Need Help with Scents Stupidity

courtneyv · May 27, 2009

I have no problem describing a woman's perfume, but I'm at a loss for words when it comes to manly scents. I can't distinguish notes in masculine colognes and body sprays or deodorants to even begin to describe them in writing. I usually surrender with masculine scent/soap/cologne or something like that. How would you describe a delicious smelling man? What notes do you detect, if your nose is so discerning?

aadams73 · May 27, 2009

If you go over to luckyscent.com they have wonderful descriptions of fragrances for men and women. It's a good place to start.

But a good smelling man to me isn't the one who bathes in cologne. I love it when you get up close to a man and his skin smells like warm sunlight or fresh air-dried sheets. I also love that freshly showered smell.

alleycat · May 27, 2009

Not that I've been sniffing many men lately, but you could just use something along the lines of "clean and outdoorsy". Colognes sometimes have a leathery or woodsy smell, or even citrus. Or you could use something like the smell of a sea breeze, a tweed jacket, or an old bottle of fine cognac (if you wanted to wax poetically about it).

blacbird · May 27, 2009

I saw a survey recently that found, among 1000 different scents, women preferred as number one the aroma of pumpkin pie.

Men preferred bacon.

caw

TereLiz · May 27, 2009

Maybe it's just pheromones, but I love the way my husband smells, especially when he's sweaty.

Men smell musky, piney, even dirty, but to me man-smell smells good.

Typical man-cologne uses ingredients like oak-moss, citrus, lavender, so maybe he smells like deep, dark, wet herbs? Or, to be more specific-- if it's in character-- a fougère.

blacbird: Bacon, lol. Like the Taco Bell commercial.

Or the Planter's Cashews one where the woman is rubbing cashews in her cleavage and getting lots of attention because of her alluring smell!

aadams73 · May 27, 2009

TereLiz said:
Maybe it's just pheromones, but I love the way my husband smells, especially when he's sweaty.

Men smell musky, piney, even dirty, but to me man-smell smells good.

Oh yeah, I love that man smell. Especially when you bury your face in their neck and just inhale. Mmmm.

Zachariah · May 27, 2009

Finally, an excuse to stop bathing.

Zachariah · May 27, 2009

I just had a look at that site...chose this lovely cologne at random.

If any woman accused me of smelling of heliotrope, I'd run a mile!

RavenCorinnCarluk · May 27, 2009

I'm in the category of people who prefer their men not to smell too strongly of cologne. Most colognes are sharp, and rather repellant to me. I prefer the ones that are muskier, darker, and rather subdued.

So, my perfect man smells like that. Things like rain, or like a fire, or other things. I describe my main male character as smelling like ozone and predator at night, and I let the reader decide what exactly that means to me.

ccarver30 · May 27, 2009

Clean, soap, spice, leather, salt, sweet. In my current WIP, my gal goes in to a tizzy by the male MC's "clean, sweet" scent.

courtneyv · May 27, 2009

Thanks so much. I don't like an overkill cologne either. Just a nice, sexy, clean smell, especially my man right out of the shower. It invites me to nuzzle into that fleshy part of the neck and breathe in. I do like the man smell too. But a guy who smells nice, with just a little spritz of something that brings delight to my nose, gets a second glance.

ccarver30 · May 27, 2009

courtneyv said:
Thanks so much. I don't like an overkill cologne either. Just a nice, sexy, clean smell, especially my man right out of the shower. It invites me to nuzzle into that fleshy part of the neck and breathe in. I do like the man smell too. But a guy who smells nice, with just a little spritz of something that brings delight to my nose, gets a second glance.

Acqua di Gio by Armani is the ultimate for me.

Maiden · May 27, 2009

Hey at least you can describe scents at all. I have never had a sense of smell.

RG570 · May 27, 2009

These days, it could be anything. Cleaner, aquatic scents have become so popular since Cool Water came out, and more recently, those headache-inducing unisex floral-fruity ones.

The more manly ones are likely to have notes of vetiver, musk, oakmoss, rosemary, etc . . .

Soap, leather, spices, those types of descriptions. Some are described as "dirty," and most real manly scents are heavier. I've even heard semen as a fragrance note.

Wark · May 27, 2009

I remember Drakar Noir, which was leather and citrus. I liked it when I wore it, but when the frats bathed in it, oof.

Also, Polo, another 1980s thing, smells like gasoline to me.

He had a lurid, feisty smell, like leather and canned pineapple.

fringle · May 27, 2009

I've even heard semen as a fragrance note.

Umm...ew.

RJK · May 28, 2009

I ran a pizza and chicken wing shop for a few years. At the end of the evening, I'd stop at my friends bar for a couple of drinks. Of course I smelled like pizza and fried chicken. It seemed all the chubby ladies liked to talk to me on those nights.

Stew21 · May 28, 2009

earthy, woodsy, green (smelling "green" to me is the tangy outdoor smell of a tomato vine - it's the non-floral garden smell). On the woodsy smells - it can be pine, oak (as in the oak barrel flavor of some red wines), sandalwood (it's a very fragrant wood), cedar is a good one for winter time because his sweater could have been pulled from the cedar chest where it was stored for the winter. Fireplace wood smoke is another. Not in a strong odorous way, but a more subtle undertone. Try to think of the smells in layers: clean laundry, soap, sunshine, fresh air and sandalwood.

More important than just being the RIGHT best manly smell, go for something that speaks to his character in the layers of scents of the particular man.

NeuroFizz · May 28, 2009

http://www.fragrancex.com/products/_cid_Cologne-am-lid_M-am-pid_944M__products.html

Stew21 · May 28, 2009

NeuroFizz reminded me, I can't think why* that saltwater and the scent of salty/briney air is another smell, that when blended with others, makes up a good man smell.

* I have never met Neuro, therefore never smelled him; it must be that marine biology thing he does.

K. Taylor · May 28, 2009

Old Spice Classic. Smelled great on my grandfather.
Had a friend who wore CK-One and all of us girls were all over him. Mixed wonderfully with his chemistry.
My boyfriend wears Obsession when he dresses up.

There are a couple other men's colognes that I loved, but they've been discontinued. Sadly..

I have bad allergies, so I don't want to be near a guy that's wearing anything strong. My asthma will come out full force. But, just wearing a leather jacket is perfectly enough for YUM.

A lot of men's body washes and deodorants just have a "clean" smell, or clean+spicy.

Arkie · May 28, 2009

aadams73 said:
Oh yeah, I love that man smell. Especially when you bury your face in their neck and just inhale. Mmmm.

Sweat is an aphrodisiac there's no doubt about it. In the Ozarks, in the old days where there were no body washes, "Old Spice", and perfumes other than vanilla flavoring, at country dances, men used to place their handkerchiefs in their armpits. When properly soaked with sweat they would take out the cloths and tie them around their necks. Well, it was katie-bar-the-door.

Stew21 · May 28, 2009

As long as it's fresh sweat as opposed to two-day-old sweat stink sweat.

Pomegranate · May 28, 2009

Some "manly" scents I like are citrus, cedar, sandalwood, and leather. My favorite though is when my husband has been burning brush and smells like woodsmoke. yummm!

Zachariah · May 28, 2009

So, hmm, the ideal would be a man just back from a hard day's work hauling cedar-wood boxes of lemons (preferably on fire), half in and half out of the shower. This explains a lot.

Need Help with Scents Stupidity

A Work in Progress

Still around

Necromancer to the stars

A Work in Progress

Still assailable

Still assailable

Burgeoning Writer

Nicole Castro

Nicole Castro

Mark Brockman

always abroad

Sheriff Bullwinkle the Poet says:

The grad students did it

Bah Humbug

a reader's ear and a writer's heart

Still assailable