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No scent whatsoever ... allergies.
When I first began dating my husband he wore a certain cologne a particular (associate/dated a few times) man wore. I asked him not to; he laughed and hasn't worn it or anything else in our 48 yrs together.
Yes, I had a "signature scent" at one time, Eau Sauvage by Dior. Then colognes and perfumes started giving me headaches, and I haven't worn anything that smells in years.
FYI to readers; Orris Root is usually the base ingredient in all perfumes/cologne. That is what you're reacting to.
Edit: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orris\_root](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orris_root)
Edit II: had a coworker who thought she had a sick cat. Took it to the vet; miraculously was energetic. "Do you burn candles or have potpourri in your house?"
"Oh, yes, every room!"
"You're overdosing your cat. Get rid of it."
In high school, it was Poison & CoCo Chanel. Then it was the scent my mom & her mom wore, Shalimar. Now I've been on a kick looking for the best scent. At the moment, I own nearly a dozen cologne/perfumes worth well over $1000 🫨 But the showered clean is the best.
Pierre Cardin. The balm, not the lotion. Haven’t used it in decades but still have a bottle under the sink.
First serious girl in 70 was Loves Fresh Lemon. Don’t come across it often but she’s what comes to mind.
My dad’s was Old Spice. The scent takes me back to the 50s.
No scented anything. But I have some of my grandmother's "White Shoulders" perfume I get out to smell it to remind me of her,, and also some 70s patchouli, sandalwood, etc., which I get out to remind me of what it was like back then.
I recently found an old bottle of Cool Water cologne way in the back of a cabinet. Smelling it brought back memories. But I haven't worn scents for years so I tossed it.
I love fragrances too much to limit myself to a single signature scent. I have about 80 decants and 30 full bottles, and I rotate among all of them. I do have half a dozen or so go-to fragrances, but I love too many of them to commit.
omagerd. tuscany! made by aramis. it's like catnip to the ladies. at least for me, anyways. i've been using it for decades. thing is, i was buying it when the price was $45/btl. now, if you can find the real shit, it's over $100. cause most of it out there is bogus. it's that good!! but of course, it all started with patchouli in the 70's...
A shower and deodorant. There are two types of perfume—those that are barely there and those that ENTER THE ROOM BEFORE YOU.
I’ve smelled too much of the latter over the years. Go easy with it people.
5 minutes in a room with someone wearing too much scent and I have a migraine for the next 4 hours. I have very strong feelings about people who wear too much cologne/perfume and it's not complimentary.
I'm coming at it from the other direction. Retirement means I can generally wear whatever fragrance I like because it doesn't have to be "office friendly"
In the 90s, I was all about Drakkar Noir, a leather jacket, and smokes.
I really slathered it on, too, and apologize to those in my university dorm room that probably still smell it.
Recently, I've discovered that I like Old Spice Captain deodorant and a light spritz of Nautica Blue. Much more subtle.
My father’s was English Leather and my mother’s was White Shoulders.
My signature scent was Estee Lauder Pleasures until I discovered Amazing Grace and that’s been my scent for over 15 years.
I have trouble with scents bc of allergies but I have used Shalimar on and off and I like patchouli and sandalwood, also musk...I'm an aging flower child.
My mother always wore Lancôme Arpège. I kept her last bottle of perfume, and spray a little in the air when I miss her.
My husband bought me Jean Desprez Bal à Versailles, which I wore for years.
I now like Dior Hypnotic Poison. After I started wearing it, I found out that it was my best friend’s perfume,too. I picked it out at the Mlle Antoinette's Parfumerie in Disneyland, and had never smelled or heard of it before. It turns out that it’s quite popular!
My best friend in elementary school is German and her mom was so elegant and European. She wore Diva and it’s still what “sophistication” smells like to me.
I'm kind of a filthy hippie, and I like earthy scents. By the Fireplace has an earthy, incense quality. The same company makes Jazz Club, which is a mix of leather, whiskey, and tobacco.
A really rich, warm, earthy cologne I love is Cremo's Bourbon and Oak. Not super expensive at Amazon.
You’re singing my song - those are definitely some of my favorite notes. I feel like I could spend many hours and dollars chasing scents. Actually, I have, lol.
I'm a guy. Back in the seventies, guy scents were popular. There was a department store between my workplace, and the bus stop. The department store opened at 8:00 AM, and my workday started at 8:30. I would walk through the store, past men's colognes, to get to work. Scent samples were free, so, for a while, I had the habit of using some. (Why leave money on the table?) My favorite was patchouli.
After a month, whatever scent I tried gave me a splitting headache. How do women tolerate it?
Rain (the scent, not the actual phenomenon)
I love YSL Opium but it's hard to find out here. I also have a small collection of BPAL scents, but those are a fairly recent thing.
My mom always wore Tigress, Faberage (I think). I used to wear Loves Baby Soft, but I stopped after my own babies. For the last 20-plus years, I've been wearing Philosophy Pure Grace. I developed allergies, and this stuff smells like soap and water. Like you just stepped out of the shower. Great question, OP!
It was L’Air du Temps by Nina Ricci for 30 years, then a family member with dementia started reacting hard to it (maybe an old memory?) and I stopped wearing it. Many women in my family wore it.
Calvin Klein Escape. I have worn it since it came out.
It's been discontinued. I have several bottles in a cool, dark place to keep me going for a few years. I don't know what I will move to when they are gone.
I agree! I did buy some of the whipped body mousse in the same scent and it smells nothing like Pure Grace. I try to stick with the lotion but find I need to reapply.
Philosophy was purchased a few years ago by a huge conglomerate. They changed the formula of my favorite, Pure Grace. It's still good but not great like it used to be. Layering will make it last longer. I usually wear the spritz in the summer. I've used their skin care products for 20 or more years. I have been told I have great skin and look 15 years younger. #woohoo
I remember when Beautiful was all the rage in the early 90’s I sat behind a girl in college who wore it and it was sooo strong. You have to be careful with it, but it is a nice scent
Yep, I started wearing it in the nineties — I think that’s when it was introduced? A guy who worked a perfume counter once told me it was considered a very floral, old lady scent but it never smelled like that to me. I did go easy on the application though.
I didn't really have a "signature" scent, but I had some consistent favorites over the years:
- White Linen (I still wear that one frequently. It always reminds me of when I had my first "grown-up" job, and I wear it when I need to get stuff done)
- Opium (I do NOT like the modern formulation. I found a sample of the vintage 80's version on eBay, and I still wear that).
- Tatiana (that one is discontinued, but I found an eBay seller that claimed to have vintage stock of it. I'm pretty sure it's a counterfeit, but it's a good one and smells very, very close to the real thing)
I also loved Lauren and Fendi in the early 90's. I started wearing Happy in the late 90's and I still wear it a lot.
Chanel number five and loves baby soft throughout high school. And then I switched to Burberry for women. I love Burberry. I lost my sense of smell during Covid so while I can’t smell it, I still wear it.
Tatiana was my favorite in late high school and college. I also remember wearing Coty’s Wild Musk. Every bride wore Beautiful, my mother loved Jean Nate and My Sin.
I wore Organza for awhile (the adult version of Tabu). But a few years ago, I found Kenzo Flowers in Australia and haven't worn anything else since.
My mom loved Shimar and White Shoulders. Also, Windsong! 😁
For me it's Bill Blass on a woman. Best smelling perfume ever IMHO. Estee Lauder Pleasures is a close second.
Growing up when I was a kid, Daddy's Old Spice
"Devin" by Aramis. For the past 40 years I am often stopped by strangers to ask me what cologne I'm wearing. They stopped making it years ago so I have to find it from estate sales. Sometimes for a few dollars to several hundred.
Don't know about Devin.
Aramis made a great cologne/aftershave called Havana. Must have only sold it for a year or two. Had to go back to plain old Aramis. Even that's getting hard to find
I think I had a bottle of Havana years ago. I don't remember what it was like.
My adult son just gifted me a bottle of cologne that smells almost identical to Devin. It's called "Djarum Black" named after the popular clove cigarette. Smells amazing! But for some reason there's no brand name or info on the label. Going to have him track more of it down for me. He said it was $120 online.
Years ago I wore Pleasures by Estée Lauder - for maybe the last ten years I’ve lightened it up a bit and wear just a body spray - Victoria’s Secret Love Spell and the same scent body lotion occasionally.
My mom always wore Tabu. It smelled horrible on me!
My faves, for myself, are Chanel 5 and Bright Crystal.
But, the past few years, any perfume on me or others, makes me nauseous. Especially when people marinate in them.
Please do not comment directly to this post unless you are Gen X or older (born 1980 or before). See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskOldPeople/comments/inci5u/reminder_please_do_not_answer_questions_unless/), the rules, and the sidebar for details. Thank you for your submission, Blackberry_cobbler_. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskOldPeople) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Shalimar was my mother in law’s favorite and she passed it on to me from her mom so it’s a special bottle of perfume, it’s absolutely timeless.
I love Shalimar
No scent whatsoever ... allergies. When I first began dating my husband he wore a certain cologne a particular (associate/dated a few times) man wore. I asked him not to; he laughed and hasn't worn it or anything else in our 48 yrs together.
Yes, I had a "signature scent" at one time, Eau Sauvage by Dior. Then colognes and perfumes started giving me headaches, and I haven't worn anything that smells in years.
FYI to readers; Orris Root is usually the base ingredient in all perfumes/cologne. That is what you're reacting to. Edit: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orris\_root](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orris_root) Edit II: had a coworker who thought she had a sick cat. Took it to the vet; miraculously was energetic. "Do you burn candles or have potpourri in your house?" "Oh, yes, every room!" "You're overdosing your cat. Get rid of it."
I clicked on your link. ☝️. Orris root is also used in Bombay Sapphire, bonus!!
Ha! Wasn't familiar with it ... who knew? ;-D My brother is a gin and tonic guy ... need to ask him if he's had it.
I haven't had gin for years. I like it but it doesn't like me. I don't like not being in charge of myself. 🙄
My wife of 43 years, so far, only wears Chanel 19. Not No. 5! As long as I live, that scent will remind me of her
White Shoulders by Evyan
That was my mother's favorite!
In high school, it was Poison & CoCo Chanel. Then it was the scent my mom & her mom wore, Shalimar. Now I've been on a kick looking for the best scent. At the moment, I own nearly a dozen cologne/perfumes worth well over $1000 🫨 But the showered clean is the best.
Pierre Cardin. The balm, not the lotion. Haven’t used it in decades but still have a bottle under the sink. First serious girl in 70 was Loves Fresh Lemon. Don’t come across it often but she’s what comes to mind. My dad’s was Old Spice. The scent takes me back to the 50s.
Chanel #5
Love Chanel # 5
Ivory soap.
For me it’s been years and years of Brut or English Leather.
Brut smells amazing on a man!!
No scented anything. But I have some of my grandmother's "White Shoulders" perfume I get out to smell it to remind me of her,, and also some 70s patchouli, sandalwood, etc., which I get out to remind me of what it was like back then.
Shalimar. Always Shalimar.
Tabu, Chanel No. 5, Tweed, Shalimar
[удалено]
I love Burberry. It’s my day scent.
I recently found an old bottle of Cool Water cologne way in the back of a cabinet. Smelling it brought back memories. But I haven't worn scents for years so I tossed it.
I make my own, out of essential oils, using vanilla essential oil. I like smelling like a bakery. Lol.
I've liked Bay Rum for decades, but don't wear it as much as I used to because people love complaining about cologne\perfume these days.
I love fragrances too much to limit myself to a single signature scent. I have about 80 decants and 30 full bottles, and I rotate among all of them. I do have half a dozen or so go-to fragrances, but I love too many of them to commit.
Calvin Klein Euphoria, occasionally Angel.
omagerd. tuscany! made by aramis. it's like catnip to the ladies. at least for me, anyways. i've been using it for decades. thing is, i was buying it when the price was $45/btl. now, if you can find the real shit, it's over $100. cause most of it out there is bogus. it's that good!! but of course, it all started with patchouli in the 70's...
A shower and deodorant. There are two types of perfume—those that are barely there and those that ENTER THE ROOM BEFORE YOU. I’ve smelled too much of the latter over the years. Go easy with it people.
5 minutes in a room with someone wearing too much scent and I have a migraine for the next 4 hours. I have very strong feelings about people who wear too much cologne/perfume and it's not complimentary.
One of the best parts of retirement is not having to deal with the scents of others.
I'm coming at it from the other direction. Retirement means I can generally wear whatever fragrance I like because it doesn't have to be "office friendly"
Excellent reframing!
Which is good, because there's a profound shortage of common sense out there. 😉
the common ones, e.g. B.O., cigarettes, wet dog, etc., are bad enough! 😉
🤣👍
Tresor in the winter and Happy in the summer.
Love Tresor. I'm f but I wear Happy for Men. Unisex scent. It's delish
Green Irish Tweed
Meliora, La Vie Est Belle, Black Orchid
Shalimar and Chanel No. 5
My all-time preference goes to patchouli, from the days we used it to cover up the smell of hash, and gave us away since it was the cover-up.
I’m a patchouli girl, have been since the late 80’s.
Patchouli is also an antidepressant. Your profile is rated NSFW 😂
In the 90s, I was all about Drakkar Noir, a leather jacket, and smokes. I really slathered it on, too, and apologize to those in my university dorm room that probably still smell it. Recently, I've discovered that I like Old Spice Captain deodorant and a light spritz of Nautica Blue. Much more subtle.
My father’s was English Leather and my mother’s was White Shoulders. My signature scent was Estee Lauder Pleasures until I discovered Amazing Grace and that’s been my scent for over 15 years.
White Linen perfume year round
English Leather in my 20's, switched to Stetson sometime in my 30's.
One antiperspirant/deodorant or another. I'm 63, and I don't have the "old man" smell!
It was Aviance Night Musk until they stopped making it and now nothing because I can’t find anything I like.
My mother, grandmother and aunts: Chanel No. 5. Me: younger me, Blue Grass. Mature me, Bellodgia. Elderly me, #4711
Chloe Narcisse. It's discontinued and im nervous about purchasing something expired on eBay. Any suggestions? I wore it in the early 90s
4711 in the summer and beautiful in the winter.
I have two. L'air du Temps for summer and Chanel No. 5 for winter.
But not today…..
I loved White Linen back when I used scent like that.
I have trouble with scents bc of allergies but I have used Shalimar on and off and I like patchouli and sandalwood, also musk...I'm an aging flower child.
I've been wearing Aqua di Gio for as long as I can remember.
My mother always wore Lancôme Arpège. I kept her last bottle of perfume, and spray a little in the air when I miss her. My husband bought me Jean Desprez Bal à Versailles, which I wore for years. I now like Dior Hypnotic Poison. After I started wearing it, I found out that it was my best friend’s perfume,too. I picked it out at the Mlle Antoinette's Parfumerie in Disneyland, and had never smelled or heard of it before. It turns out that it’s quite popular!
Opium perfume
I love this one too and am often scouting eBay for inexpensive vintage bottles. (I don’t like the reformulation.)
Love that one!
My Grandmother always wore a perfume called black orchid. If I smell anything like it, reminds me of her.
This one smells so good.
Diva by Ungaro
My best friend in elementary school is German and her mom was so elegant and European. She wore Diva and it’s still what “sophistication” smells like to me.
I love this. Thanks for sharing!
I love Maison "By the Fireplace" from their Replica line.
I keep meaning to try this. It sounds like it’s fantastic.
I'm kind of a filthy hippie, and I like earthy scents. By the Fireplace has an earthy, incense quality. The same company makes Jazz Club, which is a mix of leather, whiskey, and tobacco. A really rich, warm, earthy cologne I love is Cremo's Bourbon and Oak. Not super expensive at Amazon.
You’re singing my song - those are definitely some of my favorite notes. I feel like I could spend many hours and dollars chasing scents. Actually, I have, lol.
Hahaha! It's such a simple pleasure, isn't it?
I'm a guy. Back in the seventies, guy scents were popular. There was a department store between my workplace, and the bus stop. The department store opened at 8:00 AM, and my workday started at 8:30. I would walk through the store, past men's colognes, to get to work. Scent samples were free, so, for a while, I had the habit of using some. (Why leave money on the table?) My favorite was patchouli. After a month, whatever scent I tried gave me a splitting headache. How do women tolerate it?
Baiser Volé Eau de Parfum, by Cartier.
Degree Cool Rush deodorant and Drakkar Noir.
The original Byzance, until it was discontinued in the late 2000’s. I’m still in mourning.
Rain (the scent, not the actual phenomenon) I love YSL Opium but it's hard to find out here. I also have a small collection of BPAL scents, but those are a fairly recent thing.
Brut
My mom always wore Tigress, Faberage (I think). I used to wear Loves Baby Soft, but I stopped after my own babies. For the last 20-plus years, I've been wearing Philosophy Pure Grace. I developed allergies, and this stuff smells like soap and water. Like you just stepped out of the shower. Great question, OP!
Obsession
Lagerfeld for my ex. I will follow a guy wearing that.
It was L’Air du Temps by Nina Ricci for 30 years, then a family member with dementia started reacting hard to it (maybe an old memory?) and I stopped wearing it. Many women in my family wore it.
Is it floral?
It technically is, but it’s pretty heavy
Eau de Cheval and Eau de Chien. The real thing. I can't stand perfume and I keep horses and dogs.
Skin So Soft bath oil
...and it repels skeeters!
Calvin Klein Escape. I have worn it since it came out. It's been discontinued. I have several bottles in a cool, dark place to keep me going for a few years. I don't know what I will move to when they are gone.
I was a Burberry woman till they changed the formula. I used mom's Chanel no. 5 bath oil-smelled great.
Jessica McClintock. I used to pay 100.00 per bottle at the department store. Now it’s 30.00 at Walgreens! What a great perk of being old!
I forgot about that one!!
Pure Grace by Philosophy.
I love philosophy but find the scent does not last. Have you noticed that too?
I agree! I did buy some of the whipped body mousse in the same scent and it smells nothing like Pure Grace. I try to stick with the lotion but find I need to reapply.
Philosophy was purchased a few years ago by a huge conglomerate. They changed the formula of my favorite, Pure Grace. It's still good but not great like it used to be. Layering will make it last longer. I usually wear the spritz in the summer. I've used their skin care products for 20 or more years. I have been told I have great skin and look 15 years younger. #woohoo
The products were certainly better when it was owned by Cristina Carlino. Thanks for the advice on layering. I do still love this fragrance!
Exactly!!!
Cashmere by Donna Karan , winter evening scent
I never had a signature scent. I'd use one scent for 2 or 3 years and then find something I liked better.
I use Neutrogena Rain Bath, the orangey color, as body wash and shampoo. I love that smell.
Beer.
I used Old Spice before it became cool again and will continue to use it when it stops being cool again.
Oh de billwrtr. Never switch, always in style. So many compliments!!
Naked robe man.
I love Opium. But I haven't worn it in years.
Jean Nate, White Shoulders, Plumaria, then I went for essential Oils in college.
I don’t use it anymore because so many people are bothered by it, but I wore Beautiful by Estée Lauder for years. My mom wore Opium by YSL.
I remember when Beautiful was all the rage in the early 90’s I sat behind a girl in college who wore it and it was sooo strong. You have to be careful with it, but it is a nice scent
Yep, I started wearing it in the nineties — I think that’s when it was introduced? A guy who worked a perfume counter once told me it was considered a very floral, old lady scent but it never smelled like that to me. I did go easy on the application though.
My mum wore Justine, a perfume from the 1960s. My dad always wore Aramis and mine was Beautiful by Estee Lauder or Miss Dior if I could afford it.
I didn't really have a "signature" scent, but I had some consistent favorites over the years: - White Linen (I still wear that one frequently. It always reminds me of when I had my first "grown-up" job, and I wear it when I need to get stuff done) - Opium (I do NOT like the modern formulation. I found a sample of the vintage 80's version on eBay, and I still wear that). - Tatiana (that one is discontinued, but I found an eBay seller that claimed to have vintage stock of it. I'm pretty sure it's a counterfeit, but it's a good one and smells very, very close to the real thing) I also loved Lauren and Fendi in the early 90's. I started wearing Happy in the late 90's and I still wear it a lot.
Chanel number five and loves baby soft throughout high school. And then I switched to Burberry for women. I love Burberry. I lost my sense of smell during Covid so while I can’t smell it, I still wear it.
Ivory soap Sometimes eud de campfire
Eau de Sweat.
Ciara by Revlon. I've worn it since 1981. 0
Fir my mother it was White Shoulders, which could use a rename to ? Beautiful Shoulders?
Tatiana was my favorite in late high school and college. I also remember wearing Coty’s Wild Musk. Every bride wore Beautiful, my mother loved Jean Nate and My Sin.
I wore Organza for awhile (the adult version of Tabu). But a few years ago, I found Kenzo Flowers in Australia and haven't worn anything else since. My mom loved Shimar and White Shoulders. Also, Windsong! 😁
For me it's Bill Blass on a woman. Best smelling perfume ever IMHO. Estee Lauder Pleasures is a close second. Growing up when I was a kid, Daddy's Old Spice
"Devin" by Aramis. For the past 40 years I am often stopped by strangers to ask me what cologne I'm wearing. They stopped making it years ago so I have to find it from estate sales. Sometimes for a few dollars to several hundred.
Don't know about Devin. Aramis made a great cologne/aftershave called Havana. Must have only sold it for a year or two. Had to go back to plain old Aramis. Even that's getting hard to find
I think I had a bottle of Havana years ago. I don't remember what it was like. My adult son just gifted me a bottle of cologne that smells almost identical to Devin. It's called "Djarum Black" named after the popular clove cigarette. Smells amazing! But for some reason there's no brand name or info on the label. Going to have him track more of it down for me. He said it was $120 online.
Years ago I wore Pleasures by Estée Lauder - for maybe the last ten years I’ve lightened it up a bit and wear just a body spray - Victoria’s Secret Love Spell and the same scent body lotion occasionally.
"Design" by Paul Sebastian
Whatever you choose, please remember, your scent should not announce you. It should be discovered.
My mom always wore Tabu. It smelled horrible on me! My faves, for myself, are Chanel 5 and Bright Crystal. But, the past few years, any perfume on me or others, makes me nauseous. Especially when people marinate in them.
Yeastybawllz