Scent

[Menzoberranzen]

They say that smell is the most evocative of the senses (even years later, the odors of our childhood conjure up vivid memories) but I've never really found that a person's distinctive scent is a turn on, until now. The other day I was sitting next to a friend of mine to whom I've always been attracted, and when he stood up and I caught his scent, I was floored. I've never, ever had such a visceral reaction (I was quite literally lightheaded) to someone's smell before.

 

Has anyone else had this sort of reaction to a person's smell?

 

Menzo

[Dion]

Scent has always been very powerful to me. I've actually based the beginning of friendships on how a person's scent effected me. I sit up and take notice of a person who smells really good.

 

I can't say I've experienced 'lightheadedness' because of it, though. Maybe that's why I'm still single.

[Krista]

Actually a person's scent isn't something I've noticed until I've noticed their physical attraction first. Scent is important though probably more defining than how a person looks as the smell of a person really is more long lasting in our memory, I can remember the way David smelled the first time I met him even though he has changed soaps and colognes over the years that I've known him. He smells really good by the way.

 

So in a way scent is a deal maker/breaker.

[Razor]

Offtopic, today I smelled a terrible BO odor. I accidentally bought deodorant with no anti-perspirant, so I was thinking that it could conceivably be me. About eighteen semi-discrete sniffs later, I realized it wasn't me and it was someone who was walking down the hall. I never thought I'd be so happy to know someone else smelled bad.

 

 

On topic, I remember how each guy I've ever been close to smelled. The closer I was emotionally attached to them, the more vividly I remember the scent. One particular guy's scent is especially associated with comfort, bedding, sleep, and security. ~shrug~ My personal opinion...

 

SMELL GOOD ALL THE TIME. You never know when someone's sniffing you up for the first time, and I take a lot of pride in being remembered as the guy that smells insanely good (albeit with a touch of cigarette smoke if you catch me at the wrong time). I've actually been seriously considering going shopping for a new scent. I've been using my favorite flavor of Axe for ages, and while it is a nice scent (and yes, I use it sparingly and appropriately), I think I want something a little more complex and... um... yeah I dunno the word for it. Just something a little deeper, more alluring.

 

There was one in Victoria's Secret's lil for men cologne section last time I went to the mall that smelled absolutely fantastic, it just had a bit of a long cooldown time. I'm referring to the time it takes for a scent to mellow enough to tell what it will actually smell like through the day.

[myself_i_must_remake]

i love the way some guys smell, but i think for me it is a bonus that usually comes after they're more or less secured, as in pressed up against a wall or in bed.

 

but lovely nonetheless!

 

i like curve crush a lot. curve is popular, but i like a lot of their scents (except the most popular one, actually.) they have one called kicks that i wear as well so... if you ever wanted to know what i smell like, curve crush and curve kicks.

[jfalkon]

Fascinating topic!

I find that I usualy decide if I like someone long before I get close enough to smell the person. That part is mostly visual for me. On the other hand smell can tell you many things about a person if you pay attention. For example a person with a fever usualy smells a little different. Respitory infections have a smell. Various other physical conditions may be charecterised by a smell. One's smell can give away one's age as well. One's diet can affect one's smell. It also seems to depend on hereditery/genetic factors. For example, I have noticed that many blond guys have a particular quality to their scent.

I think a person's scent can give you simmilar information to what you can get from looking at that person. For example, bad hygene both looks and smells bad. Poor health can adversly affect both scent and apearance. The list goes on. So I guess what I'm trying to say is go ahead sniff people. It's interesting.

[Bandage]

Fascinating topic!

I find that I usualy decide if I like someone long before I get close enough to smell the person. That part is mostly visual for me. On the other hand smell can tell you many things about a person if you pay attention. For example a person with a fever usualy smells a little different. Respitory infections have a smell. Various other physical conditions may be charecterised by a smell. One's smell can give away one's age as well. One's diet can affect one's smell. It also seems to depend on hereditery/genetic factors. For example, I have noticed that many blond guys have a particular quality to their scent.

I think a person's scent can give you simmilar information to what you can get from looking at that person. For example, bad hygene both looks and smells bad. Poor health can adversly affect both scent and apearance. The list goes on. So I guess what I'm trying to say is go ahead sniff people. It's interesting.

 

That's why I always sniff people! Can't stand someone who has poor personal hygiene...

Problem is though, that I can't keep my nose from turning up, so they kinda notice I smell something bad

 

One thing I hate is when someone used TOOOO much perfume or cologne that morning... It's like, overwhelming, I can't smell other scents, and it feels like they're trying to hide a bad BO... LOL

[AFriendlyFace]

Well, I get the "you smell good!" compliment alot, so I'm glad I must, but honestly the whole thing is pretty lost on me. I actually consciously notice someone (anyone)'s order maybe once a week, but really more like two or three times a month. They have to smell really good or really bad for me to notice at all.

 

On a side note, I think it's the weirdest thing in the world when straight guys tell you you smell nice. I've gotten this on several occasions, even from guys I didn't actually know. Just weirds me out. "Um thanks, man"

 

On the other hand I don't find it at all odd, and actually quite like it if a female or gay/bi male tells me that, even if I don't know him/her. So I suppose I'm being sexist and/or heterophobic or something.

[NaperVic]

Has anyone else had this sort of reaction to a person's smell?

 

Alpha Male by David Buffet (listed on the Best of Nifty site) delves into this topic.

 

I think in the outside world, people's 'real' smells are hidden by colognes & deodorants too much. The only place I really notice odors is in the gym. All the physical activity sweats the artificial stuff away and you get to smell people's real scents. It's not always a good thing because most people smell bad (to me at least). However like Menzo experienced, every once in a while someone's scent will blow me over with how attractive they smell. It's usually extremely subtle, but it is still overwhelming in it's own way. And there isn't always a correlation between physical attractiveness and scentual attractiveness.

 

It's been my experience that Hairy folks tend to have more intense smells.

 

Oh on a related topic. My ex and I have joint custody of our dog Mina, so we alternate her every 3-4 weeks. The last time I picked her up and we were hugging, I distinctly remember smelling her and thinking how good she smelled. I asked the ex if he gave her a bath recently and he said no. It was odd that I noticed her good/recognizable smell and didn't seem to smell her usual I run around in a field all day getting dirty smell. Odd.

 

 

So I suppose I'm being sexist and/or heterophobic or something.

 

[Demetz]

Scent is incredibly powerful. Crass as it may sound I love the smell of some good balls and embarrassing as it is here's some truthful tidbit: my own smell has often turned me on. Which I guess isn't too surprising considering I'm a very, erhm, sexually driven individual attracted to males and as I happen to be male I have the pheremones right there in my pants. It also doesn't help that I seem to produce a great deal of scent.

 

Needless to say it is a great turn on for me. I can remember the very distinct smell of my boyfriend...

 

Excuse me.

 

*heads off*

[Tiger]

Don't hold back.

 

Ummmm... I happen to like the smell of sweat. It's intoxicating actually. I like the sweat scent in a specific area, particularly on a certain garment.

[Demetz]

I happen to like the smell of freshly chilled sweat. Like.... say you're on a walk with your boyfriend through a park on a hot day on the way to the movies. Naturally you start sweating. When you get to the theater go in and sit down in the super cool air conditioning, the freshly produced sweat suddenly chills. There's a certain scent that comes about when this happens (or maybe it was just with my ex?) that is incredibly intoxicating.

[GaryK]

Has anyone else had this sort of reaction to a person's smell?

Yes. Ever since first grade when I made sure to sit next to this handsome boy who smelled wonderful.

 

I learned years later the smell came from his hair creme. Hair creme, like Brylcreem were popular back when I was in elementary school. We didn't have hair gels back then, but it was basically the same thing.

 

Ever since then I've been very much aware of everyone's personal scent.

 

These days I appreciate each person's unique body scent absent any of these darned colognes that cover up the real person. Why are so many people afraid to smell like themselves?

[Demetz]

I don't know, Gary... it frustrated the hell out of me that my boyfriend used an especially potent smelling soap and it was often difficult to smell the man beneath all that.

[Razor]

I don't know, Gary... it frustrated the hell out of me that my boyfriend used an especially potent smelling soap and it was often difficult to smell the man beneath all that.

 

 

Too much is a terrible thing. The right idea, at least in my opinion, is to find something that compliments rather than obliterates.

 

Also, I do not like BO. I find it quite unattractive, and my annoyance as of late has been the usual during summer... the heat and humidity make you smell bad within a couple of hours of being out in it. No matter how clean and shiny I am when I hop out of the shower in the morning, I know that by noon I'll smell mediocre at best, and that by night I run the risk of smelling none-too-fresh.

 

Some guys do not smell good at all. I don't know if this is a biological thing, or just bad choices on their part, but it's a sad, sad fact. Other than cologne or unique scent, I actually LIKE the smell of cigarettes. I don't like the smell of cigarettes on hands or heavy on the breath (like after someone just smoked). However, a light tint of it on clothing or hair mixed in with a dash of cologne, their preferred detergent or soap or shampoo, and just a hint of them... it adds something. Oh, and smokers... dude, wash your hands when you get done smoking. I hate when I don't have enough time before a class to go to the bathroom and wash my hands because I KNOW I'll smell just like an ashtray. For whatever reason, the smell sticks to skin much more than clothing or even hair, and the smell that sticks to the hands is just repulsive.

 

There's nothing quite like a guy that manages to smell clean, scented, and just like himself all at the same time. Or a girl, for that matter; no matter what the stereotypes say, girls have much more of an issue with properly wearing a fragrance. Some of them who pass me in the halls or even on a sidewalk, and especially some that hug me... ~gags~. Trying to fumigate the place using only your perfume?

[rknapp]

I passionately hate artificial smells. Especially AXE. Indeed, my worst experience of high school was also the best... the mens locker room! It was great seeing all the handsome young men disrobing in front of me, but then after class they'd break out the AXE body spray and I would run for cover. Unfortunately the teachers WOULD NOT let anyone leave the locker room before the bell rang, so I had stand in that shit-scent for several minutes each day.

 

That said, I very much enjoy most natural scents. Specifically, the smell of clean skin. There's also that "sun baked" smell that I tend to like (on myself, anyway). That smell where if you don't shower on a particular morning, then the sun bakes whatever oils that have accumulated on your skin, then you walk inside and you can smell it on your face and forearms. I don't know, I just like it.

[NaperVic]

I remember reading this article titled The Science of Sex: Does the nose know? The article talks about how we like the smell of those we are genetically compatible with.

[AFriendlyFace]

I remember reading this article titled The Science of Sex: Does the nose know? The article talks about how we like the smell of those we are genetically compatible with.

**gasps in shock**

 

Oh my gosh, Vic! I've read that before, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't on GA

 

Freaky!

 

(or maybe just a converging of interests )

 

Take care all and have a great day

Kevin

Edited June 4, 2008 by AFriendlyFace

[GaryK]

There's nothing quite like a guy that manages to smell clean, scented, and just like himself all at the same time. Or a girl, for that matter; no matter what the stereotypes say, girls have much more of an issue with properly wearing a fragrance. Some of them who pass me in the halls or even on a sidewalk, and especially some that hug me... ~gags~. Trying to fumigate the place using only your perfume?

The guy who smells clean, scented and just like himself is me. Ivory soap is all you'll ever smell on my skin and Pantene shampoo is all you'll ever smell in my hair. Anyone wanna give me a test smell?

 

I don't know what it is with some of the women here in Miami. It's like they've taken a bath in their darned perfume. There have been times in a restaurant when I've had to move because the perfume smell was so overpowering it would start to trigger a migraine. I've traveled a lot and this seems phenomenon seems to be unique to Miami. In other cities I can tell the women wear too much perfume, but nothing close to like what we have here.

[Krista]

Oh goodness... the more the natural odors of a man, masked the better.. you guys stink I'm afraid to say... shew.

 

Kidding.. of course.. lol.. but eh, I've never liked the smell of body odor or the smell of an un-showered person, I like the soapy, clean, cologne/perfumed, smell of a person far more than the natural smell. I can appreciate the smell of a hard working, exercised, dirty man but as long as that man steps into the shower and comes out smelling clean.

[AFriendlyFace]

The guy who smells clean, scented and just like himself is me. Ivory soap is all you'll ever smell on my skin and Pantene shampoo is all you'll ever smell in my hair. Anyone wanna give me a test smell?

 

I don't know what it is with some of the women here in Miami. It's like they've taken a bath in their darned perfume. There have been times in a restaurant when I've had to move because the perfume smell was so overpowering it would start to trigger a migraine. I've traveled a lot and this seems phenomenon seems to be unique to Miami. In other cities I can tell the women wear too much perfume, but nothing close to like what we have here.

Speculating here, but aren't there a lot of ummm 'older' women there? There's a stereotype that old ladies wear too much makeup, perhaps they're also inclined to go too heavy on the perfume. I think if that's the case it must come down to a weakening of the senses over time. It's been presumed that they wear too much makeup for example because they're eyesight isn't that great anymore and they don't realize how much they've put on. Perhaps the same is true for their sense of smell?

 

Given my own inferior olfactory abilities I certainly wouldn't know if I were wearing too much cologne. I don't think I am, but I couldn't really smell if I were. Perhaps they're in the same boat...and maybe that boat is moored just outside of Miami?

 

Oh goodness... the more the natural odors of a man, masked the better.. you guys stink I'm afraid to say... shew.

 

Kidding.. of course.. lol.. but eh, I've never liked the smell of body odor or the smell of an un-showered person, I like the soapy, clean, cologne/perfumed, smell of a person far more than the natural smell. I can appreciate the smell of a hard working, exercised, dirty man but as long as that man steps into the shower and comes out smelling clean.

Gotta say I'm with Krista on this one! I like my guys fresh, clean, and pretty. Not 'rugged' or 'natural'

Edited June 4, 2008 by AFriendlyFace

[GaryK]

Speculating here, but aren't there a lot of ummm 'older' women there? There's a stereotype that old ladies wear too much makeup, perhaps they're also inclined to go too heavy on the perfume. I think if that's the case it must come down to a weakening of the senses over time. It's been presumed that they wear too much makeup for example because they're eyesight isn't that great anymore and they don't realize how much they've put on. Perhaps the same is true for their sense of smell?

Kevvers, it seems to be mostly Cuban women regardless of age. So I think it's a cultural issue rather than an age issue.

 

Off-Topic:

Ugh, you reminded me of my first grade teacher. Ugliest and fattest woman you'd never want to meet. Also the sweetest lady with a heart of gold; or maybe chocolate. Anyway, she wore makeup that I swear was an inch thick. She made us kiss her on the cheek every morning and every morning we students would spit out chunks of makeup.

[jfalkon]

On the topic of perfumes all I can say is less is more. There are many people out there who over do it. Some of these perfumes don't even smell organic. On numerous ocasions I have found myself sitting in a room with people who smelled like chemistry sets. For a person with alergies that is turture.

 

A few months ago I heard something interesting on the news. Aparently there is a link between depresion and the excesive use of perfume. Maybe its mostly unhappy people use all that foul smelling stuff.

[Razor]

Hm, that's possible. Overuse of perfume could be one of the many symptoms of different people with depression... everybody copes in different ways, and it's not too hard to imagine the link there. However, I would say that using a light fragrance would probably make you happier on a daily basis.

 

It's like Kevvers said, there's a serious satisfaction in grooming. If you KNOW you smell good, and people tell you so, then you're gonna feel good about yourself.

 

 

 

P.S. Stay the hell away from cucumber melon unless it's a name brand product. For the love of all that is holy, stay the HELL away from it. I have had enough poorly concocted cucumber melon to last me six lifetimes, from both guys and girls. If you're gonna do it, do it big and invest in a name brand shampoo/lotion/soap/perfume/whatever. No, Suave does not count as a name brand. In fact, nothing in Wal-Mart counts as a name brand.

[GaryK]

On the topic of perfumes all I can say is less is more. There are many people out there who over do it. Some of these perfumes don't even smell organic. On numerous ocasions I have found myself sitting in a room with people who smelled like chemistry sets. For a person with alergies that is turture.

So true and it's so sad. A few of them even have the distinct aroma of bug spray. All perfumes trigger my allergies on some level, and a few, as I mentioned earlier, will trigger a migraine.

 

In fact, nothing in Wal-Mart counts as a name brand.

How about some shampoo recommendations Jamie.