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My new signature is the most common scent around...

post #1 of 41
3/26/12 at 9:03pm
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  • Rod
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Hey guys!
I'm almost buying 212 Men...

I will try to make this one my new signature scent(Yes, I want a signature scent, this is why this obsession started after all )! I just love this fragrance!

Problem is: it's one of the most common scents in where I live(Brazil)...I mean, everyone has smelled this one at least once. To make it worse, this is the signature scent of a good friend of mine.

I have worn many other fragrances in the past years, trying to find a good signature...but 212 always came back to my mind.

I'm afraid of regretting this later(because it's somewhat too common). But on second thought, I almost never come across a guy wearing fragrances here...maybe at clubs only. I hardly know anyone that wears fragrances on daily basis like me...

I want people(girls included) to recognize me by this smell...do you think this is possible? Would you guys wear a common fragrance like this as your signature?
I want your opinion!
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post #2 of 41
3/26/12 at 9:16pm
If you like this one and feel comfortable wearing it, that's all that matters IMO. Just enjoy it.
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post #3 of 41
3/26/12 at 9:21pm
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Thanks for the reply, hednic. I think so too!
I'm just not sure if it's a good idea, because now and then I will hear things like "you smell like that guy" or "you smell like my ex-bf"
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post #4 of 41
3/26/12 at 9:31pm
I will say this. This fragrance is nuclear for something as contemporary as it is. It has a half life. I have smelled it on men in public before, but that was years ago. It smelled okay on them, but on me, it makes me SICK.

Its not popular at all up here ( long removed from department stores), although a few people know and wear 212 Sexy Men. One man, who owned a perfume store, actually told me this was one of the best ever fragrances made ( refering to 212 Sexy Men). I told him it was unpossible for a "best" anything to have the word "Sexy" in its title.
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post #5 of 41
3/26/12 at 9:40pm
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I hope 212 has this great projection on me too...I hope I lived in a place where this was not popular at all, like your place hahaha

212 Sexy Men is very different from the original 212 in my opinion(not so good, too)...it reminds me of Le Male, which I have and, let me add, ladies hate that one on me. But I agree with you, 212 sexy men is far from the "best" category!

Keep your opinions coming folks! Talk me out of 212...or not :P
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post #6 of 41
3/26/12 at 10:00pm
This is a great fragrance. I agree with the nuclear projection and longevity of it. If it wasn't so horribly overpriced here, I would have it in my wardrobe all the time. Very versatile fragrance that can be worn for almost any occasion. For what it's worth, I enjoy smelling it on myself and others.
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post #7 of 41
3/26/12 at 10:51pm
good fragrance. So strong. I can only do one spray. One of the only fragrances that I can smell consistently on me for 12+ hours. it is very versatile. be careful on the trigger though, i do one spray, relatively close, and that is probably too much. it also stays on my clothes for days
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post #8 of 41
3/27/12 at 12:06am
Wear what you want and love. I bought Alien for my girlfriend because I LOVE how it smells and even if it is kinda popular scent it is still beautiful. Signature scent is not about using unique fragrance but about using SAME fragrance most of time. Most people that will smell you will just like/dislike the way you smell and will not care about if it is popular or not.

212 Men is nice scent, little bit safe but versatile enough to be signature.
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post #9 of 41
3/27/12 at 1:01am
What does your good friend think about you 'adopting' his signature scent?

I find this concept of signature scent somewhat limiting though I do appreciate the appeal. The problem with adopting a popular mass marketed scent as your signature is that it gets so common that your 'signature scent' smells just like every other guy's. So where is the signature?
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post #10 of 41
3/27/12 at 1:13am
I almost never come across a guy wearing fragrances here...maybe at clubs only. I hardly know anyone that wears fragrances on daily basis like me...
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post #11 of 41
3/27/12 at 2:41am
Trust your nose solely.
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post #12 of 41
3/27/12 at 2:47am
If you enjoy it wear it though I would sample a lot more before you settle on just one.
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post #13 of 41
3/27/12 at 3:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diamondflame View Post

What does your good friend think about you 'adopting' his signature scent?

I find this concept of signature scent somewhat limiting though I do appreciate the appeal. The problem with adopting a popular mass marketed scent as your signature is that it gets so common that your 'signature scent' smells just like every other guy's. So where is the signature?


I would ask the same questions. Especially the one regarding your friend.
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post #14 of 41
3/27/12 at 4:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hednic View Post

If you like this one and feel comfortable wearing it, that's all that matters IMO. Just enjoy it.

This, just enjoy it if you like it.
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post #15 of 41
3/27/12 at 6:27am
212 was my signature for a while until I gave up the idea of a signature. That said, it's still in heavy rotation in my wardrobe, and it remains one of the two fragrances that have produced favorable compliments when I wear it (the other is Rive Gauche PH).

I like it a lot, and the sprayer is great. I also get the impression that 212 isn't as common where I live (Eastern US) as it is elsewhere.
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post #16 of 41
3/27/12 at 6:41am
Yes, is my scent of the day!
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post #17 of 41
3/27/12 at 7:10am
I would without any problem, since I use perfumes for self-pleasure.
Try He Wood and He Wood Rock Mountain.
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post #18 of 41
3/27/12 at 7:11am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Diamondflame View Post

What does your good friend think about you 'adopting' his signature scent?

I find this concept of signature scent somewhat limiting though I do appreciate the appeal. The problem with adopting a popular mass marketed scent as your signature is that it gets so common that your 'signature scent' smells just like every other guy's. So where is the signature?

Quote:
Originally Posted by teemas View Post

I would ask the same questions. Especially the one regarding your friend.

Well, I've told him that I'll steal the scent from him...and he said that he will kill me hahaha (just kidding, he won't be really mad at me)

But then again, 212 is almost a common worn scent here(We have 2 more friends that own 212 too...and they do probably because of this friend of mine, so he is aware that I'm not the only one wearing it besides him).
If he doesn't smell it on me, he will smell it on another guy sooner or later LOL

Besides, this good friend of mine has been wearing Diesel fuel for life and 212 Sexy men a lot too...

And that leads me to Diamondflame's question: "where is the signature" if I know 3 guys that wear the same thing?

Well, as I said, it's not THAT common, because not a lot of guys wear colognes here...and if they do, they will probably be wearing brazilian frags...I would say that 1 out of 6 guys that wear fragrances are into 212 Men! (At least in my region)

I'm counting on the "bad sense of smell" of the general people too...chances are that if a common person(not fragrance addict and not owner of 212) smells 212 on me, they will only be able to tell that I smell good, and not that I smell like someone they know...at least, I hope for that

I am still sampling other scents to make sure I have no other alternatives...I'm waiting for my Creed MI sample to arrive(from what I read, this might be a great one too...)
But frankly, I've yet to find a fragrance that matches 212 in my taste!
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post #19 of 41
3/27/12 at 7:19am
It's not that common where I live now, partly because it's not that popular, partly because it's not that easily available like Le Male, ADG, Cool Water, L'Eau d'Issey etc.

In terms of common, there will always be more popular scents
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post #20 of 41
3/27/12 at 7:29am
Every skin is different . So 212 Men might smell even better on your skin than it does on your friend's.

If you really like it, just buy it and enjoy...

And i agree with the comment that a signature scent is the one that you wear most often, as opposed to wearing it because it's unique .

Every skin is different .

I'll give you a small example : last week , i was ready to give up my 50 ml of St. Dupont passenger to a friend . Before we parted ways, he sprayed some on his wrist, and i'm telling you : that juice smelled almost like a totally different scent on him . It smelled million times nicer on him than it did on me .
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post #21 of 41
3/27/12 at 8:24am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tdwctdwc View Post

I'll give you a small example : last week , i was ready to give up my 50 ml of St. Dupont passenger to a friend . Before we parted ways, he sprayed some on his wrist, and i'm telling you : that juice smelled almost like a totally different scent on him . It smelled million times nicer on him than it did on me .

Yeah! I've seen a similar situation. On my friend, 212 smells quite nice...but in another friend of mine, it smells like spilled beer! Go figure.

I tested 212 on my skin once(not long ago) and it smelled heavenly. I guess I'll just order some samples before buying a full bottle.

I was struggling with Hugo Energise these days, to try and make it my signature(It has been my most used fragrance for some time) but it smells a little too spicy and weird sometimes. And nobody likes it when I apply it ... even I am not liking it that much anymore.

I think it is as they say: You can't choose a signature fragrance, it's the fragrance that chooses you.
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post #22 of 41
3/27/12 at 10:03am
Personally, I wouldn't find giving yourself a signature scent making much sense. Sort of like giving yourself a nickname. I would think it would flow more organically, and just sort of happen over time.
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post #23 of 41
3/30/12 at 10:09pm
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I know what you mean Dog127, and I agree with you, that's not how a signature should be set.

But I definitely love this one to the point that I could wear it 95% of the time.

If I did that, sooner or later, people should start to associate me with this one...but I don't know if that would work, because maybe those people smelling me have already smelled 212 on someone else and would associate it with another person rather than me.

That's my worry in trying to adopt 212 as my signature.
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post #24 of 41
3/31/12 at 2:34am
212 is a great scent (though not that many people here agree with me).

Interesting that you can see yourself wearing it 95% of the time. I can't stand wearing any scent 5% of the time.

Now suppose you had a circle of female acquaintances you often ran into, is it better to,
A........ Always wear the same scent so that they knew you were there just by sniffing the air? or
B.........Always wear something different, so that they get used to sniffing you when you show up to see what you're wearing today?

Beats me which is the right answer.
Answer B does show that you have a lot of money to spend on scents.
Cheers,
Renato
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post #25 of 41
3/31/12 at 7:45am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Renato View Post

Answer B does show that you have a lot of money to spend on scents.

Hahahah that made me laugh...I guess you're right. But unfortunately I'm not one of those guys...

And even if I was, I think I would stick to a signature, really...because, in my opinion, the real magic of fragrances is having people recognize you by your scent, to associate one scent to you. So, the answer for me is "A". I think a signature fragrance represents the confidence of being YOU everyday, it gives an impression of a decided person!

I'll tell you something, the most remarkable girls that I knew wore only one scent, a signature scent...and even today, I can still remember the lovely way they smelled!

One of them smelled sooo f**king good! Me and her took some classes together in college and she smelled like that everyday(I'm positive that she wore only that one)! But I never asked her what perfume she was wearing...I even smelled that one on the streets twice after that. I wish I knew what fragrance that was, because it's the perfect women's fragrance!

I'm pretty sure that if she didn't wore that same fragrance everyday I met her, I wouldn't have paid much attention to it, but she did and that left an impression on me!

So, in having a signature, I hope to give people the same impression I had with that girl
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post #26 of 41
3/31/12 at 7:54am
...you're right...!(...or maybe Old Spice might be slightly more common...??)
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post #27 of 41
3/31/12 at 7:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Surfacing View Post

I told him it was unpossible for a "best" anything to have the word "Sexy" in its title.

There is so much to love in this sentence.
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post #28 of 41
3/31/12 at 8:03am
I am not familiar with the scent, but if it's even half as enticing as the Azealia Banks song of the same name, it would be a winner in my book.
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post #29 of 41
3/31/12 at 9:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dreamer81 View Post

Wear what you want and love. I bought Alien for my girlfriend because I LOVE how it smells and even if it is kinda popular scent it is still beautiful. Signature scent is not about using unique fragrance but about using SAME fragrance most of time. Most people that will smell you will just like/dislike the way you smell and will not care about if it is popular or not.

212 Men is nice scent, little bit safe but versatile enough to be signature.

I like this. You hit the nail right on the head
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post #30 of 41
3/31/12 at 10:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rod View Post

Hahahah that made me laugh...I guess you're right. But unfortunately I'm not one of those guys...

And even if I was, I think I would stick to a signature, really...because, in my opinion, the real magic of fragrances is having people recognize you by your scent, to associate one scent to you. So, the answer for me is "A". I think a signature fragrance represents the confidence of being YOU everyday, it gives an impression of a decided person!

I'll tell you something, the most remarkable girls that I knew wore only one scent, a signature scent...and even today, I can still remember the lovely way they smelled!

One of them smelled sooo f**king good! Me and her took some classes together in college and she smelled like that everyday(I'm positive that she wore only that one)! But I never asked her what perfume she was wearing...I even smelled that one on the streets twice after that. I wish I knew what fragrance that was, because it's the perfect women's fragrance!

I'm pretty sure that if she didn't wore that same fragrance everyday I met her, I wouldn't have paid much attention to it, but she did and that left an impression on me!

So, in having a signature, I hope to give people the same impression I had with that girl

I wonder what she was wearing?

Anyhow, the main problem with a signature scent is that after 3 days or so you start suffering from olfactory fatigue - you don't smell the scent as well as before, then you may put even more on to make it smell the way it did, and so on. Instead of 6 sprays, you go to 10, 12, 15 sprays. Meanwhile, everyone else thinks you're wearing way too much.

Consider having two, preferably three scents to rotate - but wear the same one with different groups of people. Three signatures can be amusing.

Regards,
Renato
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post #31 of 41
3/31/12 at 11:28am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Trauerkraut View Post

...you're right...!(...or maybe Old Spice might be slightly more common...??)

Well, at least here in Brazil, there is no Old Spice. I even wondered many times how does it smell...


Quote:
Originally Posted by Renato View Post

the main problem with a signature scent is that after 3 days or so you start suffering from olfactory fatigue

Quote:
Originally Posted by Renato View Post

Consider having two, preferably three scents to rotate - but wear the same one with different groups of people. Three signatures can be amusing.

Yes, good advice Renato! Thanks! I'll probably do that, so I don't get olfactory fatigue!
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post #32 of 41
3/31/12 at 7:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rod View Post

Well, at least here in Brazil, there is no Old Spice. I even wondered many times how does it smell...

I don't think Old Spice smells much like anything - very low key scent to my nose.
But I bought some for $15 and wore it.
My wife immediately told me to stop wearing it as she thought I smelled like a really old man.
Regards,
Renato
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post #33 of 41
3/31/12 at 8:30pm
Hi, Rod.

My personal opinion 212 Men is that it is a decent fragrance, but it is not exceptionally creative or unique. Still, it is a scent that very few people will respond negatively to. You will probably get a lot of nuetrals and a good number of positive responses as well.

To answer your question, yes girls will recognize you by it.

Keep in mind that probably less than half of men wear cologne. And there dozens of mass market colognes that the chances that every guy is wearing 212 and not AdG/CW/Le Male are not likely. So, yes, there is a chance that a woman may have recognized that scent from 1-2 other guys before, but even women who have smelled it before probably won't be so attentive to the fact that they can identify the scent. As a person spends more time with you, they can identify it as your signature.

Mostly, when you look at everything. Most women (I'd bet 70%) won't know that you are wearing a scent that maybe 3% of all other guys are wearing.
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post #34 of 41
3/31/12 at 9:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rod View Post

Hey guys!
I'm almost buying 212 Men...

I will try to make this one my new signature scent(Yes, I want a signature scent, this is why this obsession started after all )! I just love this fragrance!

Problem is: it's one of the most common scents in where I live(Brazil)...I mean, everyone has smelled this one at least once. To make it worse, this is the signature scent of a good friend of mine.

I have worn many other fragrances in the past years, trying to find a good signature...but 212 always came back to my mind.

I'm afraid of regretting this later(because it's somewhat too common). But on second thought, I almost never come across a guy wearing fragrances here...maybe at clubs only. I hardly know anyone that wears fragrances on daily basis like me...

I want people(girls included) to recognize me by this smell...do you think this is possible? Would you guys wear a common fragrance like this as your signature?
I want your opinion!

Nothing I know off resembles 212 Men, so consider layering it with another frag to get a unique scent.

Suggestions:

Paco Rabanne Pour Homme
Lomani Pour Homme
Nautica Voyage
Eau de Cartier Concentrée
Prada Infusion D'Homme
Mugler Cologne
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post #35 of 41
3/31/12 at 11:17pm
I would even venture to wear Prada Infusion d'Iris. It's made for women, but it is very unisex with incense and iris.
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post #36 of 41
4/4/12 at 6:46am
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Well, I just ended up buying it from a friend. I got a half-full 100ml bottle.
Now I'm praying that I can stick to this one as a signature, or even alternate 212 with 2 more scents, like Renato said, so I don't get olfactory fatigue! (The idea of wearing 3 scents, each with a different group of people is great!)

Problem is: I don't think I have that much groups of people LOL...I may go unscented some times then, to avoid fatigue.

I'm thinking of getting a sweet-elegant scent to alternate as well, nothing grandpa-smelling as I'm 24...something woody maybe.
What do you guys think of Fahrenheit, D&G The One or even that Rocky Mountain Wood that moore suggested? (never tried Rocky Mountain, btw)

PS: Thanks for all of the other suggestions too!
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post #37 of 41
4/4/12 at 8:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hednic View Post

If you like this one and feel comfortable wearing it, that's all that matters IMO. Just enjoy it.


This.
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post #38 of 41
4/4/12 at 8:22am
Ola Rod,

This is a great question. You want a signature scent, but one that is not TOO popular. My recommendation would be to start a threat in here in which you ask for the best 'uncommon' fragrances. I did this awhile back and people sent in really great ideas. My signature was L'eau de Issey and probably still is, but I now rotate my signature scents and just have more than one!!
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post #39 of 41
4/4/12 at 8:23am
By the way, it is important to get something appropriate for your age as well, so include that if you send out a thread. I am in my early 40s, so I wanted some possible signatures for that age group. Boa sorte!
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post #40 of 41
4/4/12 at 10:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rod View Post

I'm thinking of getting a sweet-elegant scent to alternate as well, nothing grandpa-smelling as I'm 24...something woody maybe.
What do you guys think of Fahrenheit, D&G The One or even that Rocky Mountain Wood that moore suggested? (never tried Rocky Mountain, btw)

I have Fahrenheit too - I class it and 212 as being in the same mossy green camp of scents.

I don't know Rocky Mountain Wood, and D&G The One never grabbed me much - it didn't have the punch I was used to from D&G scents, though D&G The One Gentleman was more impressive. But if you like it, why not go for it? - not all scents have to be punchy.

There's little by way of right and wrong with scents. Most people here will say to wear what you want. I'm more cautious, usually leaving the wearing of oriental scents till night time. I figure if one is working in an office, one is best not wearing a scent that screams "I want to party" - it gives the impression one would rather be elsewhere.
Cheers,
Renato
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post #41 of 41
4/4/12 at 10:17am
In my opinion the same fragrances wears differently from individual to individual.

For instance I bought Dunhill Fresh a few years back at Perfumania one of my friends was with me he smelled it and liked it and purchased it too...pissed me off actually.

Anyway maybe a week or two later me and him and some other friends all hung out. I smelled it on him and asked him what he was wearing and he said Dunhill Fresh...once it mixed with his body chemistry it smelled totally different on his skin than on my skin.

So honestly I wouldn't worry that its a common fragrance because it will smell different.
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