Jeni was discussing this on her FB page this morning and it stirred memories of feedback I received for using too much cologne.
Jeni mentioned that some people, or one in particular, uses so much cologne that by the time he leaves the bathroom the smell has leaked out down halls and traveled from room to room, lingering long after that person's left. I personally love the strong smell of cologne, it's both soothing and sexy to me.
My father always used cologne. He wasn't a "dabber" either. He was a slosher. This meant he poured the cologne in his palms then sort of threw it on his neck, biceps and wiped the excess on his undershirts.
I remember him using a variety of scents but the two that I liked better were Drakar Noir and Givenchy for men. My dad was a big, strong, very dark skinned man and these two scents seemed perfect for him. Anyway, when Daddy was getting ready for church and had sprayed up we joked that there were never any birds around the house because Daddy had run them off because of all the cologne he had used. Momma was always fussing at him for going through cologne so quickly but it never changed. Daddy loved women's fragrances too and would wear it if he wanted. He was a big Black man, who was going to mess with him about it?
I used to spray myself like that because I liked it and didn't know any better. I remember when I fell in love with Emeraude, the best selling fragrance at Walgreens. I would shower in it. Then I discovered Avon's Sweet Honesty and Soft Musk. And I stayed with Avon for several years until one day I smelled Giorgio. Talk about life-changing! Here I was about to buy a $40 bottle of cologne and I was only working part time. I would spray Giorgio in my hair, behind my ears, in my shoes. I would even saturate a cotton ball, wrap it in foil and when I thought the earlier spraying had worn off I'd open the foil and voilà-full again.
Ok, here's where feedback comes in. I had used my boss' office phone one day and left. When I came back he commented that he knew I had used his phone because he could smell me on his phone. Well, I swooned because he was smiling and I thought it was sexy. It wasn't until his admin teased me about a month later how she had to wash his phone because he complained that the phone smelled so strongly of my beloved Georgio. And she kept the teasing, I mean kept giving the feedback that people know which elevator I had ridden because of the strong remains of Giorgio.
Well, that same week, almost fifteen years ago changed how much cologne I spray or dab each morning. I've long since left Giorgio and tried others. I don't have a signature scent, I tend to empty the bottle then move to the next one. But I have stayed with Sublime and Sheer Veil. And, I Limit myself to four sprays: one to each forearm, once behind an ear, one on my skirt's hem. Now the only way people will know I rode an elevator is if they actually saw me there.
