Recital/Reception

[Shane]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I'm putting together an ambitious project to state a music recital at my alma mater. It's going to be a long, difficult recital, and I plan on having a lot of people attend it. Family, friends, benefactors of the arts, and probably people I don't know that well or at all will be there. And there will be a reception for sure with lots of great food.

My recital is scheduled tentatively for February 16th, 2008. It is a formal affair that will have a dress code for those in attendance, and I myself will be wearing a three-piece suit. The reception will be held at my home afterward. Considering all of this information, does anyone have any suggestions about shaving creams/soaps, fragrances, body soaps/washes, etc., etc. for the event? Any and all input is graciously appreciated.

Shane

[TromboneGuy]

Heh. As a guy with a master's degree in music and having played a lot of recitals, here's what I think.

As far as body wash and shave soap/cream - use your old reliables. The scent of either of those probably won't last long enough to matter anyway, so use whatever will get the job done best and most worry-free. You don't want to be worrying about whether a soap with a particular scent is going to give you a good enough shave that day, so use something you know will work every single time.

As far as a scent - with a three piece suit you want to command some attention, but not go too overboard or too light. Plus, you don't want to wear something that will hit the audience with scent from the stage anyway. (Also, if there are any singers involved in the recital, signers are very sensitive to fragrance at times, so go for "understated, yet charismatic".) I'd go for something like Blenheim Bouquet, Bois du Portugal, T&H's Trafalgar, something along those lines.

For that matter I just tried out some new colognes and one of my new favorites - Tauer's L'Air du Desert Marocain - might work ok for that kind of situation.

What kind of recital? Are you just organizing or performing? If you're performing, what do you play/sing? Have you decided on a program already? I'm just curious.

[rtaylor61]

I've not attended a recital in years, but I think the key is "subtle". There is nothing worse than trying to enjoy a performance yet having to endure someone else's fragrance choice. The last brass quartet performance I attended, I was sitting behind a goup of "blue haired" ladies, who, apparently, had bathed in cologne that was purchased in 55 gallon drums for $5 bucks. The different scents were so strong that I could "taste" them. Application overload. If the scent you are wearing can be noticed over two feet away, (and I actually prefer to think one foot away), you are wearing too much.

Let your looks and appearance be what make the statement.

Randy

[Larry C in Texas]

I must admit that when I first read the title of this thread, I thought it said "Rectal/Reception" and I wondered just how long I had been away from B&B!

Never mind.

[Straight Arrow]

If I could figure out a way to do it within the bounds of proper social graces, I would ban all perfumes, colognes, scents of any kind at any public gathering or place of business. I am a choir director and I always tell my singers to leave the scents in the bottles. Deodorant, yes. Everything else, no!!

[Doc4]

I must admit that when I first read the title of this thread, I thought it said "Rectal/Reception" and I wondered just how long I had been away from B&B!

Never mind.

Jumped to the wrong ass-umption!

I like the advice of sticking to the tried-and-true to get a good shave, and yes, 'subtle' should be your watchword. Maybe an unscented ASB, so it won't risk clashing with your cologne.

I tend to think of colognes in three categories, by use: office-appropriate (staid and conservatively masculine), weekend (sporty and laid-back) and evening (overboard on the 'sexy'). I'd go for the office type here. You have almost a year to try and find one that suits your personality, but why not start with one of my old fav's, Dunhill Man. Check it out at the mall and see if you like it.

[TromboneGuy]

If I could figure out a way to do it within the bounds of proper social graces, I would ban all perfumes, colognes, scents of any kind at any public gathering or place of business. I am a choir director and I always tell my singers to leave the scents in the bottles. Deodorant, yes. Everything else, no!!

Heh. Sadly, that's because most people now don't get subtlety. I mean, even the people at Basenotes talk about regularly wearing six or seven sprays of a cologne. One should do it. In a choir, the person standing next to you should maybe get the tiniest whiff of whatever you're wearing.

[Thomas]

It's not entirely similar, but when I'm due to give a speech, I have a set routine that inspires confidence, or at least keeps me from getting distracted about the task at hand. I'll use a trusted deodorant and a light dab of a trusted cologne - one that's not going to bloom on me when the lights are on and I'm getting nervous. Oh, and Listerine breath strips are nice to use, particularly for the reception afterwards. I keep mine in my jacket pocket.

I've had this routine for a little while now and - whatever the circumstances - it's one less thing to worry about. IMHO, the night of your recital is not the time to try something new. If you must, experiment well beforehand. Go with what has worked for you.

Good luck!

[ouch]

I say use a triple dose of Blenheim Bouquet.

Let 'em know who's boss.

[Straight Arrow]

Love your new avatar Ouch.

[michaelskar]

If I could figure out a way to do it within the bounds of proper social graces, I would ban all perfumes, colognes, scents of any kind at any public gathering or place of business. I am a choir director and I always tell my singers to leave the scents in the bottles. Deodorant, yes. Everything else, no!!

Heh. Sadly, that's because most people now don't get subtlety. I mean, even the people at Basenotes talk about regularly wearing six or seven sprays of a cologne. One should do it. In a choir, the person standing next to you should maybe get the tiniest whiff of whatever you're wearing.

+1 tromboneguy