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PaperclipPerfector  1d ago (text post)   1160 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for February 13, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Paging @Closedshop.

I decided I need a cologne. My problem is, I hate so many basic scents I have no idea what to look for. To be more specific:

  • I hate vetiver. My wife uses essential oil of vetiver for medicinal purposes, and it smells like someone poured water on a burning birch log.
  • I hate patchouli. My wife had both Messe de Minuit and Patchouly by Etro, and they smelled like a damp, musty, mildewy cellar.
  • I hate... I don't know what's inside Pot Pourri by Santa Maria Novella, but it smells like healthcare. Like some 19th century ointment.
  • UPD Turns out there was a full bottle of Penhaligon's Racquets Formula in my wife's perfume closet that my mom got me a long time ago, and... I hate it as well.

Practically everything from your post features either patchouli or vetiver. I have no idea where to start if I can't stand either of them.

Smells I like: sea, pines (and conifers in general), pipe tobacco, coffee, citrus, chocolate, cherry, vanilla, rain, wild mushrooms, leather.

Why do you want cologne? The best smell is no smell, just be clean. I’ve never once had someone walk by me surrounded by a miasma of perfume and thought to myself “How wonderful! How intoxicating!”

  1. Really? When a woman passes me with an enticing perfume I think something very much along those lines. Perhaps with a bit more eroticism.
  2. Even so, perfume and cologne is generally supposed to be personal-space-percieved only. Scent is your strongest sense for memory. It fosters emotional connection between humans, point blank. Absolutely worth the $25/year to have some.

perfume and cologne is generally supposed to be personal-space-percieved only.

Which is fine, provided the personal space is limited to someone who is kissing you. It does not extend to the entire elevator.

When a woman passes me with an enticing perfume I think something very much along those lines. Perhaps with a bit more eroticism.

In other words, you can put it with cars and athletic ability in the category of things men think impress women because they impress other men. I have never once heard a woman compliment a man for his cologne or tell me they liked the smell of a guy's cologne. I have heard a lot of women complaining about guys who wear too much cologne.

I have never once heard a woman compliment a man for his cologne

I have.

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