will get a faint whiff of your scent and similarly your scent will emanate through the shirt as the day goes on but in small amounts not to knock anyone off their chair.

If that fails then attempt the good age old method of trial and error!



I'm totally with aerandir on this one. 4-6 easily.
Applying too lightly would antogonise my own intent of wearing perfume - to be able to fully enjoy the development of the fragrance and its radiation.
I have once encountered a negative comment, which was at the day of first sampling Ambre Sultan. Here the 4 sprays were a little heavy, admittedly.
But that exception aside I have only gathered positive feedback if any.
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post #11 of 38
1/3/10 at 1:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tott View Post

Some people just think that if they catch a whiff of scent from someone, it means they used too much... Weird.

Two sprays is def. not too much!

Yeah, I also think that if people smell you that somehow they may think that you sprayed too much. I mean, the whole point is for others to smell you. I think some people may just be surprised when they catch a whiff of a fragrance on a male especially since they may not be accustomed to it. You can't win with everyone.

Personally, I don't smell fragrances from men that often so I have noticed that I received some attention for how I smell and it's not always verbal. I also sometimes go crazy on the trigger when going out so I don't really care about those types of situations. Also, I spray on clothing so... The only time I'm conscientious is if I'm in a room with people, like in a classroom.
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post #12 of 38
1/3/10 at 1:42pm
The first thing u did wrong, is apply the scent right before you went out, like all the people above said, you should let the scent cook for 15 minutes or so. Secondly, you applied two very strong scents on, I always seem to get complaments on London, even from my friends who hate cologne, but i always make sure to let it air out first. The one time i did wear Allure, i didn't like the drydown for some reason, and the girl i was with thought it was to feminine.

I usually do only 2 sprays for London, 1 on neck or chest 1 on left elbow and touch it with right wrist while it is still wet. Then i'm fine.
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post #13 of 38
1/3/10 at 1:46pm
ilovestorm, you only sprayed twice so you did nothing wrong. Some people are just sensitive to scent
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post #14 of 38
1/3/10 at 1:51pm
Only once. Several years ago, my colleague was bullying me because i had used to much Cerutti 1881.. He annotated it all day long, telling me i borrow my grandpas cologne and so on.. -Me on the other hand, thought that he had quit showering, but he had just sprikled himself with Declaration!
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post #15 of 38
1/3/10 at 3:23pm
Wear whatever fragrance YOU want with as many sprays as YOU want to whatever part(s) of your body YOU see fit.
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post #16 of 38
1/3/10 at 4:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SculptureOfSoul View Post

Applying to open skin such as the neck or wrist will typically lead to significant projection of a scent.

I find scents far more enjoyable with a couple sprays to the chest. Let the sprays dry before dressing. Also, scents are strongest when first applied so even when applying under clothing scents may be very or 'too' strong for the first 15-30 minutes or so.

Thats exactly what I have discover after some experimentation. But of course it depends of the fragrance too, like with l'homme de YSL no matter how much I use and where I spray it its gone really fast and don't seem to project at all.
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post #17 of 38
1/3/10 at 7:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by petruccijc View Post

Wear whatever fragrance YOU want with as many sprays as YOU want to whatever part(s) of your body YOU see fit.

Sure, if you want to be that horrible person that makes someone else feel uncomfortable because they can't think of how their actions affect others, such as the amount of cologne applied juxtaposed to the setting you're headed for. The iconic "guy who reeks", is that what you're going for?

If I'm hanging with friends, I apply maybe 3-4 sprays of whatever I'm wearing because I can, but if I'm going to work or class, I keep to 2 sprays at most, and generally under my shirt, simply because I don't want potentially create an uncomfortable situation in a closed-quarters environment like that.
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post #18 of 38
1/3/10 at 7:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sokkou View Post

If I'm hanging with friends, I apply maybe 3-4 sprays of whatever I'm wearing because I can, but if I'm going to work or class, I keep to 2 sprays at most, and generally under my shirt, simply because I don't want potentially create an uncomfortable situation in a closed-quarters environment like that.

Same here.

ilovestorm, Welcome to Basenotes. I love your name. With your aunt, it was probably because you had just sprayed it on. And, as other have said, Allure is pretty strong. Try it on the chest, let it dry, then put your shirt on. You did nothing wrong either time.
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post #19 of 38
1/3/10 at 8:13pm
I don't think there is a universal, magical number of sprays. I think it depends on the fragrance in question. Therefore, adjustments and small corrections must be made accordingly.
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post #20 of 38
1/3/10 at 8:25pm
to be honest with you i kinda agree with petruccijc, wear how much you want and where you want, just because someone thinks you put on too much doesnt mean its bad, now i know with close quaters you should maybe watch it, but other than that i dont see no problem

i really couldn't give a shit if someone was complaining about that

and i know this a different side of it, but do you know how many girls actually overspray? now i know that maybe for girls there are different limitations and what not, since fragrance is more known to be a female product, but some just dont know when to stop....one day i was walking in the mall and this lady was literally 8-9 feet infront of me, and the only thing i smelled is that horrible oversprayed frag she used

dont worry about such things is my 2 cents on it, just do you
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post #21 of 38
1/3/10 at 8:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovestorm View Post

... Before I went in my aunt's car I sprayed burberry london on, one on the neck and one on the wrist and i put them together. My aunt said something really smelled horrible so she opened the door...

Your aunt does not appreciate good taste. Sorry to say that.
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post #22 of 38
1/3/10 at 9:14pm
I do 6-7 sprays most of the time. **** everyone else. Unless I'm causing them health problems I'm fine.
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post #23 of 38
1/3/10 at 9:18pm
"YOU SMELL LIKE A ZOO, ELEPHANT CAGE !!!!!!! " - from Mom

The culprit: Ajmal AA Musk Ghazelle

Today i asked her to smell myself, she said "hmm kind of gud"

The culprit: 1 dot of Musk Ghazelle and Kouros ) She didnt even recognize the zoo smell anymore. Ill try this on my friends next
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post #24 of 38
1/3/10 at 10:11pm
Kouros and a musk. You're intense dude.
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post #25 of 38
1/4/10 at 1:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sokkou View Post

Sure, if you want to be that horrible person that makes someone else feel uncomfortable because they can't think of how their actions affect others, such as the amount of cologne applied juxtaposed to the setting you're headed for. The iconic "guy who reeks", is that what you're going for?

If I'm hanging with friends, I apply maybe 3-4 sprays of whatever I'm wearing because I can, but if I'm going to work or class, I keep to 2 sprays at most, and generally under my shirt, simply because I don't want potentially create an uncomfortable situation in a closed-quarters environment like that.

I didn't tell anyone how much to apply. It is a personal choice. If someone chooses to apply 1/37th of a spray, 1 spray, 4 sprays, 6 sprays, etc. - then that is their prerogative. No one should be telling someone else exactly how much to apply - they have no idea how it is going to react on the other person, the fragrance they are using, the environment that person is in, etc.

Some will argue that more than 1 spray of ANY fragrance in ANY situation is way too much. If that is what they think - so be it. Just because a person does things a certain way does not mean it is the only or best way to do things. Each person needs to determine how much of each fragrance to apply that works best for them.
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post #26 of 38
1/4/10 at 2:33am
I can only fully second almost everything said before: with a frag, it's always good to figure out the quantity (of sprays) you enjoy and discover to be interacting well with your own skin chemistry, so eventually, negative comments might die down or occur much more seldom.
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post #27 of 38
1/4/10 at 3:16am
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hey maybe she didnt like london there are people who cant stand it
ask another person what she/he thinks about bur. london
and if im going to ride by car i NEVER spray before entering, it may be lethal :P
some scents need to 15-30min to develop
and in school maybe he/she was jealous ;D
but try to find your right amount my skin (im skinny, and i got normal skin ;D) fragrances develop madly im set after 1 spray of Givenchy Pi ( i even received compliments after 1 spray of Pi, about its sweetness, about 1,5 h after application, she was ... diabetic ), Xeyrus Rouge... and so on
but if i want impress more i do two sprays
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post #28 of 38
1/4/10 at 3:24am
Firstly ilovestrom don't be disheartened about the negative comments. I have got a few myself but due to my country's culture (Asian) rarely do we complement or complaint about the frag someone is wearing. wear what u want that fits the occasion and wear it with pride.

Secondly, don't get influenced by certain members that advocate how many sprays is appropriate. I have been in both schools of fragrance application thought and suffice to say I have learned my lesson about following other ppl's preferences blindly. The moment u start following another person's no of sprays blindly, your level of satisfaction when wearing the frag diminishes. It doesn't matter if u like 1/20 of a spray or 20 sprays, as long as u r comfortable go for it. Personally I often use 4-5 sprays and so far compliments and complaints are almost nil (must be a cultural thing too LOL). I managed to get my optimal no of sprays after months of trial and error.
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post #29 of 38
1/4/10 at 5:58am
I'm gonna go against the grain here - unless what I've decided on for the day is particularly heavy (like VC&A Homme for example) I consciously over-spray as I like to smell whatever I've sprayed on myself throughout the day. Fortunately I have a 40 minute journey, and 2 miles of walking, before I get into work so by the time I get to the office the beast has settled somewhat. To be honest I've had far more positive comments and compliments with this than I ever did with one spray per pressure point or spraying in the air and walking into it. I've never had any negative comments except with the aforementioned VC&A, when I over applied (very easy to do with that one) after I first got it and I could still smell it on me 24 hours later AFTER a shower.

But yeah - what's best for you is whatever works best for you. It's very personal and there are no rules.
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post #30 of 38
1/4/10 at 6:51am
It's probably a personal thing, that your aunt doesn't like colognes in general, of the Burberry London type specifically. And in certain places like a church where drawing attention to oneself is frowned upon, strong colognes could be considered another faux pas. While I can see the attraction of wearing whatever you like, it only works if you're the sort who don't give a damn about how you're perceived by their peers. Strangely enough, this same wear-whatever-you-like group still care enough about social settings and avoid wearing their PJs to work...

ilovestorm, I think you were still wearing the top notes when you got into the car. 20-30 min is a good time to let a scent settle. I've worn Burberry London before, I like it and no one had ever said anything except nice things about it. But I wear my fragrances lightly. Typically 1-2 on chest or solar plexus + 1 at the crook of each elbow. But 1 spray to the solar plexus if it's a potent fragrance and if I'm going to be in close quarters with people I don't know.

While I love catching flirty whiffs of a scent off a woman, I find strong sillage from a man rather off putting...
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post #31 of 38
1/4/10 at 12:00pm
There's a special room for men who wear too much fragrance.

It's a lot like the room in the movie Pulp Fiction where they kept the Gimp in that trunk.
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post #32 of 38
1/4/10 at 12:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tott View Post

Some people just think that if they catch a whiff of scent from someone, it means they used too much... Weird.

Two sprays is def. not too much!

Exactly! Recently I was told by my dental hygienist that cologne is banned from the office and I should read the sign. I was wearing Guerlain L'Instant PH at the time and wanted to say I smelt fantastic thank you very much!
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post #33 of 38
1/4/10 at 12:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by warlandsboy View Post

Exactly! Recently I was told by my dental hygienist that cologne is banned from the office and I should read the sign. I was wearing Guerlain L'Instant PH at the time and wanted to say I smelt fantastic thank you very much!

Haha right, your dental hygienist wanted you to go home, take a shower to wash off the cologne, and then come back? Haha joking, but that's pretty funny.
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post #34 of 38
1/4/10 at 2:23pm
While I agree that many fragrances are best applied lightly to the core, and that it's best to let scents dry a bit before going out with them on, I think it's also important to remember that...

You can't win 'em all.

No matter what or how much you wear, there will always be someone, somewhere who doesn't like your scent, or takes offense to the wearing of scents in general, even if they don't make any indication of their thoughts. This is just something we have to accept.
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post #35 of 38
1/4/10 at 6:18pm
The problem with perfume and fragrance is that people are forced to smell it - it's like shining a bright light in someone's face. So if you're going to wear a powerhouse, or wear a lot of fragrance you need to expect that certain people will get offended. Many people will freak out even if the fragrance isn't bothering them because it's like an invasion of personal "smell-space."

If you want to make sure no one gets offended at church or at the office, try spraying under your shirt like SoS suggested. You'll smell it yourself all day without projecting too much. Then when you're out in an open space (ie. your house, the mall, etc), you can spray your whole body until your nose and heart are content.
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post #36 of 38
1/4/10 at 9:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by L'aventurier View Post

The problem with perfume and fragrance is that people are forced to smell it - it's like shining a bright light in someone's face...

That is true. But that should be applied to all the (Five ?) Senses we humans have. This is probably going to sound stupid, but I always thought that "sure, my cologne may bother others....". But what about someone else smells like ? Whether or not they are wearing cologne. I guess fragrance is artificial in a sense, so it is different. A lot of public places seem to be sensitive about fragrance. Can't ( or shouldn't) wear a fragrance to a university class. It can bother people. What about my own senses ? Such as sight ? Or hearing ? Someone is wearing something I don't like or playing some music I don't like ? Not just "don't like", but offended.

I just wish our ( my) world was more fragrant with perfumes. They sell in the millions and perhaps more, yet I rarely smell them during my day.

I'm going on a tangent here.....
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post #37 of 38
1/4/10 at 10:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Surfacing View Post

That is true. But that should be applied to all the (Five ?) Senses we humans have. This is probably going to sound stupid, but I always thought that "sure, my cologne may bother others....". But what about someone else smells like ? Whether or not they are wearing cologne. I guess fragrance is artificial in a sense, so it is different. A lot of public places seem to be sensitive about fragrance. Can't ( or shouldn't) wear a fragrance to a university class. It can bother people. What about my own senses ? Such as sight ? Or hearing ? Someone is wearing something I don't like or playing some music I don't like ? Not just "don't like", but offended.

I just wish our ( my) world was more fragrant with perfumes. They sell in the millions and perhaps more, yet I rarely smell them during my day.

I'm going on a tangent here.....

I find your perspective on this stale topic to be very refreshing. Thank you Sir.
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post #38 of 38
1/4/10 at 10:20pm
A girl at work once said Blenheim Bouquet smelled like a gin and tonic and she meant it in a bad way apparently
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