Perfumes/ Colognes?

Post Reply New Topic

Anybody else like perfumes/ colognes? I know that there are many of us who have sensory issues to where fragrances cause issues, but are there any that actually like to smell these type of things? I really love it and often think of my perfume as an extension of me.. and I have one perfume that I actually find very comforting. Is there anyone else on here that is the same, and if so, what perfumes/ colognes do you like/ why do you like them?

Most perfumes/colognes I can't be within 100 feet of (literally), including the fragrances included in many cosmetic, personal hygeine, and cleaning products. I have found one perfume that I love and can actually wear. The rest make my sinuses clog up instantly.

My sensory issues make me a bit of a hypocrite about this one! I cannot stand to be walking in a street or in a public place, and smell other people's strong perfumes/colognes -- yet at home I do enjoy my own favorite fragrances. I tend not to wear them outside though, as I keep in mind how little I enjoy smelling other people's, so maybe some of those people would be pissed off at mine too.

Having said that, many, many years ago I did wear my perfume under all circumstances, and I actually felt really upset if I happened to forget to put it on, so much so that one morning on my way to work, I realized I'd forgotten to put on my perfume, and I felt so "wrong" that I stopped into a store to use a test sample of it on my wrists!!

I think I was a bit obsessed during that time, and to wear it out and about had become one of my routines/habits that are upsetting to break for aspie reasons in me.

Now, though, I no longer wear perfume outside the house unless it's a special destination such as a party or someone's wedding, etc, not just walking along the street to the shops, or going to work. And especially not on pubic transportation. That is the place where I get the most overwhelmed by other people's scents. It's nightmarish to be trapped in a crowded subway carriage with someone wearing really strong and copious amounts of perfume or aftershave. B.O is even worse but the scents are pretty bad, for me.

When I'm at home I like to spritz a bit of Estee Lauder's "Pleasures." That has been my favorite perfume for about the last 14 years.

I also like when I'm newly showered or have just used my scented handsoap and I can smell those scents coming off my skin while sitting reading or something.

.

Birdinflight: Do you have any experiences with Oscar by Oscar De La Renta? I have just started wearing it and am still not sure if I am old enough to be wearing it.. seems like a more mature women's fragrance than someone in their late 20's?

I can only wear really high-quality men's cologne, as I find women's perfume to be very harsh and cloying (and it'll often make my throat seize up). The only cologne I really enjoy and find relaxing at the moment is Salvatore Ferragamo's "Attimo pour Homme". I tend to get confused compliments on it, because it is very masculine (and I look very feminine), but it is also very refined and nice enough to get positive notice. I find that it is extremely conducive in helping to keep me calm, and it's can be a very useful "target" stimulation for me to focus on when I find myself getting over stimulated or nervous.
I definitely have some of the same problem's BirdInFlight used to have with "needing" to have some sort of fitting scent on. I always carry around a vial of diluted sandalwood oil because of this, and I've been working on my inflexibilities regarding these matters. Seems to be working. Now, when I forget to wear/put on a "necessary" thing, I don't feel horrible for the entire day. I just go "oh, s**t. Doesn't matter that much actually. This was on purpose, obviously!" haha
I really need to stock up on different scents, though, because I'm almost half through my Attimo (that sounds so strange, translated), and it's really hard to find somewhat affordable scents. The only other one I have is a gorgeousss super tiny vial of East Indian perfumed oil I keep for special occasions. Some dude in my class gave it to me for free, and it cost him $250. Thanks, random classmate!

Biobird: Have you ever smelled D&G Light Blue? I ask, because I find it to be the most comforting thing I have ever smelled in my life.. only problem is that it is only comforting after it dries down. Now the dry down base consists of Cedarwood, Amber and Musks. I have been searching forever to find out what part of that is what makes it so comforting.. is it the amber? the musk? the cedarwood? Was wondering if you might have some idea.

nyxjord: I had never thought to look at any D&G fragrances, but Light Blue sounds absolutely fantastic! I'll definitely go take a sniff this weekend, and post if I find anything that could prove beneficial for any other Fragrance Aficionados on here ;)
I think it must be a combination of all the above, though. I tend to be drawn to things I would be attracted to in potential partners, and so therefore I'm most calmed by things I'd find especially lovely for a guy to wear. For me personally, the amber+musk+cedarwood would most likely be comforting to me due to that fact, and also the fact that there's probably some sort of neurological thing going on with all the molecules and established neural pathways+memories. There's an entire science dedicated to this stuff, and I know so little about it hahah
It's super interesting to think about, though *0*

Biobird, BIG warning before you go snif it this weekend! Have them spray it on you or on your clothes and then wait a few hours or even a day because that is when you will smell the part that I find comforting. Like, for example, if you smell it from a card or right when they spray it on you, then it will be very citrusy/ lemony and you may not like it. That is not at all the part that I am talking about. Wait a few hours or even a day and then you will know what I mean (although if it is sprayed on your arm etc then it will rub off onto your clothes so I really recommend that you spray it on a sweater and then forget about it for awhile.. if that makes sense.) I like to spray it on my pillow in the morning and by the time I go to bed, it has that comforting smell (the dry down, I guess) that I love so much. Please let me know how it goes.. I am really interested in your thoughts/ if you can figure out what part is so amazing at the end.... and you will know it is the end, because that is how it will smell until it completely fades away (but that tends to take a few days on clothes)

Ah, thank you for the warning! I really dislike the citrusy/fresh smelling colognes, so that's quite useful information. Sounds like it could be good as a closet-spritzer! haha I tend to spray my clothes, anyways, so that seems applicable. I'll definitely get back to you on it, though :)

I no longer like the smell of mainstream scents. Since I cut household chemicals out of my life, I've become more sensitive to them and even things that are supposed to smell good have a unhealthy, foreign chemically odor to them .

The only personal scents I like are the ones sold at www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com. They use natural ingredients like essential oils, so the fragrances smell like what they are supposed to smell like, rather than an artificial version that was cooked up in a chemistry lab.

Only fragrance weak or free perfumes/colognes/body deodorants etc... I can't wear any and find it difficult to be in the company of someone wearing any fragrance.

It's either heavily distracting, uncomfortable, induces ticking, nausea and possible migraines. For me, as long as someone gives off any odour I'm fine.

I've had occupational therapy assessments to show I'm very smell reactive and sensitive to any strong smells. It is recommended as a reasonable adjustment for any work placement to adjust any company policy regarding fragrances in my presence. But generally this area is rarely an issue.

I'm a huge fragrance head and have been since I was quite young. I mostly favor men's cologne these days (I'm a girl but my motto is "if it smells good, I'll wear it" and I happen to have a preference for the masculine scents) I don't pay attention to the men or women only label on the bottle. I have over 20 bottles currently in my collection with my latest purchase being Versace Eros for men.

I know this is quite odd for most people on the spectrum due to many of us having hypersensitivity to smells. My hypersensitivities have always been more sound or texture related than smell.

Word of advice to other fragrance heads: Never get them from Ebay as a lot of them are fakes.

I'm very smell/fragrance averse. Diesel/petrol fumes, welding fumes, cutting/grinding (metal) fumes, any form of atomised insecticide spray, cement or wood dust are my absolute nemesis. I don't generally use deodorant unless my own body odour is becoming an obvious social issue.

I wonder aversions to smells are something I was born with or are an extension of their disruptive impacts on my environment? I'm tending to the view that control of my environment is very important to me and that smells and substances (dust, fumes etc) that I have come to associate (negatively) with experiences of a disrupted environment has led my to dislike the smells and substances themselves. Any thoughts?

For example, I don't recall having an issue with insect spray as a child but I hate insect spray now. That would suggest that I have grown to dislike insect spray because it has become associated with disruptive impacts on my environment. I recall throughout my life that general cleaning activities by others have required me to participate in the cleaning and/or to stop/disrupt what I was busy doing at the time. I really dislike having my own activities and order disrupted and I think I link insect spray in my mind with disruption and interference). I think its a bit like Garcia effect (taste aversion. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_conditioning for more on this.

I like the smell of good colones.