What scents are masculine? Gender-neutral?

[Urpflanze]

Weighing in on some good scents for men who aren't into either dark/smoky/heavy stuff or light/aquatic/aftershave stuff.

 

I, for one, am not crazy about many of the traditional man elements: vetiver, leather, aqautic/after shave, booze or lavender fougeres (so far, I'm open to the idea but Villain and Dorian didn't do it for me).

 

I have found a couple blends with leather that don't smell like a leather jacket/saddle/leather store: Robotic Scarab (wow), Dee, Rogue and Ranger.

 

There are several RPGs that are must tries for men. I'm guessing a great number of the classes will work well. I didn't pay them much attention at first but now I will try most of them.

 

In general, if you are cautious about your guy (if, like me, he doesn't like colognes, has never worn them and you want to ease him into it) I recommend Steamworks first of all. Antikythera and Robotic Scarab and Galvanic Goggles are all very different; if he doesn't really like ONE of them I'd be shocked. For whatever reason I think Steamworks gels with the bookish man's profession and lifestyle better than any other line.

 

Picnic in Arkham has many masculine scents but has been mostly a fail for me. I think aquatics are risky for a non cologne user right out of the gate. (Herbert West is interesting, though.)

 

Next I recommend some Carnival Diaboliques (even though they are down right now): Wild Men is incredible. Wulric is worth a shot. Many of the snakes are good. Western Diamondback is the western scent I was looking for, Tombstone is too sweet (unless the man wants sweet or his skin swallows it). I'll have to try Doc Constantine (it gets mucho love) but I'm not hopeful (sounds pretty leathery).

 

Oh Laudanum is amazing. Must try if the man likes the smell of nutmeg (if not, skip it).

 

The Ninth Cage hooked me on BPAL, it is a simple, very manly blend of metal and oak which could impress the more skeptical. It actually smells like the reference - most BPALs are not so obvious.

[stellamaris]

On my amazing husband (whose mother was a perfumer, and who himself has a wonderful nose) his favorites so far are Hellboy, and Debauchery. I also love the Dawn guy one, I forget his name now but he smells fantastic.

I also love Tombeur on him.

[Silvertree]

Cernunnos! I bought a bottle at NYCC last year-- it stood out as wonderful even among all the amazing exclusives and other things to smell and try.

 

Another Carnaval blend that's amazing on guys is Theodosius. And my top two guy-friendly scents (that are my favorites to wear, too) are Mr. Jacquel and Crowley.

[zmulls]

I like coming back to this thread now and again. I finally got myself a partial bottle of Dee and it is tremendously nice. It is the "nicer" leather and will please the gentleman who doesn't like the gnarly man-scents, without being flowery or perfumey.

 

I agree that half of the Arkham line is aquatics and you either like them or you don't, but the other half is other kinds of dark and worth exploring.

 

The two lines that I'd suggest men go through for ideas (other than Steamworks, and yes, any man who tries Antikytera, Robotic Scarab and Galvanic Goggles and doesn't like at least one of them.....!) are: Marchen and Excolo.

 

Excolo has a lot of male gods, many dark and sinister, with good masculine tones. Marchen has a lot of dark foresty stories, with grim (and Grimm) subject matter, and has a lot of darker male scents.

[maewitch]

Rogue is my man's daily scent. The leather isn't too heavy, and it basically smells the way his skin does when he takes off his motorcycle layers. Sexy.

[Gwydion]

We should probably add rpg to zmulls' list of likely lines to try.

[zmulls]

Sure sounds like it. But I'm so mightily resisting having to invest in another line when I just got my collection to a manageable level....

[Gwydion]

Sure sounds like it. But I'm so mightily resisting having to invest in another line when I just got my collection to a manageable level....

 

Rogue and fighter are particularly tasty leather scents.

[VorpalBunny]

OK, I need help. Someone in my house likes to use things like AXE or Gilette body wash, and right now artificial scents are REALLY bothering me.

 

Anybody have recs on which scents are in the same vein? Do you think aquatics maybe?

[stellamaris]

I wouldn't go for aquatics, I would try some nice "boy" things, I would recommend Hellboy, it is a really nice manly scent without being so um, Axe-ish.

I also love WILF, my 21 year old son loves that, he also was weaned from the Axe.

[Amalthea]

Awesome thanks for that. Am also trying to wean my household from artificial scents. Ick!

 

Oh and just on topic, I tried Devil's Claw on my friend and it was amazing on him. I may have freaked him out because I kept sniffing his wrist every couple hours.

[Gwydion]

you might want to try try him with Vicomte de Valmonte, as it's like drakar only better and more nuanced. Classically sexy masculine.

[SadariEvenstar]

I'm trying to find somethings to try on my husband, but I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. Normally he wears Axe Kilo (http://www.basenotes.net/ID26122229.html - The best I could come to finding notes.) or Axe Dark Temptation(http://www.basenotes.net/ID26129838.html) and I rather like both for what they are. I want to find him something less chemical though.

 

I've tried Fenris Wolf on him and it's sexy and alluring, but not quite right - he smells a bit too much like walking into a new age creations. Any ideas on what I should start with?

[ladymeag]

I'm trying to find somethings to try on my husband, but I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. Normally he wears Axe Kilo (http://www.basenotes.net/ID26122229.html - The best I could come to finding notes.) or Axe Dark Temptation(http://www.basenotes.net/ID26129838.html) and I rather like both for what they are. I want to find him something less chemical though.

 

I've tried Fenris Wolf on him and it's sexy and alluring, but not quite right - he smells a bit too much like walking into a new age creations. Any ideas on what I should start with?

 

Based on the notes listed for Axe Dark Temptation - I'd be inclined to locate some of The Seekim or maybe OccupyWallStreet, if he's okay with a heavy patchouli note.

 

I don't know that you can mimic Axe Kilo easily but I'd suggest starting with either Tombstone or The Antikythera Mechanism, since those seem like likely choices for someone who would like that scent.

[aitzin]

Hello there, I'm looking for scents which are both dark and elegant, and which are masculine (though not overpoweringly so). Something appropriate to a gothic gentleman. Any opinions?

[neptuneanblues]

Hello there, I'm looking for scents which are both dark and elegant, and which are masculine (though not overpoweringly so). Something appropriate to a gothic gentleman. Any opinions?

 

General catalog scents that might work: Robotic Scarab, Czernobog, Dracul (well, I guess that's obvious?), and maybe Dee (which is very popular). My husband has all of these (and more), and while he's not exactly "gothic," I tried to think of which ones in his collection might seem "dark and elegant."

[Maleficium]

The only scents my man has tried and loved are Satyr and Iago. I got him a bottle of Iago for Yule and he wears it daily. Both smell amazing on him. I'm waiting for him to try Odin.

[ladymeag]

Satyr - It's spicy and sexy and amazing - I was originally going to give it a pass because it smelled a bit like Sin to me but there's more to it than that. My collection grows increasingly masculine and this is more than fine with me.

[zmulls]

ladymeag and I continually vie for masculine scents.

 

Dark *and* Elegant is a tough one. You have your dark scents (iago, Czernobog) and you have your elegant scents (Dee, Antikythera Mechanism, Robotic Scarab) but I have trouble bridging the gap.

 

Dracul is one I tried until a lady friend told me I smelled like Shalimar.

 

I think Satyr is a good pick as well. I might suggest Djinn, as it has regal eastern spices mixed with a scent of fire. It's heady.

 

One scent I enjoy is Old Demons of the First Class -- it's very unusual. I think of it as a winter scent, but it certainly has the qualities you are looking for.

[ladymeag]

It's a friendly dance-fight, zmulls!

 

Dracul is great - to me it smells like I was hoping Midnight Mass would smell, like an old Catholic Church with oak pews and the lingering aroma of incense from a High Mass (I grew up Latin-rite. ) I don't know that I'd particularly class it as "elegant," though.

 

I think a lot of the elegant scents, especially of a darker tone, are going to edge more toward the androgynous or feminine. There is something particularly captivating, though, about a rugged scent on someone elegantly dressed.

[Lady_Lucretia]

Hello there, I'm looking for scents which are both dark and elegant, and which are masculine (though not overpoweringly so). Something appropriate to a gothic gentleman. Any opinions?

 

My experience has been that Dracul, Loup Garou, Odin, and Azathoth are masculine without being overpoweringly so, but if you still want a masculine scent that is more sweet and warm, go withe Incubus or Casanova.

My husband has worn each of these well...and I love them on him. So do my female friends, unfortunately, so that can be a bit tricky.

[Lady_Lucretia]

I'm trying to find somethings to try on my husband, but I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. Normally he wears Axe Kilo (http://www.basenotes.net/ID26122229.html - The best I could come to finding notes.) or Axe Dark Temptation(http://www.basenotes.net/ID26129838.html) and I rather like both for what they are. I want to find him something less chemical though.

 

I've tried Fenris Wolf on him and it's sexy and alluring, but not quite right - he smells a bit too much like walking into a new age creations. Any ideas on what I should start with?

 

Based on the Axe Dark Temptation notes, I'd say that the Incubus would work well for him. Its got a mocha-buttery undertone withe dark notes. My husband wears it from time to time when he's in a mood that matches it. As for the Kilo...that's a tough one. You tried the Fenris Wolf, but have you tried the Loup Garou? Rumpelstiltskin is another one that's crisp, earthy and masculine. These are just a couple of the scents that smell amazingly well on my husband. I hope this helps!

[theredkilt]

I got him a bottle of Iago for Yule and he wears it daily.

 

 

seems like your hubby is resilient to the power of Iago. I couldn't have worn it even for half an hour

Edited May 11, 2012 by theredkilt

[roots]

I would like a masculine smell for winter. Strong, possibly woodsy and cold feeling. I have a summer cologne (aquatic- go figure) and I am in need of a winter one. I'm not a huge fan of leather, but I might try lighter note of it.

[Alia Kaitan]

I would like a masculine smell for winter. Strong, possibly woodsy and cold feeling. I have a summer cologne (aquatic- go figure) and I am in need of a winter one. I'm not a huge fan of leather, but I might try lighter note of it.

 

GC-wise, Black Forest might be a good fit. Reviews are here.

 

Many of the Yule blends have cold+woodsy notes. You shouldn't have too much trouble tracking most of them down on forum. I'm not super familiar with them, as I just got into BPAL toward the end of the last Yule release, but Woods in Winter and Faunalia were both masculine, winter woodsy blends on me.