What's the EdT/Perfume/AS etiquette in the UK?

[Cristobal]

The other day while attending a lecture at university, a (cute) young lady sat next to me in the lecture theatre and was wearing a very potent perfume/EdT (like the French women do, like bathing in perfume to be more explicit...) The fragrance smelt rather good, so it wasn't really disturbing. However, I guess she was likely a foreigner (not British or North American), because I realized that I've rarely smell anyone's perfume/EdT here in England, except on women from Eastern or Southern Europe.

So just out of curiosity, I was wondering what was the etiquette in Britain for men and women.
Is it the same as in North America? Discreet and non offensive/office safe perfume?

 

[Luckypip]

After a shower and a nice close shave, I use good quality Chanel balm and follow up with a good EDT !
I am currently using Chanel Homme Edition Blanche, which is IMO a quite masculine EDT with a longevity
of several hours !

 

[chris.hale]

Getting a whiff of scent if you're close to someone is fine, tasting it if they pass by within two metres is not.

 

[Luckypip]

I totally agree Chris, some can be really overpowering !

 

[isendono]

let people notice you're there, not too strong to let people know you're coming.

 

[Luckypip]

Very well stated, I will have to remember that one !

 

[Shemen Zait]

I remember the 80's visiting the UK few times for work and the overpowering scents was definitely out there on both sexes.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[JohnnyO]

Apart from my Pinaud Special Reserve or Brut days my own ideal scent is one which is unobtrusive enough to be just ' almost there ' in proximity to a man or woman.

JohnnyO. o/

 

[Wishbone]

I remember the 80's visiting the UK few times for work and the overpowering scents was definitely out there on both sexes.

That was the 80's, alright

Also the reason I like the vintage scents. Some of these newer formulations die off before they've even hit the tester strip.

 

[Supermangs]

I can't remember if it was Coco Chanel, but there is some wisdom about scent that indicates its intimacy, ie, you should only have enough on so that someone in a desirously close proximity can smell it, not someone across the room.

I think you want scents to be just strong enough to make it interesting - people should catch a hint of it, have a fleeting awareness of it. There's no mystery in a tsunami of smell. It should entice someone to want to move closer for more rather than to move away for fresh air.

As a user, of course, I love a good whiff of the stuff straight after putting it on. I love finishing shaving, slapping on the AS, and having a headful of it for a moment - makes me feel a million bucks.

Chanel has a couple of other interesting quotes.

“Where should one use perfume?" a young woman asked. "Wherever one wants to be kissed.”

"Don't spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door."

 

[Shemen Zait]

BTW to all of you who appreciate the vintage stuff, Pound World is doing the current incarnation of Hi-Karate for a £1

 

[FrankieG]

I'm not sure what the official etiquette is all over Britain, but in London I get offended many times a day by the ridiculous amount and strength of perfume that some people wear.

 

[isaiah53]

better to be discovered than noticed

 

[Supermangs]

I'm not sure what the official etiquette is all over Britain, but in London I get offended many times a day by the ridiculous amount and strength of perfume that some people wear.

That's a fair point.

However, in London, I also get offended many times a day by the lack of showering and anti-perspirant application that some people persist with!

 

[Benz3ne]

That's a fair point.

However, in London, I also get offended many times a day by the lack of showering and anti-perspirant application that some people persist with!

Concurred. It doesn't take much to stay clean and smell clean!

As for my EDT/cologne/AS/Perfume etiquette, I have to approach the missus for her to tell me I smell nice rather than her commenting on it from across the room. Fortunately, she is the same and only sprays a small amount of perfume on herself. I think I'd have the guts to tell her if she reeked of perfume (maybe).

 

[Luckypip]

My wife uses Chanel Coco EDF and just uses a small spray of which I can smell when she gets close to me but not from the other side of the room. I reckon most women know how to use their perfume properly without clouding the senses of other persons around them !
Conversely, I have really noticed some men passing me by who have tried smothering themselves in Cologne or aftershave but not really masking the smell of BO. There is no reason for lack of good ablutions in this day and age. I recently stopped to talk to a homeless man and in the course of conversation, commented on how clean and tidy he was.
He said that although he was homeless, it was no excuse not to keep clean ! He used hostels and municipal baths as often as he could.
A lot of people could learn from him!