What cologne do you wear casually? What are some good ones?

[Kohitsu]

I'm a cologne newbie myself, but ones I have used that I really liked are English Leather, Coty Wild Musk, Bod Really Ripped Abs, Bod Black, Bod Gold. Bod is my everyday cheap cologne, but I sometimes spring for a new type of expensive cologne when I have the money, or I sometimes receive them as gifts!

[Arch]

Remember that a lot of accepting spaces and groups tend to respect the entire PC deal, and part of that is 'scent free / chemical free' environments.

Yes, yes, yes. I can't count how many times I've gotten a nasty allergy attack or a truly vicious headache, even from people who don't wear very much scent.

There's one that smells like bug spray to me. If I encounter a lingering odor of it in the hallways, probably an hour after the wearer has vacated, I get an instant headache. No kidding--whiff, oh hell, run away, too late, HEADACHE FROM HELL.

[LordKAT]

My nose don't work well but I can smell me quite quickly. I always thought the idea of smelly stuff was to disguise your own scent which was usually most unwelcome. Bathing daily don't even kill your own smell off. Deodorants haven't done much for it either. Smokers get a evil smell coming out their pores. Most smokers can't smell it but non-smokers can and do quite easily.

I know some people have a problem with scents including my endo. I always feel she will croak from my odor even if I see her only 4 or 5 hours after I shower since she wants no deodorants or scent applied before seeing  her.

I guess scents can go for good or ill as most things do.

[PixieBoy]

I only wear scented deodorant and scented soap. I currently use one called King of Sumatra by the brand Kings & Queens, it smells slightly like lemons, slightly like Earl Grey tea and slightly like mosquito ointment (the stuff called MYGGA if you're Swedish, I don't know if other countries have this). It doesn't smell a lot.

I'm kind of allergic to perfumes and other spray-on stuff, which means that the girl's locker room was a nightmare. All that hairspray, heat protectant spray, spray-on deodorant, perfume... It was Asthma Central for me!

[tekla]

There's one that smells like bug spray to me
Since you are on a college campus I'll bet it's Axe.

[insideontheoutside]

Never liked cologne - either on myself or someone else. To me, people usually go overboard with it. I don't like perfume either as a matter of fact.

[jet3]

giorgio armani: aqua di gio, Dolce & gabana: light blue, Kenneth Cole: Black, I am king, unforgivable, Very sexy for men, Lacoste Red bottle....i think thats all i wear

[Arch]

There's one that smells like bug spray to me
Since you are on a college campus I'll bet it's Axe.

Could very well be. I hate the freaking stuff. I think it smells a lot like Raid, and it has a fierce effect on me. The first time I encountered it, I thought the uni was fumigating for bugs. The trouble with this particular scent is that I can't just walk up to the wearer and ask what it is. I think getting that close might well kill me. >shudder<

I once encountered a female coworker who wore a scent that I thought was quite hideous as well as overabundantly applied. Since I was already standing right next to her, I thought I might as well ask what it was before I ran away. Her response, "Oh, you like it?" That she took my query as a compliment really caught me off-guard. I don't remember what I replied, but she didn't tell me what it was. I don't know what I would have done with that knowledge anyway--go around wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with "If you're wearing Bigtime Fashion Designer's Mortal Agony, please do not come within fifty feet"?

Guys, I hope you use very, VERY small amounts of the stuff you buy.

[Brent123]

Could very well be. I hate the freaking stuff. I think it smells a lot like Raid, and it has a fierce effect on me. The first time I encountered it, I thought the uni was fumigating for bugs. The trouble with this particular scent is that I can't just walk up to the wearer and ask what it is. I think getting that close might well kill me. >shudder<

I once encountered a female coworker who wore a scent that I thought was quite hideous as well as overabundantly applied. Since I was already standing right next to her, I thought I might as well ask what it was before I ran away. Her response, "Oh, you like it?" That she took my query as a compliment really caught me off-guard. I don't remember what I replied, but she didn't tell me what it was. I don't know what I would have done with that knowledge anyway--go around wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with "If you're wearing Bigtime Fashion Designer's Mortal Agony, please do not come within fifty feet"?

Guys, I hope you use very, VERY small amounts of the stuff you buy.

I use Axe and, personally, I love it. I don't bathe in it though like most kids do. Other guys use way too much of the stuff. One little spray under each arm is all you need. I've always thought that if you can smell it a mile away, then it's too much. The only time you should smell something is when you're super close to the person. But that's just my opinion.

[Kadel]

I personally wear Kenneth Cole Reaction, and all the time my female friends will grab ahold of my wrist and say 'You smell delicious' so, I would suggest this highly, I've had nothing but good results and compliments. It's expensive but in my mind, it's well worth it.

[Nikolai_S]

I'm always careful to only wear a small amount. I spray a short spurt at a bit of a distance from my left wrist, so it isn't soaked, use that same wrist to scent the other, use the same wrist again to dab my neck. It's very subtle.

Actually, my main motivation for getting cologne was how sensitive I am to the scents other people wear. Or just the smell of people in general (shampoo, hand sanitiser, sweat, hairspray, old clothes, even menstrual pads, I notice them all, daily). When I'm out in public it's sensory overload, if I'm in an enclosed space with someone wearing a bad perfume I feel absolutely nauseous. So I needed something that I could sniff to calm my stomach if need be. Unless someone is standing directly next to me, they won't smell it after the head notes die down.

Could very well be. I hate the freaking stuff. I think it smells a lot like Raid, and it has a fierce effect on me. The first time I encountered it, I thought the uni was fumigating for bugs. The trouble with this particular scent is that I can't just walk up to the wearer and ask what it is. I think getting that close might well kill me. >shudder<

I once encountered a female coworker who wore a scent that I thought was quite hideous as well as overabundantly applied. Since I was already standing right next to her, I thought I might as well ask what it was before I ran away. Her response, "Oh, you like it?" That she took my query as a compliment really caught me off-guard. I don't remember what I replied, but she didn't tell me what it was. I don't know what I would have done with that knowledge anyway--go around wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with "If you're wearing Bigtime Fashion Designer's Mortal Agony, please do not come within fifty feet"?

Guys, I hope you use very, VERY small amounts of the stuff you buy.

[MarinaM]

My guy experience shall be of service:

Go to Macy's and try Chrome by Azzaro, then try Code (or is it Black now?) by Armani (this was called Black Code when I still bought men's cologne).

The Armani stuff is very masculine and will make girls talk about you as you walk by, if that's your aim (I love it, but not on me). Though, at 60 dollars a bottle you better want to use it every day. You just ooze "Man" with that stuff on.

Chrome is a transitional scent, subtle masculinity, and very fresh. Less expensive too. About 40 dollars if I remember correctly.

[Arch]

Here's my perspective. I'm not trying to put a damper on things, just give you an idea of what it's like to be so damned sensitive to odors.

I really prefer that I not be able to smell the person's artificial scent unless I'm so close to him that I'm having sex with him. And if he wears any kind of scent at all (apart from the faintest leftover hint of shampoo, perhaps), he will never, ever get that far.

In recent years, my body has become more tolerant of artificial scents in general, but it really doesn't matter if the product is cheap, expensive, "good-smelling," or "bad-smelling." I've run across pleasant scents that I couldn't detect until I was standing in line right next to someone, and I still wound up with a runny nose and/or watery eyes and/or a sneeze and/or a headache. Fortunately, the effects are less dramatic with certain scents and with lesser amounts.

For those of you who are into women and who hope that your applied scent will attract one: whether they are aware of it, women in general tend to choose mates based on a number of factors; one very important one is natural body scent predicated on genetic compatibility. Axe or Christian Dior or Dire Nasal Assault interferes with this system. I understand that BCPs can tamper with this olfactory ability because they trick your body into thinking it's pregnant (pills apparently didn't mess with me, based on my anecdotal evidence), so YMMV. But covering up your own natural scent messes with the system, too. (If you are pre-T, then all bets are off.)

Men (I suppose straight men) respond to traditionally female odor as well. In keeping with recent research, for example, when I was living as a woman and before I started HRT, my ex was able to tell when I was in the fertile phase of my cycle--I smelled much more alluring to him then.

So when it comes to noses, we can cautiously conclude that women tend to seek out compatibility, and men tend to seek out fertility. I think it's probable that men prefer certain body scents over others (so they might have a preference for women with compatible genetic profiles), but a lot more research remains to be done.

I wonder if anyone has studied how gay and bi/pan people respond to body scents of people of the same sex/hormonal make-up. It seems to me that such research could shed a lot of light on all sorts of cool things.

[tekla]

People in the Bay Area are pretty much scent free anymore, in part the PC thing, in part the 'natural' deal too.  When I smell either cologne or perfume I can pretty much peg them as tourists on just that.

[Lee]

I'm not a huge fan of scents in general.  Most of them just smell like chemicals to me, and I'd almost prefer b.o. over some of them.
The worst is if I'm out dancing as a follow; I come home smelling like 20 different colognes all mixed together. 

[Wolf Man]

I'm not even sure it smells English.

I think cologne is a bit much for regular use. Occasions where you're dressing up I think are appropriate times. Though strong smells generally offend my nose unless it's subtle.

[Radar]

I've been a fan of the original Old Spice since a young child. I use it for aftershave and got a "scent set" for Christmas from my Mom. I do enjoy the Old Spice Swagger scent, especially the spray.

I also have a scent called Viking Men from an incense company. I got it at a Renaissance Faire and the company's called Global Scent Company. Their incense can be burned or worn as cologne/perfume. Viking Men smells really good and a very, very small amount goes a long way for all their scents. They have more scents than I've ever seen.

[austin86]

If I am going out clubbing or taking a girl out I will wear Lacoste Essential. For more casual things like running to the store I will spray on some BOD Fresh Blue Musk, and I always get compliments on this fragrance.

[Heath]

I use Axe and, personally, I love it. I don't bathe in it though like most kids do. Other guys use way too much of the stuff. One little spray under each arm is all you need. I've always thought that if you can smell it a mile away, then it's too much. The only time you should smell something is when you're super close to the person. But that's just my opinion.

I use Axe too - love how clean it smells but not in a household cleaner solution sort of way.  Axe is just...amazing stuff.

I usually don't wear cologne unless I'm going out somewhere at night (whether on a date or not) and I know it'll make a nice impression on people in my nearby vicinity.  When I do wear it, I've gone with "Fierce" by Abercrombie and Fitch.  However, I've been using the same bottle I bought in 2008 and do not plan to buy another one on the account of their discriminatory hiring practices involving a physically disabled girl.

[Cindy]

Hi Guys,
I love perfume but try and keep it for going out.
There is a guy at my work who LOVES Brut. You can smell him a car park away. The girls all use gagging signs as he walks past. There are also a couple of guys who don't use deodorant. Fine if you are working in a manual job, but in an office it is repulsive. The girls' perfume use increases during the day to disguise the pong.

Arch, before I went on HRT I think I could tell when my female co-workers were cycling by their smell (I have to admit it was an uncontrolled expt, I could with my wife as well but again uncontrolled), I found it upsetting and intrusive. I no longer smell 'female' odour. But I can smell a horny man, and that's upsetting as well .

There are reports of blind people being able to differentiate genders (sex I think more than gender) by smell. People who are blind tend to have higher sensitivity in other senses, but again it is a pretty hard hypothesis to check.

I also spend a lot of my working time using taxis (cabs) the pong is unbelievable  .

Cindy