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Scent of a homeboy I'm one of those who grew up believing that a guy shouldn't smell like anything. Odorless, completely. No scent whatsoever, good or bad, especially bad. Being a meat-eating American who smokes and sweats, I suppose that's not entirely realistic. Even with a minimal amount of time spent on grooming, you can't help but acquire some kind of scent -- from soap or shampoo or deodorant or aftershave. In the area of aftershave I reckon I must smell the same now as when I first started shaving. Most guys, I'm guessing, start out with whatever the old man has on hand. In my case, it was Skin Bracer by Mennen. It hasn't changed in all these years, basically because it's cheap and easy to come by and doesn't make you smell like a French whorehouse on pay day. I slap it on and immediately towel it off. It's on my face just long enough to allow the alcohol to begin the evaporation process, which gives you that tingly feel. I like that. Early on in my shaving life there were brief dalliances with other cheap aftershaves. I seem to recall a bottle of Old Spice. Remember those commercials where a bloke in a peacoat and watch cap comes bounding down the gangplank of a schooner to the tune of some pseudo sea shanty, his duffel bag thrown over a shoulder, and is met on the dock by a buxom wench? I also recall receiving bottles of Brut for Christmas. I guess that's what happens when you have friends who do their Christmas shopping at the drug store on the way to your house for a visit. I've always imagined that a guy who wears Brut also would be wearing a very wide-collared silk shirt unbuttoned all the way down the front to expose a hairy chest and all that gold chain. The allure of Aqua Velva once proved irresistible, but I think it was more the color than the scent that drew me. There was something about that ice blue that seemed, at first glance, refreshing. But when noir writers refer to cheap aftershave on a character of questionable intentions I always think its Aqua Velva they're referring to. Lately I've been thinking that it might be time for a change. This was precipitated one recent weekend as we strode purposefully through a department store on our way to the furniture section. To get there, we had to pass through the women's fragrance section, then the men's fragrance section, which was smaller but no less fragrant. I paused there and sniffed at bottles. Polo by Ralph Lauren just didn't seem like me. Ditto for the other half dozen or so fragrances I sniffed at. I'm thinking that I'd like something distinctive yet subtle; something that leaves the room when I do. Something as refreshing as a breeze off the sea, as fresh as a pine forest, something that lingers more in the memory than in the air. Damn, what's that smell? originally posted 12.12.03 |
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