Down my way, spring has sprung. We’ve had non-stop sunshine for four weeks now, without a drop of rain. Temperatures in the high 60s or even 70s. The local heifers chase each passer-by with the hope of a quickie but usually end up in headbutting contests or kinky play-mounting in apparent disappointment; swifts, generally expected mid-May at the earliest, are already filling the sky with their joyous swoops and ungainly wails; the hyacinths have finished blooming, replaced by the silk petals of dark-hued tulips, emerging from the lime crowns of euphorbias. It’s a wonderful time of year.
I suppose my sap is rising. I’m always tactile – at this time of year, I can’t get enough of cuddles, kisses and general loving. If that’s too much information, be not concerned, as I don’t think I’m going to turn this post into an exposé of the sex life of a rural homosexual; instead, it’s to praise long-term commitment and the beauty of love that lasts. Matt, who’s been in my life for over 15 years, is, in every clichéd sense of the word, my rock. I’ve had a crappy few years, but he’s been unfailingly supportive, generous, warm, compassionate and loving. He doesn’t always have the right words and he doesn’t always understand the inner workings of my messy mind (I don’t either): it’s not as though we’re typical soulmates. But he’s unstinting in his love. And still as frisky as a goat in April. Life’s pretty good.
Perhaps to humour my obsessive traits, Matt has now been experimenting with wearing a different one of my perfumes on a daily basis. In spite of the hyperbole of the title, there are three particular scents I own that bloom on Matt’s skin in ways that I can’t define. They’re beautiful scents, undoubtedly, but on him they take on a truly exceptional quality that is absent when I wear them. Afterwards, on me, they seem flat by comparison. Rather than being a shield or mask around him, they seem to merge with who he is as a person and make him somehow a more expansive version of himself.
The first is Poivre Samarcande. This is his superhero genius scent and emphasises his intellect, magnaminity and the damned sexiness of a superbrain at work. It’s pretty much a thinker’s ‘fume, but has enough of a peppered steak aroma and a hint of muskiness to let you know of the horned lovegod under the brainiac suit…
The second is M7 Fresh. This is his default setting. If you don’t know it, M7 Fresh tones down some of the medicinal qualities of the original, and gets rid of much of the powdery drydown. Like its forebear, it’s reasonably sweet, but with its emphasis on citric astringency and clean skin with a besmirching of dirt running through it, it won’t give you toothache. Though it might give you something else… Forgive me if I imagine Matt emerging from the sea a la Daniel Craig…
Finally, the latest discovery. He wore this to work a couple of weeks ago, with a pink shirt (icy pink, if you want to know). In this combo, I didn’t want to let him go; I had other plans. However, when he returned, he commented on how women wouldn’t leave him alone all day. He became a lovegod. I said it was probably something to do with his shirt (in the UK at least, women seem to love men in the right colour pink – I guess it’s skin tone flattering, as well as symbolically significant – or something), but he said they all unfailingly commented on his smell. It’s a scent I love, but not because it stands out. In fact, when he smells it on me, Matt’s usual response is ‘It’s ok, but I prefer other stuff. It’s not very interesting.’ Still, on Matt it’s the quintessence of beautiful. Iris, myrrh, incense, honey – it was Bois d’Argent by Christian Dior.
So tell me, which scent(s) do you love on your OH? And, if you don’t have an OH (and you so deserve one, beautiful!), how about on the imaginary (wo)man of your dreams?
Minette – you’ve won a sample of Sel de Vetiver from last time round – check your mail.
Thanks to kelimages.com for the hare photo (I love hares, don’t you?)
Lovely post, Lee (veerryy touching)..
I generally don’t like any perfume on my husband( I love the way he smells), though I don’t
listen to him when he makes the same argument to me (i douse myself in perfume anyway)..
I have too many double standards *looks down sheepishly*
HOWEVER, I love Tam dao and Reverie Au Jardin on him…I love the latter on me too,but it smells
just gorgeous on him..
Also Musc Ravageur smells much better on him than on me
What a lovely post! I bet he smells very fetching, these are ll wonderful!
My favs on SO are: Declaration (a masterpiece), Obsession for men (much better than the women’s and one helluva sexy!), L’instant pour homme (alluring), Eau sauvage (classic good taste), Givenchy Gentleman and Santos (very macho, LOL), Burberry London 2006 (smooth snuggly tobacco and booze) and some more niche ones such as Fumerie Turque, Poivre Samarkande (bingo!), AG Eau de Monsieur, Mechant Loup and Navegar. I must introduce him to Reverie au Jardin soon and L’air du desert marocain. (hmmmm…swoon)
Best!
Now, the important one we DIDN’T get to hear — what does ANDY like on his SO? That must be very satisfying to know that your scents are adorning so many beloveds around the world — as well they should be. –Ellen
Great Post Lee!!
Back when I had a boyfriend, I managed to convert him from Armani to Eau d’Hadrien, which I considered a success. Of course from there on out – it was EdH every hour of every day. And while EdH isn’t really ideally sexy for a night on the town, I still appreciated that it wasn’t Armani.
If I had a boyfriend right now – I would douse him in Voleur de Roses, I think. Or maybe try one of Andy Tauer’s on his skin (on mine they don’t work – which is sad b/c I wanted to love them!!) and hope it blooms into something perfect.
-Mark.
Well, my shameless beloved-
I enjoyed your post- much cackling, I THINK I actually MAY have laid an egg…
My men ALL smell good… they don’t have much choice .
Jacob gets to meet Andy soon-and he’s excited [as am I !]
Check your email, boyo ..
MWAH !
Spring… I think I remember it, though it has yet to make an appearance here, with its bunnies, blooms and amorous cows (I have yet to see a cow in the NY metro area. Instead, we have shopping malls).
It was a lovely and inspiring post, by the way. Made me eagerly wait for my husband’s return from work, so I can sniff him in his Gris Clair, a fragrance that I love, but it’s so much better on him. Same goes for Dzongkha, Dzing and Timbuktu.
Strangely enough, I have no problem wearing his Lonestar Memories, even though I’m probably not supposed to. There are no frolicking cowboys when I do, just leather and flowers.
Sounds like it’s just as it should be to me.
Hi, Lee, what a wonderful relationhsip you have, and how nice that you are wise enough to appreciate it. Here the biggest sign of spring was the flamboyant courtship displays and fights among the male wild turkeys. That was back in mid-February. We haven’t seen the turkeys since, though we did hear one a few nights ago.
My DH smells marvelous in CdG Avignon, but also in Messe de Minuit (sorry, Lee). :d He smells divine in Tauer Lonestar Memories. I got him to try Knize Ten a couple of days ago. He thougth the beginning was too strong, but, I said, no way! Most of all, I like the natural smell of his skin. It smells like home.
Sorry to be late to the party. I came down with some awful crud yesterday.
I hope the crud has cleared and that the turkeys return to their frolics.
We’re lucky people, M.
Lee, great tribute to your man. You’re making me seriously lemm those first two scents – for myself, though, cause I can’t make hubby wear anything. He likes smelling things on me, and he’s pretty perceptive about notes, but he just doesn’t seem to be interested in remembering to wear anything. Of course, he works at a very conservative law firm and can’t wear anything too out there anyways… (Have you seen that Japanese lawyer “colouring book”? – “Here is me. Here is my underwear. Colour my underwear important. Here is my suit. Colour it grey or I get fired.” It slays me…)
The life of a salaryman, eh? I’m sdtill making a run for it away from the rat race. Do you reckon anyone will catch me?
Ooh-keep us posted!
The above was for Ellen, sorry about faulty placement.
Such a great post, Lee. I actually haven’t tried any of the three you’ve mentioned, but have made a little note to find samples, they sound divine, especially on your man.
My man has this great smell. It’s nothing he puts on, it’s just him. He just naturally smells like Lorenzo Villoresi’s Piper Nigrum. I do manage to put things on him from time to time, though he’s not really into wearing any scents. The one he actually likes is Tumulte by Lacroix, men’s version.
Enjoy spring!
Wow – pepper, mint and musk – that’s an impressive natural array (though there is something skin-scenty about PN I think). I like Tumulte, though I think such a cedarfest might kill off March!
His neck smells like cinnamon with a little pepper thrown in, hard to explain. I love how everyone has their own scent. He says he loves mine, is often sniffing the top of my head…I go nuts trying to sniff myself, I can’t smell anything except whatever scent I’m wearing. My last boyfriend and I were together 9 years, and are still very close friends – he smelled like freshly baked sugar cookies.
Does anyone know where I can find Bois d’Argent? A decant would be good, too…can’t seem to find it anywhere online, except for a rather expensive 5ml decant on Ebay.
Great post Lee – my man puts up with my fragrance addiction quite nicely and will always give me his HONEST opinion about any new scent I sample.
Poivre Samarcande is one of MY favorites (such a glamorous white pepper note, huh?), however I havent sniffed M7 Fresh yet (now I want to).
Scents that my man smells good in, but I don’t include: Paco Rabanne Black XS (it only smells like Smuckers strawberry jam on me), and Guerilla 1 by Comme de Garcons (on me it smells like a butcher shop..no lie)
I fully get the butcher shop ref in G1. And BlackXS did nothing for me – I’ll surreptitiously spray Matt with it sometime and see what happens.
Lovely post, Lee.
love hares, too and and I am sometimes wondering what miracle happened in my 19 years with W….
Andy, I guess that miracle is you!:d
Andy is a miracle, any way you look at it.
I’m also not long out of a bad relationship (ie didn’t make me happy or even content though I loved him and he was happy!)Anyway, will be easing myself into the dating game soon I hope and would love to smell Isfarkand (OJ). I’d like to try him with my latest love Eau d’Hermes – sexy and elegant. Lucky Lee and lucky Matt too – though I’m sure you both work at it as well!
Donanicola: My sympathies. May you find, as soon as you want, a good-smelling guy who’s also happy to be a Human Scent Strip. (BTW, I do find a male colleague can do in a pinch. Yes, his wife knows!) –Ellen
You deserve someone wonderful D. Good luck with the dating malarkey.
Thank you Ellen and Lee both, that is so kind of you. Ellen good luck to you too. Human Scent Strip – love it!
My guy would wear Luctor et Emergo: on him it would smell delicious, and he would have no desire to branch out.
:d
Oh, I reckon with love sparkling in your eyes, you could be persuaded to share…:d
I will not try to disabuse you of that, even if previously it wasn’t quite the case…. ;))
Lee what a wonderful post and Matt is so lucky to have someone wax poetic about how good they smell. I have to say I love my boyfriend in 212 and Marc Jacobs; 212 literally just glows around him and is a kind’ve wonderful haze. Although, I must say I love his natural scent too, bizarrely salty, creamy, with a hint of banana leaf. As for the original M7; this one bizarrely dries down to Le Baiser du Dragon on me.
Yeah, I’m not a fan of the original M7 – I like it, but I can’t wear it. Your man sounds like he smells fantastic though!
Lee, what a lovely post! It does seem that there are more really happily involved folks here than in the general population. Is it because you loveable board owners attract loveable people? Curious.
OK, so I had a first date with a guy the other day. (I’m mostly out of a rancid relationship with a loveable alcoholic.) I liked him. I also know that he built his own house and loves the smell of wood. When I mentioned my perfume hobby, he suggested a fun game — why didn’t I put a dab of perfume on me somewhere for him to find and guess what the notes were? Wow, what a way to endear himself to me!!! So, a dab of Esteban Cedre just above the collarbone and a dab of Lise Watier Capteur de Reves (strong birch note) around the navel. I am looking forward to our next date. –Ellen
So am I! Make sure to come here and tell us about it. perfume dating games — this could be a whole wave of the future. :”>
Boy, AM I LOVING THIS. I need to hear more of these fleshspot adventures!
But wait-the imagination runs wild.
Could he name the notes??? Now, that would be sooo hot!
Well, Louise, that would have been the coolest thing, but he said, “Yes, of course!” when I told him about the cedar & he didn’t get the birch. But it was only a first date, y’know? 😉 –Ellen
Wow, E, I am not into bodice-rippers or romance novels of any kind, but I just swooned! The navel! The wood! :”> Maybe you should take up writing on the side – your relationship with this guy sounds like great material.
We’ll see what happens. Meanwhile, with all the beautiful writers & sensualists on here, seems like we ought to start a group story, no? Maybe P, M, or L can throw a starting line out there someday when it’s his or her day to write & inspiration doesn’t strike. –Ellen
I’m so happy for you and Matt; to hear about someone’s steady relationship is so refreshing (sadly) and encouraging! And laughed hard at your zoological references =))
Mrs. Dusan is not a scent slapper like me, but tends to have monogamous liasons with her scents. I love her best in Rush, Hugo Boss Deep Red and Ghost Deep Night – sweet’n’sour (the last two) seems to work best on her skin. If only I could get her to wear vetiver or iris: I’ve a feeling she’d smell delish in it. Animal notes go veeery strong on her skin. One time she gave me a good beating (literally!) for making her skin-test Musc Ravageur which turned February-cat pee that just refused to be scrubbed off. I’ve learnt my lesson…
Yeah, unless you’re into some serious and quite probably illegal kink, cat pee ain’t the way to go. Why not test out some iris and let us know how it goes? Only because it’s one of my favourite notes, naturally…:d
What a sweet post! Does Matt know how lucky he is to have you? I wish Mr. Sybil would even consider scent, but no dice. I have to try Bois D’argent for myself, I guess…
Shucks, S, you say the nicest things. I’m the lucky one, seriously.
Hi, I’m newly escaped from the perfume straight and narrow and appear to be lucky enough to have a DH who wants to experiment too. I adore him in Gucci pour Homme but want to find something a bit more special that spices him up as nicely – any suggestions? (I do like the sound of Poivre Samarcande.) I hate him in anything Issey. In the meantime, I’ve just received some OJ samples so he’s gonna get a scent assault when he gets home this evening.
Well, Poivre Samarcande is fantastic, I have to say. If you both enjoy GpH, it’s not too bold a leap either. and let us know how you get on with Ormonde Man and Isfarkand…
I’m happy to make other suggestions later if you would like:) .
It is good to have steady love in your life, there is nothing else really worth anything but that.
Well, except for some lovely scents. Mr. Patty tends to get stuck on one scent at a time. He’s been going steady with Isfarkand from OJ for quite a while now, and before that was Hermes Bel Ami. Eventually they will have a spat, and he’ll move on to something else. He tends to be serially monogamous with scent, unlike my floozying around with everything.
BTW, I got my Jules, and I think I need to splash some on him just to see what happens. 🙂
Let us know the results of your Jules experiment if you dare. Hubba hubba.:”>
What a wonderful, heart-warming post! Wishing continuous happiness to you guys! I am not familiar with the fresh M7 (what’s the ad for this one like?…asked she with a lascivious glint in her eyes), but I love PS and BdA. Great choices!
I haven’t seen an M7 Fresh ad EVER M, though I’d imagine if it did have the word FRESH in it, it might well have shrivelled, rather than tumescent, dangling particles…
My civil engineer doesn’t wear perfume unless I force them on her (although “force” is a strong word, more like “Do you wanna wear perfume?” “Mmkay”) but pretty much everything I have forced upon her so far has smelled good on her. Not exceptionally different from how they smell on me though. But the most amazing thing about her is that her temples sometimes smell like vanilla! Really good, natural, unsweetened vanilla. It drives me crazy, I go sniffing around her hair and face to see where it comes from and ask her if she’s been baking, but her temples just seems to naturally emit vanilla odour ocassionally… (Does that mean she’s a corpse? 8-x??)
Nah-she’s just naturally sweet…
No – definitely possible – I have a (female) friend who also smells naturally of vanilla, with a little sea salt thrown in for good measure…
Wow, Solander! That’s great! Now I have a new lemming — I want to smell your SO and Matt standing next to each other. Oh, yes, it would cost quite a bit to arrange, but so worth it, don’t you think? :d — Ellen
Oops, that was supposed to be “your SO and Lee.” But, hey, we could do all sorts of Sniffas with & without perfume…
You could sniff me and I’ll throw Matt in at no extra cost!:d
I’d love to smell that too. I’m moving to the UK soon, so when my girl comes to see me you’ll just have to come over and we’ll dig out Lee as well. Only, it would have to be on one of her quite rare vanilla-smelling days… 😉
I had a long-distance relationship with a boy for 5 years and every time I saw him I had to get used to his smell. It was not bad hygiene, not offensive, not strong, just… a little bit like sour milk maybe? Perhaps it was just God’s way of telling me we were not meant to be.
Makes sense! When I was a kid, I thought men smelled awful. But that was my dad & my brother! Of course they smelled awful to me — God/nature doesn’t want me to be attracted to them! The only non-related men who smell unattractive to me are ones not in my possible age range and ones who eat junk food or have bad hygiene. Again, God/nature knows what he/she/it’s doing, no? :d –Ellen
So true-my ex-husband never smelled really nice to me-just a little “off”. Like our relationship. My lover, however, can smell of booze and cigarettes and hard work, but his essential odor draws me strongly.
Louise, wow! I see Tigs is looking for good stories… sounds like you have some….:) — Ellen
What a lovely post! Springtime actually exists somewhere, with horny hares and heifers. I hope they find some satisfaction. Here, we continue with subnormal temps, and wild winds that feel like slaps on the skin.
And lucky you-so graced to have a fine love in your life, for so many great years. Steady, smart, loyal. And one that will wear fragrance. My fellow will only put on a dab of hemp creme when his skin is cracking, or a musk deodorant if he’s feeling wild. But-lucky me, he smell lovely on his own. I guess it’s that real pheromone thing.
Ah, but Bois D’argent-now there’s a grand scent. On me, I want to lick my wrists. On men (the few that I know who wear it), it is luscious. I am not surpised Matt gets dogged by the ladies.
I must sneak a little Bois on the pillow-who knows, perhaps I can get my guy entranced?
BdA is an entrancing smell. And hey, your man sounds smelltastic. Apparently my natural aroma is digestive biscuits / graham crackers. I’ve never picked this up myself, but i’ve been told it many times… Is that a good thing?:-?
Graham crackers are an ultimate comfort scent for me…so the right kind of chemistry for us?
Lee, I believe there’s a Demeter Graham Cracker, so I must not be the only person who would find you naturally sniffable. (In a friendly sort of way!) — Ellen
Sniff away!
Mr. Elle obstinately refuses to wear any scents at all – except when letting me use him as a skin chemistry guinea pig. There are a number of scents that smell divine on him (Bois d’Argent being one of them) which just don’t work on my skin at all – brutally unfair. But I love Poivre Samarcande w/ such a passion and, frankly, I’m not sure I’d want to share it w/ him.
I gave up on PS once I compared it on me to Matt. He wins on quality…
I think you have to go on the offensive!
It’s wonderful to hear about these scents on Matt, especially Bois d’Argent, which smells like nothing at all on me. 🙂 Scents I love on Mr. Judith (and that he loves on himself) include Montale Cuir d’Arabie, Le Labo Vetiver, and Ormande Man. Yum!
I think I’ll try Ormonde Man on him sometime soon. I can see that working well. Thanks for the tip.
I wish I knew. My husband would be happy existing in a world without scents of any type, perfume or otherwise. He actively, vehemently dislikes at least 50% of my fragrances and badly tolerates the rest (and we’re not talking skanky or bizarre here – we’re talking about things like Un Lys or Chinatown worn in extreme moderation). The man must have been tortured by smells in a former life. I would love to dab a little of my L’Air du Desert Marocain or Chergui on him because I think they would smell great, but hell would freeze over first. Maybe I can get a little tester vial of Bois d’Argent and sneak a drop on his arm while he’s asleep!
Let us know if your scent counter-insurgency pays dividends… and good luck.
When I first met my husband he didn’t have a clue about what fragrances fit him or not. His selection was some old Hugo Boss, a vile Van Gils and the ever too sweet Pi. Slowly I started introducing him to other, and in my opinion better perfumes like Dzing and Egoïste. They are beautiful on him but in the end there’s only one that suits him perfectly and that’s Mont Blanc Presence. Can you believe it? It’s not very special on a scent strip or on my skin but on him… It’s perfect:x
The power of transformation, eh? Well done on the scent education. And I’m so in agreement with you on Pi…
Your descriptions make me want to smell those scents on Matt.
My absolute favorite is Nature Millenaire pour Homme from Yves Rocher, a gorgeous blend of cedarwood, incense and spice. I guess someone must have told YR that I liked it, because they discontinued it.
He’s worth a sniff, b. And you’ve given me a new, and difficult to track down, lemming…