What scents are masculine? Gender-neutral?

[Lethran]

Well, as a man, this thread is of particular interest to me, and I’m getting lots of ideas to try. The difficulty is that while some scents can be tagged as “masc” or “uni” there’s still the question of variegated body chemistry. I happen to be of Slavic descent, and am pretty, how shall I say, hirsute. Hirsute and perspirative. So sweet scents – florals and spices – simple don’t work on me.

 

I tried wearing Dracul and a trusted female friend told me it reminded her of Shalimar; and I thought to myself “ur doin it rong” And I was frimped a decant of Crowley and I couldn’t figure out what was amiss until I realized it had lilac in it. Very strange.

 

So I try many things and few work - -Iago is perfect, Antikythera Mechanism is masculine but warm, Robotic Scarab sits well. I was frimped a decant of Enkhespalos, which is as perfect on me as Iago.

 

I’m having luck with unusual choices like Godfather Death, a good autumn scent, woodsy and dry, with something that smells like fennel. And The Deep Ones, with its murky aquatics and romantic kelp.

 

Thanks for all the good suggestions. If I find anything else that is aces, I’ll report in.

 

ETA: The Coil is a nice change, too. I like smelling like an live electric circuit.

 

It sounds like you'd be good with woods. Have you tried leater, tobacco, oakmoss, and the variations of machine oil etc. in the the steampunk collection?

[tuffins]

I really REALLY love Lurid on my guy!

 

I wear it too and it smells totally different on one each of us. Total win.

 

Lurid: Shocking, horrific, fierce, savage, sensationalized, luminous and hazy: black currant, Bulgarian lavender and white musk with a dollop of thick resin and a voltaic charge of ozone notes.

[zmulls]

Thanks, gwydion. I have looked up and down Steamworks, and listed a few I've tried and liked above (for some reason, Galvanic Goggles didn't register on me, quite a disappointment). I really think I need to spend some more time in Marchen and Arkham.

 

Any scents that use a lot of oakmoss? I don't think I've tried that particular element.

 

(And I did tag Lurid for future imping. Does sound yummy).

[Caerphilly]

I really REALLY love Lurid on my guy!

 

I wear it too and it smells totally different on one each of us. Total win.

 

Lurid: Shocking, horrific, fierce, savage, sensationalized, luminous and hazy: black currant, Bulgarian lavender and white musk with a dollop of thick resin and a voltaic charge of ozone notes.

 

That does sound good for a guy! I never thought of fruity scents (exception citrus) for my bf to wear, but I might try this. black currant is a bit tart, so it might work.

[plainjean]

Anyone looking for a masculine scent, definitely give Hellboy (Aftershave, candy wrappers, brimstone, and cat) a shot. It is quite masculine, to me. Also October (Dry, cold autumn wind. A rustle of red leaves, a touch of smoke and sap in the air).

Edited September 20, 2010 by plainjean

[forspecial_plate]

Thanks, gwydion. I have looked up and down Steamworks, and listed a few I've tried and liked above (for some reason, Galvanic Goggles didn't register on me, quite a disappointment). I really think I need to spend some more time in Marchen and Arkham.

 

Any scents that use a lot of oakmoss? I don't think I've tried that particular element.

 

(And I did tag Lurid for future imping. Does sound yummy).

 

For oakmoss I recommend Cathode..."Ambergris, Spanish Moss, oakmoss and three electric mints", and Omen...."oakmoss, juniper berry, myrrh and patchouli". There are others but those two are pretty good for the mossy experience.

 

There is also Bad Luck Woman Blues....."Keep that bad luck woman away with a blend of Spanish moss, black pepper, mullein, sweet sage, vandal root, cypress, cigar tobacco, and a puff of goofer dust cloaked by a swarthy cologne of vetiver, lime, dark musk, caramel accord, and lilac". One of the best mossy scents, if you can find it!

[Redillon]

My husband EVENT HORIZON. He's on his second bottle. The funny thing is he's never worn cologne but since I started buying BPAL he's more interested in smelling nice.

[Jupita]

My best-friend isn't very "manly" in his tastes...

So far, the only scent that could be seen as somewhat manly on him is Nocnitsa, which he loves, sadly, so do I, so there is no chance in Hell he's getting a grip on my imp...

He took my imps of The Zieba Tree, Titania and Lilium inter Spinas though... and wears them.

They actually smell really nice on him... very soft, tender... he loves the scent of peach, but in the soft powdery type of peach, instead of a lush and juicy one.

Spinning Multicolour Pinwheel (I don't know if I spelled this one right) really bugged him off... and he keeps saying that my imp of Baron Samedi smells like something rotten and putrid... (I have to agree with him on that one, it stinks).

[Verios]

Count Dracula. I love this scent, period--but I definitely think that if I were to encounter a man wearing it...I'd follow him just about anywhere. lol. Kinda hard to find, but soooo worth it.

[zmulls]

I just ordered imps of Nocnitsa and Event Horizon from a Bpaller. Both have been on my "want to try" list for some time. Glad to know other guys have had success with them.....

[Lethran]

Count Dracula. I love this scent, period--but I definitely think that if I were to encounter a man wearing it...I'd follow him just about anywhere. lol. Kinda hard to find, but soooo worth it.

 

I love that, and wish they'd resurrect it.

[spiresinthesnow]

DORIAN - me and my lover boy both wear this. Usually he prefers musky and or woodsy vanilla, even if he smells like a girl. lol! Though he prefers the vanilla/sweeter types they always smell amazing and sexy on him and are very fitting to his disposition.

 

I absolutely love these for myself, but they are pretty unisex scents in my opinion:

Dee

Tombstone

Parliament of Monsters

Kroenen

the Dodo

King of Hearts

Snake Oil

 

There are so many more but these come to mind, and are the ones I like. My loverboy said he really liked Tombstone and so do I so I'm gonna get a bottle soon.

[liat]

I find The Arabian Dance (Yule '11) entirely gender-neutral, in a very sexy way.

 

"Leather, coffee, hazelnut, tobacco, and Middle Eastern spices."

[Invidiana]

I find these to be ubermasculine manly-man Y-chromosome testosterone-charged scents:

 

Brown Jenkin

Dee

De Sade (so strong I could smell it from my ankle)

Djinn

Ebeneezer Scrooge

Herr Drosselmeyer

Iago

The Rat King

Sacrifice

 

 

These are somewhat more gender-neutral:

 

An Altar to Cold Rigid Dreadful Death

The Arabian Dance

The Byronic Antihero

Crowley

Cthulhu

Deep in Earth

Dorian

Eanach Dhuin

Event Horizon

Galvanic Goggles

The High Priest Not to Be Described

Tin Phoenix

Hellboy

Hod

Kroenen

Loviatar

Menacing Ionospheric Research Instrument

Mr. Qubit

Olisbos

Pais de la Canela

Phoenix Steamworks

Rivet Goth

Spanked

The Stormhold

The Traveler

Tombstone

Volt

Wensleydale

Edited January 22, 2011 by Invidiana

[porcelina]

Vicomte de Valmont is my favorite bpal for my fiancé to wear. it smells WONDERFUL on him! peeking through his bpal collection, he has two 5mls of that, as well as Wilde, Calico Jack and Galvanic Goggles. Calico Jack is very sexy, salty and rugged; the other three are more of the 'refined genetleman' sort.

[Icekitten]

I just love Velvet Panther on my SO

[GeorgeJr]

I am fully recommending picking up a bottle of Panther Moon if you can . It's just getting amazing as it ages already .

[Icekitten]

Ok, so i'm trying to get my bf hooked on BPAL like i am but it's not easy! Velvet Panther was very good on him, as Panther Moon but this is not enough...

I've tried Tombstone wich turns to very sweet vanilla wich he doesnt like i've tried the Antikythera Mechanism wich was good but still to foody on him, he's more of the basic perfumes like Hugo Boss (any) and Givenchy Play is there something like this for him to try? thanks

[zmulls]

See Invidiana's list of manly man scents above. That's probably a good place to start, without getting lost in endless choices.

 

On her list, I wear Iago a lot, and Djinn on occasion, and neither is going to be mistaken for sweet or foodie. Djinn is definitely a "something's burning" kind of scent, but it's not overwhelming (like Brimstone) -- in Djinn there's smoke and fire and some noble spices lurking.

 

Iago has three elements -- leather (the wet snarly dank men's room in a dingy bar kind of leather); vetiver (that strong uber-male scent that many women on these forums scream doesn't work on them); and black musk (not just any musk, mind you, but black as pitch). Nothing else that Beth feels needs to be listed, if there's anything else in there at all. I wear it six months out of the year (leather jacket weather), and it's a great guy scent. I predict he'll feel very, very sexy in it.

[Icekitten]

I did checked some posts, i was happy to see i had some here already to test on him, from Jolly Rogers, Theodosius, Cthulhu and Torture Queen, he liked the last one the most, it was sporty light and fresh on him, i think he wants something like that instead of the heavy scents we all love.

[Wwindy]

I did checked some posts, i was happy to see i had some here already to test on him, from Jolly Rogers, Theodosius, Cthulhu and Torture Queen, he liked the last one the most, it was sporty light and fresh on him, i think he wants something like that instead of the heavy scents we all love.

 

Vicomte de Valmont, maybe?

[zmulls]

Ah, well, for light scents I go to The Robotic Scarab, which is very bright and slick. And I hear a lot of people like Galvanic Goggles for a guy -- it didn't work on my (my chemistry is quite dark, so it's harder for me to find light scents that work).

[GeorgeJr]

I did checked some posts, i was happy to see i had some here already to test on him, from Jolly Rogers, Theodosius, Cthulhu and Torture Queen, he liked the last one the most, it was sporty light and fresh on him, i think he wants something like that instead of the heavy scents we all love.

Villain . Do it , don't even think about it . Thank me later .

[Jupita]

I don't think anybody mentioned The Magician.

To me, it's the masculine variation of Dragon Claw, which I adore.

Very woody, masculine and sexy, in a manly way.

Like... I don't know... Hannibal Lecter...

[lavenderfrost]

Caliban is SO amazing as a masculine blend - it's clean aquatics and sharp greenery, so great for enabling Cool Water fans and others who like that kind of clean scent. I found it so sexy that sometimes I put it on myself just to imagine smelling it on a guy.

 

Phobos has an initial ZOMG LEMON CLEANER phase, but dries down to something that's clean, musky and interesting. I'd like to see what it smells like on a guy. Silk Road reminded me of Old Spice - nice, but what my Dad wore, so eh. I found the stages Nero went through to be fascinating, but I don't know if I'd want to smell it very long and/or often.