What got you started?

I'm curious to know what was the trigger that got you started down the fragrance rabbit hole? For me, it was very early in my childhood that I remember my Father (and Mother for that matter) always smelling nice. I distinctly remember Dad coming out of the shower freshly shaved and smelling of Aramis 900 or Grey Flannel. I even recall working in the yard with my Dad and catching a whiff of him, not sweaty but fragrance.

I've been wearing fragrance of some sort since I was a pre-teen. I suppose it was my subconscious effort to emulate my parents in this respect. Because of this I've owned or at least samples nearly every designer fragrance, lol. Now I've been digging into more niche fragrances and an entire new world has been opened up to me ;-)

Let's hear how you got started!


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While at summer camp in Oregon in the early 90's, a precocious fellow camper smuggled in a tiny travel bottle of Christian Dior Fahrenheit. I can remember the moment I smelled it, like it was yesterday. It was bold, manly, and like nothing I had ever smelled before. My mind immediately zeroed in on the main character of any Lous L'Amour book, of which i'd read dozens of. I had to have my own bottle, and soon after I got back home to California I acquired a 6.8oz bottle, as well as a small travel bottle in a set. I still have that lightly used 23 year old 6.8oz bottle today. It has insane projection, silage and longevity. It also seems to have a magical affect on women.

joel said:

While at summer camp in Oregon in the early 90's, a precocious fellow camper smuggled in a tiny travel bottle of Christian Dior Fahrenheit. I can remember the moment I smelled it, like it was yesterday. It was bold, manly, and like nothing I had ever smelled before. My mind immediately zeroed in on the main character of any Lous L'Amour book, of which i'd read dozens of. I had to have my own bottle, and soon after I got back home to California I acquired a 6.8oz bottle, as well as a small travel bottle in a set. I still have that lightly used 23 year old 6.8oz bottle today. It has insane projection, silage and longevity. It also seems to have a magical affect on women.

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Isn't it funny how scent is so strongly tied to memory? My Father also wore Fahrenheit and I remember sneaking and using it as a teen! My first was Drakkar Noir, and it was heaven, lol

My father was very adamant about NOT wearing any fragrances. He refused to put on anything that didn't smell like Ivory or Dove soap. He didn't want my mother to wear any perfumes, either, but she did. When someone came to visit who was heavily fragranced, my father would go sit on the porch until they left.

When I was around 10 years old, I bought him a bottle of Old Spice as a Father's Day gift. When he passed away 25 years later, that bottle was still in his medicine cabinet, untouched.

My own introduction to fragrance came when I was in the Navy. I picked up on a gift-set of Brut33 in the ship's store, and I loved that stuff. Although I took some kidding from a few guys who thought it was "fruity," I really enjoyed the soap-on-a-rope, the shaving cream, the aftershave, the deodorant, etc. I think that was what got me started on my quest for "seamless" shaves, i.e. using the same brand of products from start to finish. Whenever I get a new brand in my den, I always try and collect the whole range.

I always liked to stop at the cologne counters in department stores and sniff the various samples. I bought a few here and there, but never really found any that seemed to stick out. When I discovered Aramis, that was the one that made me go "WOW!" and it was the first time I bought the same brand twice in a row. Aramis was my go-to fragrance for the next decade, although I did keep many others on hand for variety.

Boarding school..... We used to borrow each others colognes when we had leave. A friend had a bottle of the YSL fragrance Jazz which was one of the more popular borrowed colognes. When, at the end of school year he asked if anyone wanted anything from duty free when he came back through Singapore at the beginning of the next year, I said (mostly in jest) "you can pick me up a bottle of Jazz is you want". To my surprise when we started the next year he said "here's that bottle of Jazz you asked for".

I currently only reason really use fragrance periodically, maybe once a fortnight. So they tend to last me a fair while. I've had Tommy Hilfiger "Freedom" for some years now which is a nice fresh fragrance, but bought Mont Blanc "Emblem" for something different last year.

When I was a freshman in high school, (1962) I got a part time job in a little corner Mom and Pop pharmacy. This place was owned by really great people Art and Crystal. I literally did anything and everything from cleaning floors, to washing windows and even washed and waxed their car. Which was fine by me, after all I did ask for a job and they gave me one, so I was grateful for that. At any rate I used to stock the shelves and I would stock cologne and perfume and each and every one I used to sniff. I remember some such as Dana, Ambush, Replique Raphael for women. Canoe, English Leather, etc. for men. The first fragrance I purchased was a bottle of Canoe.

I remember going downtown with my Mom shopping at Marshall Fields and smelling from a sampler of Chanel For Men and fell in love with it. I found it fascinating how a liquid could be applied to ones skin and smell one way when applied and another way fifteen minutes later and another twenty minutes later. I knew nothing of notes and how they changed during now known Opening, heart and dry down. I saved enough to purchase a bottle of Chanel For Men and after that there was no looking back for the last 52, or so years.

Great stories gents, keep them coming. Love hearing other people's catalyst for getting into fragrances.


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Dad was frequently given fragrances as gifts. Mom didn't like cologne (or perfume for that matter), so dad wouldn't wear them. So I wound up with many of those gifts, some of which I still have 30+ years later.

I stopped wearing frags for many years, but this place kicked me back into the rabbit hole. Thanks guys!

Lmarkow said:

Dad was frequently given fragrances as gifts. Mom didn't like cologne (or perfume for that matter), so dad wouldn't wear them. So I wound up with many of those gifts, some of which I still have 30+ years later.

I stopped wearing frags for many years, but this place kicked me back into the rabbit hole. Thanks guys!

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Yeah, this place is hard on my wallet ;-)

I got my 1st bottle of Brut 33 Splash On as a Xmas present at the age of 13 and I loved it - As the late, great Henry Cooper used to say in the adverts - "Splash it on all over" and "Nothing beats the great smell of Brut"
I was hooked on the stuff, and it was all used up by early January !!
Every year after that I was given Brut 33 Splash On, Talc, Deodorant and Shampoo for my birthday and Xmas, and every year it was all used up within a few weeks
But it was that 1st bottle of Brut that started the ball rolling !!

I probably had three or four bottles of cologne and aftershave for the bulk of my adult life. Not sure why. Always felt self conscious about wearing a scent, and I never wanted to be "That Guy" the one who applied 10 sprays of some scent and who projected like a monster.

Joined B&B a year ago, got interested in aftershaves and made the logical transition to colognes. Now I wish I had been more like "That Guy" and had been at least open to trying the scents that were available back then.

I joined B&B about a year and a half ago but I tried smelling fragrances on me before that and found that Bath and Body Works Ocean for Men smelt good. I finally got some for my birthday last year and then I got Michael Jordan just due to the novelty factor and really loved how it smelt on me. Then I tried more at Christmas time and that was that...

mkpunk said:

I joined B&B about a year and a half ago but I tried smelling fragrances on me before that and found that Bath and Body Works Ocean for Men smelt good. I finally got some for my birthday last year and then I got Michael Jordan just due to the novelty factor and really loved how it smelt on me. Then I tried more at Christmas time and that was that...

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Awesome, fragrance can be a deep rabbit hole, as I'm sure so many of us know. This site has opened many a black hole for my disposable income, lol

rickcharles606 said:

Awesome, fragrance can be a deep rabbit hole, as I'm sure so many of us know. This site has opened many a black hole for my disposable income, lol

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This and movies are mine. Maybe a few digital comics here and there too... Luckily on blades and razors I'm mostly set in my ways (may try new soaps next.) But fragrences are my kryptonite, if even EAD ones from the Dollar Tree or Classic Match which are on the cheaper end but not when you buy a bunch at a time.

Never wore any- in fact others' would annoy (many / some still do).

After gaining appreciation of aftershaves here, was simply looking for an AS smell that would linger.

Canoe- which really does connote Pinaud Clubman- is one. Wearing it now.


AA

Women. And I like to smell nice...

mkpunk said:

This and movies are mine. Maybe a few digital comics here and there too... Luckily on blades and razors I'm mostly set in my ways (may try new soaps next.) But fragrences are my kryptonite, if even EAD ones from the Dollar Tree or Classic Match which are on the cheaper end but not when you buy a bunch at a time.

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Yeah my shaving is totally dialed in and with the exception of the occasional new shave soap or cream, I don't change it up. Fragrances, well that's another story....I'm always looking and am never quite satisfied. This AD is scary

Joe Mamma said:

Women. And I like to smell nice...

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Seems legit ;-)

This blasted forum!!!

rickcharles606 said:

Yeah my shaving is totally dialed in and with the exception of the occasional new shave soap or cream, I don't change it up. Fragrances, well that's another story....I'm always looking and am never quite satisfied. This AD is scary

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Yeah i may try a new blade here and there and got a new razor but I'm done with the experiment side except maybe a different soap, I'm not sure. Fragrances however, there's novelty ones, classics and current trends that are up to try and see if they work. For me, it is mostly watery scents rather than the darker or musky ones (except for say a Polo Red or Stetson...)