# What effects do perfume, aftershave, etc have on you?



## LongWalk (Apr 4, 2013)

I remember once had a girlfriend who ordinarily did not wear perfume. One day I started kissing her and this unexpected scent bypassed my frontal lobs, smashing into my hypothalamus.

We were having sex every opportunity anyway but for half a minute I was literally intoxicated. I remember wanting her like crazy. The smell of a woman's aroused sex has a deeper effect, but this was incredibly concentrated.

The odd thing is perfume is an industry but I had always dismissed as just an unnatural product connected with feminine vanity. Now I suppose you could say that I believe we are rationalizing animals.

Thinking back my mother wore perfume and used cosmetics. It never occurred to me as child to wonder logically what influence she hoped to exert over the world by daubing or spraying herself with it. Children do not think of their parents having sex. We are hardwired to torture ourselves with these thoughts.

To be honest I don't know if women are much affected by cologne. I stopped wearing aftershave many years ago. Perhaps that is nature's way of signalling my irrelevance in creating new children.

What about you? Do artificial scents or other smells associated with the opposite sex have an effect on you?


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## golfergirl (Dec 8, 2010)

It makes me sneeze haha. Every once in awhile I catch a whiff of the cologne my dad wore and it tears me up with nostalgia. He's been gone 17 years.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## john117 (May 20, 2013)

Estée Lauder Beautiful in the good old days. 

Better yet, Delon Body Butter... Not 100% sure but look up Delon.

No surprise as the brain is pretty good at augmenting experiences by integrating signals... I can barely go by the Estée Lauder area at Nordstrom without thinking about it...


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## Anon Pink (Jan 17, 2013)

Abso-poso-effin-lutely!

I made a post about it a while ago. I literally leak when certain scents hit me. Was in a grocery store the first time I noticed how powerful it can get. Went home and jumped on my husband!


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## Holland (Aug 20, 2012)

I adore the smell of good cologne on Mr H, sexy as hell. The effect it has on me is not printable in case we have an under 18 audience here.


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## john117 (May 20, 2013)

Actually the impact of smell and taste stimuli is more pronounced because of the primitiveness of the smell and taste (chemical) senses vs more evolved senses like vision and hearing... Also the proximity of these areas to other more interesting areas of the brain such as emotions and memory. 

Keep the perfume a'flowin'


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## MissScarlett (May 22, 2013)

Oh yes, I love it. I buy colognes for DH that I like, I don't even ask his opinion. (He doesn't complain).

And then there are the nostalgic. If I pass a man wearing Drakkar or Polo it reminds me so much of college and high school and I've been known to follow him around for a while.


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## larry.gray (Feb 21, 2011)

I used to like it. But I worked with too many people who overdid it.

Now just about any perfume or cologne sends me running for fresh air before the burning eyes, sore throat and headaches hit.


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## LongWalk (Apr 4, 2013)

On the train I sometime smell shampoo/conditioner on women, it draws my attention. It is not unpleasant. I am drawn to the combination of a woman and her smell, but ultimately it is artificial and heavy.

The natural smell of a woman's hair warmed by sunshine, that is heaven to drink in but it doesn't travel more than a few inches. The smell of a woman's underarms seldom bother's me. The smell of unwashed male BO repulses. Somewhere in the primitive brain an alarm goes off, suggesting action to get rid of this offending odor.


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## Anon Pink (Jan 17, 2013)

Why LongWalk, a sensual poet resides inside of you?


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## Giro flee (Mar 12, 2013)

Most colognes make my throat and eyes burn. Why do some people need to bathe in them? Elevators are torture with all of those perfumes trapped in there and I avoid the perfume sales areas like the plague.


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## Jellybeans (Mar 8, 2011)

LongWalk said:


> One day I started kissing her and this unexpected scent bypassed my frontal lobs, smashing into my hypothalamus.


It has this effect on me, too. Nothing sexier than a man who smells good. 

I remember some men just by their cologne. Meaning, if I were to smell a certain cologne, my mind automatically takes me back to that particular man. Olfactory nostalgia. It's powerful.

LOVE it.


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## ClimbingTheWalls (Feb 16, 2013)

I also remember some people by their perfume/aftershave but the scents concerned don't turn me on in any way.

The actual scent of the man himself can make me weak at the knees, particularly if he's giving off pheromones.


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## Rowan (Apr 3, 2012)

I'm a little bit of a scent geek. I can usually tell by reading the list of notes what a perfume or cologne will smell like and whether or not it will work with my body chemistry. I find many mainstream women's perfumes to be too sharp or loud or cloying for me. I much prefer darker, quieter perfumes that wear closer to the skin. Things that make me smell and feel like a beautiful, sensual, confident woman.

Prada Oeillet 
L'Artisan Poivre Piquant
Donna Karan Black Cashmere or Chaos
Ormonde Jayne Champaca or Ormonde Woman
Penhaligon's Lavandula

Sometimes, I wear good old fashioned Old Spice, which on me is a lovely warm lightly spicy carnation fragrance.

On men, I prefer that colognes smell like "something" - tobacco, leather, woods, spices, smoke, incense, or various herbal notes. Again, warm and dark rather than sharp or sporty. 

And, in my experience, many people simply wear way too much fragrance. If people can smell you without leaning in to your personal space, you're either wearing too much or wearing something that doesn't work with your chemistry.


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## samyeagar (May 14, 2012)

My STBW has told me multiple times that she prefers my natural scent to anything else. Doesn't really like me wearing cologne, and when I shave, prefers the scent of the aftershave to wear off. She loves to bury her face in my neck and breathe deeply...


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## Faithful Wife (Oct 31, 2012)

It has been suggested by various studies, and I believe it, that a good genetic match for you will also smell good to you (their natural body scent). My H and I both love the way each other smells, even in the morning, even if sweaty, etc. He never smells in that sour, yucky way a dirty human body can smell to me, and since other human bodies do smell bad to me, I've assumed we are a good genetic match. Every sex partner I've had has also told me they love my natural smell.

I do love perfumes, but I am allergic to many of them and will instantly have my head filled up and get a headache with even a tiny whif of them. The ones I am not allergic to, yay! I love them...but I never know which they will be so I can't even snif them at the store to pick one out. My H and I both have one or two each that I am not allergic to, and I love them.


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## Jellybeans (Mar 8, 2011)

Faithful Wife said:


> It has been suggested by various studies, and I believe it, that a good genetic match for you will also smell good to you (their natural body scent).


:iagree:


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## onedge (Nov 27, 2013)

If we are out in public, I like a whiff of subtle cologne on hubby. I am like wow but at home or in bed I prefer nothing but the smell from the shower. Anything else will give me a stuffy nose.


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## doobie (Apr 15, 2014)

I have quite a strong sense of smell - to the point that sometimes when a woman passes me in the street wearing really strong perfume, it will really hit me quite hard. However, I do like a subtle perfume. Love it when my husband wears a little aftershave. However, if he's refused to bathe for a couple of weeks I sleep on the sofa until he agrees to shower or bathe.


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## samyeagar (May 14, 2012)

doobie said:


> I have quite a strong sense of smell - to the point that sometimes when a woman passes me in the street wearing really strong perfume, it will really hit me quite hard. However, I do like a subtle perfume. Love it when my husband wears a little aftershave. *However, if he's refused to bathe for a couple of weeks I sleep on the sofa until he agrees to shower or bathe*.


Does that happen often?


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## doobie (Apr 15, 2014)

samyeagar said:


> Does that happen often?


Yes, he never bathes unless I absolutely insist on it - he says he just doesn't see the point, it's a waste of water, he thinks he smells worse after bathing, etc. I bathe every night before I get into bed and about twice a week nowadays I manage to persuade him to get in the bath after me (he's never willing to get into the bath unless I've used it first). There have been times when he's gone 4 or 5 weeks without bathing and I find it impossible to sleep with him because the smell keeps me awake!


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## SimplyAmorous (Nov 25, 2009)

My husband can't stand perfume.... sometimes I wonder if he is allergic to it... if I come home and I was even around someone who had it on, he can smell it immediately on me...and say something.... very very very sensitive nose.. almost irritating..

I'm kinda cheap and have no desire to go out buying all that fancy stuff anyway... so that works fine for me !



> *samyeagar said*: My STBW has told me multiple times that she prefers my natural scent to anything else. Doesn't really like me wearing cologne, and when I shave, prefers the scent of the aftershave to wear off. She loves to bury her face in my neck and breathe deeply...


 another similarity... all the both of us need is... the basic essentials.. ya know.. soap, some shampoo, underarm deoderant... and keep our mouths tasting fresh & clean..for those kisses ...and we're good! !


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## samyeagar (May 14, 2012)

SimplyAmorous said:


> My husband can't stand perfume.... sometimes I wonder if he is allergic to it... if I come home and I was even around someone who had it on, he can smell it immediately on me...and say something.... very very very sensitive nose.. almost irritating..
> 
> I'm kinda cheap and have no desire to go out buying all that fancy stuff anyway... so that works fine for me !
> 
> another similarity... all the both of us need is... the basic essentials.. ya know.. soap, some shampoo, underarm deoderant... and keep our mouths tasting fresh & clean..for those kisses ...and we're good! !


The last time we went to the strip club, she really liked the body spray one of the strippers was wearing, and so we bought some. She will wear it very occasionally.


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## Hope1964 (Sep 26, 2011)

Too many women overdo the perfume. Makes me want to throw them outside. I'm all about natural scents. Clean ones though.


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## Runs like Dog (Feb 25, 2011)

Love it, spray it, splash it on, ladies.


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## just got it 55 (Mar 2, 2013)

When my wife and I were first married, she use to take bubbly bubble baths with some kind of sent added.

The stuff just made me Coo..Coo. I think she knew she was going to get it hard that night.

Funny how since we have re connected in the last 18 months or so she started doing it again

55


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## Anon Pink (Jan 17, 2013)

just got it 55 said:


> When my wife and I were first married, she use to take bubbly bubble baths with some kind of sent added.
> 
> The stuff just made me Coo..Coo. I think she knew she was going to get it hard that night.
> 
> ...


Yeah, funny how that works!


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## soulseer (Jul 26, 2013)

Subtle perfume can be pleasant and sexy.

Drenching yourself in perfume , reeking of it is an absolute turn off. 

Nothing I hate more than cigarette stink is someone trying to mask it with ladles of perfume. Yuk
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## jorgegene (May 26, 2012)

I used to work in an office with a bunch of people and suddenly I declared "someone used roach spray!" and everyone started laughing. I wondered why.

turns out one of the young ladies used a perfume that day and it just happened to smell like roach spray(to me).

I was embarrassed, but I learned soon after, that they actually put perfume in some roach sprays to make it more palpable.
that's what I was smelling


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## Thor (Oct 31, 2011)

In general a perfume doesn't hit any animal responses in me, but a gentle wisp of perfume adds to getting dressed up for a special occasion. To me it is like makeup on a woman, it is nice in its own way on a special occasion but it is not better than none.

But there is one scent which means sex to me. It was a hair product my wife used years ago, now discontinued. It was a direct association with sex because I would have my face in her hair and smell it when we had sex.

There's one song which has the same association, "The Battle of Evermore" by Led Zep. Every time I hear it all I can think of is sex at college.


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## struggle (May 13, 2013)

Three effects for me:

1. Intoxicating...If I could just stand here and smell you that would be great. As a matter of fact, when you leave, just leave your shirt here so I can smell it in my spare time 
2. Repulsion....Its smells terrible, don't stand too close I don't want it to catch on my clothes
3. Nostalgia....We used to wear that perfume in high school

I personally like cologne on a guy once in awhile...but if he uses a really clean smelling soap and laundry detergent...that's the BEST

Those are what I have experienced


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## baedono (Apr 19, 2014)

I think perfume/cologne has a great sense of nostalgia. I had a close friend whom I lost contact with and whenever I smell this one scent, it reminds me of that friend and then I feel very nostalgic. 

Also, I feel more attracted to my husband after he is fresh from the shower and puts on his moisturizer because it smells so good! I always tell him that it makes him smell "handsome" hahaha.


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## southbound (Oct 31, 2010)

I had a cologne thread a while back. I like to apply aftershave after I shave, and I like to wear a little cologne from time to time. According to what i have read; however, It seems something as simple as cologne can be dangerous ground when dating. Smell is a powerful memory trigger. A woman could smell our cologne and it remind her of her grandpa or an ex; that probably isn't good. The scent one woman loves another may hate, and then there are those who are allergic. 



LongWalk said:


> I remember once had a girlfriend who ordinarily did not wear perfume. One day I started kissing her and this unexpected scent bypassed my frontal lobs, smashing into my hypothalamus.QUOTE]
> 
> Yep. There's nothing like an unexpected scent hitting you right in the ol' hippopotamus.


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## Hurtin_Still (Oct 3, 2011)

....my wife has used so many perfumes over the years that its difficult to focus on only one that will bring back special memories. She finds one she likes ....goes with it for about 5 years ...then will find another that's nicer ...and usually more costly.


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## southbound (Oct 31, 2010)

Question:

How much is too much cologne or aftershave? I certainly don't want to be the guy that everybody smells as soon as he walks in the door. I use the pour, not the spray. I usually put a little dime+ size pour in the palm of my hand and apply to my face and then run my hands over my chest. Sometimes, I wonder if that is too much. 

Does that sound normal? What do the people that you can smell a mile away do? Do they saturate their entire body and clothes? In other words, how much does it take to be the guy you smell a mile away.


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## Hurtin_Still (Oct 3, 2011)

*Re: Re: What effects do perfume, aftershave, etc have on you?*



southbound said:


> Question:
> 
> How much is too much cologne or aftershave? I certainly don't want to be the guy that everybody smells as soon as he walks in the door. I use the pour, not the spray. I usually put a little dime+ size pour in the palm of my hand and apply to my face and then run my hands over my chest. Sometimes, I wonder if that is too much.
> 
> Does that sound normal? What do the people that you can smell a mile away do? Do they saturate their entire body and clothes? In other words, how much does it take to be the guy you smell a mile away.


......I think that those who 'saturate' ...might be using a spray bottle of cologne? Or ...one of those bottomless cans of Axe.


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## Rowan (Apr 3, 2012)

southbound said:


> What do the people that you can smell a mile away do? Do they saturate their entire body and clothes? In other words, how much does it take to be the guy you smell a mile away.





Hurtin_Still said:


> ......I think that those who 'saturate' ...might be using a spray bottle of cologne? Or ...one of those bottomless cans of Axe.


How strong a fragrance is depends on both the fragrance itself and how much is applied. There are perfumes I can use three spritzes of, applied directly to my skin, and the only people who can smell it are those who hug me. There are some I can spritz once into the air and walk through that are then strong enough to create a cloud of scent that will smother bystanders 10 feet away for the entire day. I still live in horrified awe of Aromatics Elixir for it's utterly astounding, screaming, cloying, loudness and projection. On me a half-spritz of that at 6:00 a.m. will literally still fill a room by midnight. 

Some fragrance notes are "louder" than others, some fragrance concentrations are stronger than others, and some people do use way too much of even quiet fragrances. The more often/longer you wear something, the harder it is to smell it on yourself, sometimes making it easier to over-apply an old favorite. I think your best bet is to use slightly less than you think you should. You could also ask someone you trust not to lie to save your feelings whether you're wearing too much cologne.


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## doubletrouble (Apr 23, 2013)

Giro flee said:


> Most colognes make my throat and eyes burn. Why do some people need to bathe in them? Elevators are torture with all of those perfumes trapped in there and I avoid the perfume sales areas like the plague.


As a younger man, I used to select the longest line of over-perfumed people, walk to the front (as if I were looking at something on the counter), let loose a nice fart, and wander off. 

The lines would sometimes scatter. 

We called it fart-n-dart. Or crop dusting.

But I haven't done that in years. Really.


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## TikiKeen (Oct 14, 2013)

Oh man. If it's woody with good oriental (vanilla, orchid etc) high notes, I'm all over whomever's wearing it.

My favorites for me:
Twilight Woods by Bath Body Works
Amarige by givenchy (fantastic cinnamon notes in it!)

For men?
Most of the Black lines are good, especially Kenneth Cole and Bulgalri. Men who smell like nutmeg, cedar, amber and mandarin make me want to jump my guy's bones. Sadly, my H prefers more fruit-based scents that are airy-er.


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## Pepper123 (Nov 27, 2012)

I hate when guys wear cologne.... I'd rather smell the person's pheromones. I've been around people's who's pheromones I could not tolerate, and adding cologne over the top was not something I cared for. I dated a guy that thought giving me a T-shirt of his doused in cologne was a great way to remind me of him while we were apart. Gag (and incredibly cheesy).

That said, I wear a gardenia oil-based perfume that is very light.


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## doubletrouble (Apr 23, 2013)

I only spash on a little cologne when I'm at home -- mostly only on the weekends. Don't need to be attracting "flies" while I'm at work or doing my daily business work out in the world.


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## I Notice The Details (Sep 15, 2012)

I have a very good sense of smell. I can walk into an elevator and immediately tell what perfume is in the air. My wife knows this to be true and teases me about it. Just like music....the smell of a distinctive perfume can instantly transport me back to a specific person and a specific part of my life. 

I can still recall the fragrance of all of my former girlfriends. When I run into this aroma again, I am instantly reminded of what I was doing at that time. My mind immediately remembers "details" of those old relationships. It is like time travel in a weird way. Does that make sense?

When I smell the fragrances that my wife wears, I can instantly recall wonderful moments with her. I associate certain smells with sex, and those are very powerful. Aromas go directly to the brain, and thus, are very potent and powerful.That is why aroma therapy is so powerful. 

I love the fact that my wife and I use Victoria's Secret lotion every time I massage her feet. When I smell that fragrance, it is a huge turn on. Likewise, when I give her an erotic massage, I always incorporate a certain fragrance. She loves it and so do I. As a man, I am turned on thru many different levels. Smell is definitely one of them. I wonder if this is true with other men?


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## doubletrouble (Apr 23, 2013)

Yes, INTD, it is true. 

I can have lots of memories brought back by aroma. These can be very que-dependent memories. I may not have thought of a woman, or place, for years, and a scent wafts past my nose and BAM! I'm right there. 

Sometimes it's not a good thing lol

But it's very powerful.


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## Mark72 (May 26, 2012)

I don;t care for perfume all that much. What does it for me are the inexpensive body sprays... Citrus or bubble gum. 
Also, the smell of coconut. Artificial or real. 
Hawaiian Tropic tanning oil. 
Incense.


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## john117 (May 20, 2013)

Mark, look up Delon body butter. Amazon has it or Costco, I've seen it at Ulta.

Beyond awesome coconut smell and flavor :lol:


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## Mark72 (May 26, 2012)

john117 said:


> Mark, look up Delon body butter. Amazon has it or Costco, I've seen it at Ulta.
> 
> Beyond awesome coconut smell and flavor :lol:


When my situation changes, I sure will! :smthumbup:


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## john117 (May 20, 2013)

zdfhhjia said:


> Estée Lauder Beautiful in the good old days.



That's my wife's favorite...

Any good perfumeries in Paris? My older daughter is doing summer abroad in Paris (lol) and Rome (lol)... 

Are prices reasonable or just get it at Macy's ??


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