What scents are masculine? Gender-neutral?

[elbow]

And for your next order, false.azure: Galvanic Goggles is most definitely dudely.

[forspecial_plate]

I want to share this somewhere but I'm not sure of the best topic. Maybe this one is appropriate.

 

Single Note: Pile of Fallen Leaves....put it on and wait a couple hours......and it smells just like Rive Gauche pour Homme. It's a really close match (in my opinion).

 

This is based on the older formula of Rive Gauche in the metal container, I haven't tried any more recent bottles, and there has been talk of reformulation.

[recklesslysober]

So far my SO has found 3 really great scents, but I'd like to send a few more his way to try. He leans more to the masculine woodsy/leather.. he hates anything with florals or that smells feminine.

 

October, Rogue, and Krampus

Jolly Roger, Coyote, The Great Sword of War, Villain, Dorian, The Black Rider, Galvanic Goggles

The Antikythera Mechanism and Fenris Wolf are waiting to be tested.

 

Next on my list to try are: Black Forest, Dee, Calico Jack, Satyr, Iago, Ranger, Fighter, Robotic Scarab. I'm also going to get him a partial of Mad Sweeney since he likes scotch/whiskey (not sure if he'd like smelling like it yet, but we'll see). He likes F1 racing, heavy metal, etc. but he's a nerd at heart and loves tinkering with anything mechanical/electrical. Any other suggestions?

[elbow]

For what it's worth, my sweetheart (who also only wants to smell like a manly man) thought Black Forest was too feminine. Winners for him so far have been Dee, Havana, Jabberwocky, Jolly Roger, and Tezcatlipoca (neither of us can smell the flowers). Seems like Troll might also be a good one to try on your SO, though I haven't tested it on any dudes yet.

[recklesslysober]

Thanks! I'll have to check those out. I actually just gave Tezcatlipoca to him to try the other day, I'll have to see what he thinks of it. Interesting about Black Forest, I was kind of afraid to try it because I thought it might be too strong on me, but maybe not! The description of Troll sounds intense.

[elbow]

The description of Troll sounds intense.

 

I thought it was! I was expecting to love it, but I couldn't get past the burnt smell. Could be incredible on the right skin chemistry, though.

[maproot]

I think bonfire SN is masculine;)

[false.azure]

It's been a minute since I've been here!

 

So I received my order (and a couple of frimps from rawgirl75 -- thanks so much ), and there are a few clear winners:

Iago, Vicomte de Valmonte, Bram Stoker

These three, while fairly different from one another, work really well on my skin and not only smell gorgeous, but they work well with my personality.

 

These are the ones I find myself reaching for the most. I've tried them all at least once, and while there were some clear losers that I don't think I'll be trying again (Wilde turns into the worst kind of men's deodorant, and one that isn't working all that well to boot; Golden Priapus is a dead ringer for a bad air freshener in a public restroom -- think public rest stops on the side of the highway), I might find some surprise faves in the lot that I've only tried once in quick succession and have forgotten about. I've also worn Dee more than once, though it smells exactly like peanut sauce in the first hour, and I'm not sure if I want to smell like I've been working at a Thai restaurant until it warms up on my skin, and I've worn Robotic Scarab a few times, which smells pretty good, but isn't as "me" as some of the other scents.

 

 

Since last posting, I've decided that I'd regret not getting at least one scent from the OLLA collection, since that's one of my favorite films. I was thinking maybe a "safe" bottle (something that I know would work on me) and a "risky" bottle (one that's a bit chancy but unique and has the potential to smell really great on me). I'm pretty much set on Wooden Bullet for my "safe" bottle, but I'm considering Hal for my "risky" bottle (the other option is Our Hearts Condemn Us). Hal is my favorite song on the soundtrack by far, and the scent sounds like it might work, but I'm afraid that it would go purely feminine. For those who have tried the OLLA line, is Hal at least unisex? I don't expect it to be fully masculine, but as long as it could go either way and isn't 100% girly I'd be willing to give it a chance. (I think Our Hearts Condemn Us is a little more unisex or masculine-leaning, judging by the notes and the reviews.) Any advice on this collection would be appreciated!

 

Thanks

[Veronica]

My favorite masculine BPALs are as follows:

 

Alecto

Antony (!!!!)

Baron Samedi

Black Hellbore

Calico Jack

El Dorado

Dragon's Hide

Fenris Wolf

Galvanic Goggles

Oblivion

Rome

Marquise de Merteuil

The Bow and Crown of Conquest

Vicomte de Valmont

Wilde (!!!!)

Yorick

Edited July 9, 2015 by delighted

[Auspicious Q]

I like that my hubs and I like different masculine scents. His fav.s are Loup Garou, Troll, Ranger. We BOTH like Jabberwocky. And my favorites are Golden Priapus, Mars Ultor, and Christougenniatiko Dentrophobia.

[LexieBlom]

I find Dr. Henry Jekyll (purchased from Dark Del.) to be pretty masculine. The scents listed are:

• Resin-Coated Wood
• Kerosene
• Oil
• Leather
• Musty Velvet
• Dust from the Grand Drape

It's masculine enough that my boyfriend is comfortable wearing it, but not so masculine that it's unpleasant on my skin as well.

Edited August 30, 2015 by LexieBlom

[SimplySyra]

Bumping for suggestions. My boyfriend was here last week and became very interested in many of my BPAL scents. He particularly liked Smut and Snake Oil 09. Today he texted me asking me what scents he should try and I'm stumped because when I asked him what he wanted to smell like he told me he didn't know.

 

It seems he has a thing for musk, though, judging by Smut and Snake Oil which I think share a similar if not one of the same musks. I was wearing the 09 vintage SO, though, which goes very sweet and rich vanilla on me so rich spicy vanillas may be a thing as well.

 

The only thing we really were able to establish was probably nothing overtly food because he'll get hungry. But vanilla is okay.

 

I put this in the dude thread as he's a dude but based on his reaction to Smut and SO I'm guessing he doesn't mind smelling a bit feminine and sultry either. Does anyone have any suggestions? He's planning on grabbing a few imps and SO will be one of them. I did warn him the new SO would smell different than mine but hopefully he doesn't mind.

 

If it helps, he also was totally into my Lush stuff so while I don't think he wants to straight up smell like flowers he's definitely open to a lot of sweet things haha.

 

ETA: Have already recommended Dorian and Bard to him.

Edited September 21, 2015 by SimplySyra

[recklesslysober]

Bumping for suggestions. My boyfriend was here last week and became very interested in many of my BPAL scents. He particularly liked Smut and Snake Oil 09. Today he texted me asking me what scents he should try and I'm stumped because when I asked him what he wanted to smell like he told me he didn't know.

 

It seems he has a thing for musk, though, judging by Smut and Snake Oil which I think share a similar if not one of the same musks. I was wearing the 09 vintage SO, though, which goes very sweet and rich vanilla on me so rich spicy vanillas may be a thing as well.

 

The only thing we really were able to establish was probably nothing overtly food because he'll get hungry. But vanilla is okay.

 

I put this in the dude thread as he's a dude but based on his reaction to Smut and SO I'm guessing he doesn't mind smelling a bit feminine and sultry either. Does anyone have any suggestions? He's planning on grabbing a few imps and SO will be one of them. I did warn him the new SO would smell different than mine but hopefully he doesn't mind.

 

If it helps, he also was totally into my Lush stuff so while I don't think he wants to straight up smell like flowers he's definitely open to a lot of sweet things haha.

 

ETA: Have already recommended Dorian and Bard to him.

 

Yay!!! I was so excited when I finally pulled my SO over to the dark side.. hope I can help you do the same!

 

Satyr is one of my absolute favorites on him - don't be scared by the description.. I wouldn't say that it's "ferociously" masculine, although it is very intoxicating and passionate. No notes listed but one I have that smells similar but slightly more feminine (to me) is Scherezade (spices and red musk). A few of my male friends really like to wear Morocco which is also a spicy musk but lighter than the others (it's one I wear often myself and enabled them all into - muahahaha!). RPG Paladin has musk and bourbon vanilla and smells awesome - my SO loves this one! Half-Elf and Good are lighter, more neutral RPG scents with vanilla. Lyonesse is a nice vanilla musk, but it does have a light floral aspect - so that might be a long shot.

 

For other scents that aren't so heavy on the spices/musk/vanilla but still really great, I highly recommend both of the Sherlock scents (hope we get more of those soon): John Watson and Sherlock Holmes - John Watson is one of my SO's all-time favorites. They're kind of clean but yet soft, slightly sweet, and rugged colognes. Also some more of the RPG - Rogue and Fighter are more on the masculine side with leather and steel notes. Honorable mentions for ones my male friends like but SO didn't: The Antikythera Mechanism (woodsy vanilla and tobacco) and Dee (leather, incense, parchment, woods).

[elbow]

SimplySyra, this sounds like the perfect excuse for a private testing party! Woo woo! Remember, the more clothes you take off, the more bare skin you have to test on.

 

I second all of recklesslysober's suggestions! Very good advice there.

 

Anteros and Desire are not-too-floral, not-too-foody vanilla/musk blends in the General Catalog.

 

Other stuff I'd try out on a guy who likes wearing Snake Oil and Smut: Banshee Beat/Revenant Rhythm, Kubla Khan, Loved to Death, Lust, Mars Ultor, Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener, Voodoo... and alllll the Snake Oil variants, if possible!

[SimplySyra]

Thanks for the input, recklessly! My favorite thing about this is there are a lot of scents here I want to try too so now I am allowed to have somewhat of an ulterior motive haha.

 

Satyr, Paladin, Rogue, and Scherezade have all been on my radar for a while and I can easily grab an imp of the last three when funds allow. Morocco, Lyonesse, Sherlock, John Watson, and Fighter are all imps I have hiding somewhere so I'll drag them out for some slathering.

 

Antikythera Mech went odd on me, but I'll test it on him to see if it smells better. If it does, I can finally get rid of this imp I've been trying to make myself like because everyone else likes it so much.

 

Good point about the skin testing, elbow. I like the way you think.

 

I'm not at all familiar with Anteros and Desire so I'll have to write them down to look into for sure. I do have RR, Mars Ultor, Snake Charmer, and Womb Furie. I forgot all about Womb Furie actually! So those are all good potentials. I might even have Sassafras lying around somewhere too. Hm...I have so many imps sometimes I lose track. I'm sure you know the feeling.

 

Thank you both! These are all great places to start!

Edited September 22, 2015 by SimplySyra

[recklesslysober]

@SimplySyra That's awesome! It's always nice when you can multi-purpose. Hope you find some great ones in your stash and some new loves as well (for him, but also you of course)! I got my SO hooked by giving him imps to test out every once in a while. He wasn't into it until I gave him my decant of October - then his eyes just went wide because he was shocked that a scent could be so multi-dimensional.. Now he loves testing and occasionally will tell me to add a bottle of something to "our" wishlist. He's got about 10 bottles now.. I never thought he'd like that many. I love it so much. It's nice to have that shared interest, and we both smell delicious!

 

@elbow, I can't comment on any of those except Lust because I haven't tried them.. but that one is awesome too! I'll have to check out some of those as well. Also your recommendation about a testing party is so very much on point!!

[nathanielhebert]

I find Dr. Henry Jekyll (purchased from Dark Del.) to be pretty masculine. The scents listed are:

• Resin-Coated Wood
• Kerosene
• Oil
• Leather
• Musty Velvet
• Dust from the Grand Drape

It's masculine enough that my boyfriend is comfortable wearing it, but not so masculine that it's unpleasant on my skin as well.

 

I noticed the copy for Dr. Henry Jekyll on the Dark Delicacies has an error in it. The lab lists the notes as, "A discreet men's cologne of juniper, cumin, verbena, bergamot, mint, and basil splattered with dregs from apothecary bottles.", whereas the one on the page is meant for Erik, "Resin-coated wood, kerosene, oil, leather, musty velvet, and dust from the Grand Drape."

 

 

Edited September 22, 2015 by nathanielhebert

[TallGrrl78]

Thanks for the input, recklessly! My favorite thing about this is there are a lot of scents here I want to try too so now I am allowed to have somewhat of an ulterior motive haha.

 

Satyr, Paladin, Rogue, and Scherezade have all been on my radar for a while and I can easily grab an imp of the last three when funds allow. Morocco, Lyonesse, Sherlock, John Watson, and Fighter are all imps I have hiding somewhere so I'll drag them out for some slathering.

 

Antikythera Mech went odd on me, but I'll test it on him to see if it smells better. If it does, I can finally get rid of this imp I've been trying to make myself like because everyone else likes it so much.

 

Good point about the skin testing, elbow. I like the way you think.

 

I'm not at all familiar with Anteros and Desire so I'll have to write them down to look into for sure. I do have RR, Mars Ultor, Snake Charmer, and Womb Furie. I forgot all about Womb Furie actually! So those are all good potentials. I might even have Sassafras lying around somewhere too. Hm...I have so many imps sometimes I lose track. I'm sure you know the feeling.

 

Thank you both! These are all great places to start!

 

Czernobog is another great one. I also happen to like Chaotic from the RPG line.

[LexieBlom]

 

I find Dr. Henry Jekyll (purchased from Dark Del.) to be pretty masculine. The scents listed are:

• Resin-Coated Wood
• Kerosene
• Oil
• Leather
• Musty Velvet
• Dust from the Grand Drape

It's masculine enough that my boyfriend is comfortable wearing it, but not so masculine that it's unpleasant on my skin as well.

 

I noticed the copy for Dr. Henry Jekyll on the Dark Delicacies has an error in it. The lab lists the notes as, "A discreet men's cologne of juniper, cumin, verbena, bergamot, mint, and basil splattered with dregs from apothecary bottles.", whereas the one on the page is meant for Erik, "Resin-coated wood, kerosene, oil, leather, musty velvet, and dust from the Grand Drape."

 

 

 

Those notes definitely make more sense, I figured the blend was just a little too complex for my nose to detect each individual note. But upon sniffing, the mint and basil are definitely there.

[SimplySyra]

 

Thanks for the input, recklessly! My favorite thing about this is there are a lot of scents here I want to try too so now I am allowed to have somewhat of an ulterior motive haha.

 

Satyr, Paladin, Rogue, and Scherezade have all been on my radar for a while and I can easily grab an imp of the last three when funds allow. Morocco, Lyonesse, Sherlock, John Watson, and Fighter are all imps I have hiding somewhere so I'll drag them out for some slathering.

 

Antikythera Mech went odd on me, but I'll test it on him to see if it smells better. If it does, I can finally get rid of this imp I've been trying to make myself like because everyone else likes it so much.

 

Good point about the skin testing, elbow. I like the way you think.

 

I'm not at all familiar with Anteros and Desire so I'll have to write them down to look into for sure. I do have RR, Mars Ultor, Snake Charmer, and Womb Furie. I forgot all about Womb Furie actually! So those are all good potentials. I might even have Sassafras lying around somewhere too. Hm...I have so many imps sometimes I lose track. I'm sure you know the feeling.

 

Thank you both! These are all great places to start!

 

Czernobog is another great one. I also happen to like Chaotic from the RPG line.

 

 

Thanks, TallGrrl! I'll jot them down as well.

[FormerViking]

Just wanted to add one in case it hasn't gotten mentioned yet. Portrait of an Unidentified Man as Mephistopheles is a big bottle of win! It's in the Pickman Gallery section if you're having trouble finding it. Absolutely fantastic.

[nathanielhebert]

I big on masculine scents, though typically shy away from overtly cologne-style blends—instead, I like the ones that are almost environmental, as though I've got smells lingering from whatever rugged activity I've been engaged in.

I might be listing a few that have already been recommended, but here's a bunch that I've enjoyed muchly:

GC

Kroenen Shining black leather, gleaming metal, labdanum, and myrrh.

Captain Cully A cocky light musk with leather, tonka, a dusting of dry woods, and a splash of porter.

King Haggard Dry cedar, bitter balsam, and ashes.

skekUng the Garthim-Master Vetiver, smoke, steel, and dragon's blood resin.

Agnes Nutter Gunpowder, charred wood, smoke, and rusty nails.

Hastur Smoky-sour labdanum, black patchouli, wet tobacco, and brimstone.

Marquis de Carabas A splash of bay rum, leather, dusty black wool, massoia bark, and opium residue.

Mr. Vandemar Opoponax, costus, black pepper, black sandalwood, and polished metal.

Orc Field grey courgette musk, roughly cured leather, and vetiver.

Fighter Leather, musk, blood, and steel.

Agnes Nutter Gunpowder, charred wood, smoke, and rusty nails.

 

LE

 

The Grand Inquisitor's Heretic's Fork Coppery dried blood, metal, vetiver, and bonfire smoke.

Hans Trapp Tattered leather, dry straw, matted hair, sharpened sticks, and a bundle of switches.

The Hell-Gate of Ireland 2013 Smoldering brimstone, bitter labdanum, clove, black musk, and copper-colored feathers.

Tattie Bogle 2014 Hay, gunpowder, patchouli, a sliver of bark, autumn herbs, and sun-baked wood.

Leopold Freiherr Von Tsemekwes, The Poet Rapscallion Black leather and sleek black musk with vetiver, blue chamomile, saffron-infused labdanum, caco-dusted patchouli, tobacco absolute, and oakmoss.

Sacrifice Sweetgrass and tumbleweeds, cedar and white sage, dusty, wet leather, woodsmoke, and blood.

Erik Resin-coated wood, kerosene, oil, leather, musty velvet, and dust from the Grand Drape.

The Corrupt Chancellor Smoky vetiver cologne with black leather, black pepper, smoky coffee bean, Italian bergamot, and Mysore sandalwood.

Geek Hot leather, opoponax, cedar, pine needle, mosses, dry grass, patchouli and cinnamon bark.

Cuchulain’s Fight with the Sea Salt-crusted clove stem, flayed kelp, juniper, and white patchouli.

La Mano Del Destino Powerful Sumatran patchouli and enigmatic Brazilian copaiba with pao d’arco, cacao absolute, bourbon vanilla, Ceylon cinnamon, and tobacco.

Hessian of the Hollow Grave moss and bone-white sandalwood, with vetiver, gunpowder, artillery shrapnel, and blood.

[recklesslysober]

I big on masculine scents, though typically shy away from overtly cologne-style blends—instead, I like the ones that are almost environmental, as though I've got smells lingering from whatever rugged activity I've been engaged in.

 

I might be listing a few that have already been recommended, but here's a bunch that I've enjoyed muchly:

 

GC

 

Kroenen Shining black leather, gleaming metal, labdanum, and myrrh.

Captain Cully A cocky light musk with leather, tonka, a dusting of dry woods, and a splash of porter.

King Haggard Dry cedar, bitter balsam, and ashes.

skekUng the Garthim-Master Vetiver, smoke, steel, and dragon's blood resin.

Agnes Nutter Gunpowder, charred wood, smoke, and rusty nails.

Hastur Smoky-sour labdanum, black patchouli, wet tobacco, and brimstone.

Marquis de Carabas A splash of bay rum, leather, dusty black wool, massoia bark, and opium residue.

Mr. Vandemar Opoponax, costus, black pepper, black sandalwood, and polished metal.

Orc Field grey courgette musk, roughly cured leather, and vetiver.

Fighter Leather, musk, blood, and steel.

Agnes Nutter Gunpowder, charred wood, smoke, and rusty nails.

 

LE

 

The Grand Inquisitor's Heretic's Fork Coppery dried blood, metal, vetiver, and bonfire smoke.

Hans Trapp Tattered leather, dry straw, matted hair, sharpened sticks, and a bundle of switches.

The Hell-Gate of Ireland 2013 Smoldering brimstone, bitter labdanum, clove, black musk, and copper-colored feathers.

Tattie Bogle 2014 Hay, gunpowder, patchouli, a sliver of bark, autumn herbs, and sun-baked wood.

Leopold Freiherr Von Tsemekwes, The Poet Rapscallion Black leather and sleek black musk with vetiver, blue chamomile, saffron-infused labdanum, caco-dusted patchouli, tobacco absolute, and oakmoss.

Sacrifice Sweetgrass and tumbleweeds, cedar and white sage, dusty, wet leather, woodsmoke, and blood.

Erik Resin-coated wood, kerosene, oil, leather, musty velvet, and dust from the Grand Drape.

The Corrupt Chancellor Smoky vetiver cologne with black leather, black pepper, smoky coffee bean, Italian bergamot, and Mysore sandalwood.

Geek Hot leather, opoponax, cedar, pine needle, mosses, dry grass, patchouli and cinnamon bark.

Cuchulain’s Fight with the Sea Salt-crusted clove stem, flayed kelp, juniper, and white patchouli.

La Mano Del Destino Powerful Sumatran patchouli and enigmatic Brazilian copaiba with pao d’arco, cacao absolute, bourbon vanilla, Ceylon cinnamon, and tobacco.

Hessian of the Hollow Grave moss and bone-white sandalwood, with vetiver, gunpowder, artillery shrapnel, and blood.

 

Agnes Nutter was so good you listed it twice? I just put an imp of that aside for my man to try so.. good to know.

[Silvertree]

Crowley is amazing and should be on everyone's to-try list! I think it's a unisex scent (I certainly wear it), but it has a smooth, smoldering, sexy-confident quality that is irresistible on a guy, in my opinion. The leather and musk are beautifully balanced with the vanilla and lilac, so it's neither too sweet or too aggressive, just rich and deep and gorgeous.

 

Infernal musk, red patchouli, lilac cologne, mahogany, lemon rind, oakmoss, leather, and vanilla husk.

[nathanielhebert]

Agnes Nutter was so good you listed it twice? I just put an imp of that aside for my man to try so.. good to know.

 

 

Hmm, so I did!

 

I think I was trying to be extra careful not to exclude it from the list. Agnes Nutter is definitely the standard I use to measure all other smokey blends against—I've gone through two bottles so far, and it works perfectly for where I'm living out in the woods when I have to haul and chop firewood during the winter.