Do you wear perfume? (Or, if you’re a man, cologne?) Did your husband pick it for you? (Or your wife? If that applies.) If you picked it yourself, did you pick a scent you hoped your significant other would find alluring? Or did you simply pick something you found appealing?
I don’t remember how long ago it was, but once upon a time I saw a report on a TV show about scent preferences. It could have been months, it could have been years. Most things are a blur these days. However, it was about a study of perfumes and which appealed to men and which to women.
They used couples and had the women pick the three fragrances they liked, then they had the men pick the three they liked. Interestingly, more frequently than not, the ones the woman picked were not the ones her husband chose. At least not as their first choices. In most cases they did at least agree on one scent. (But they had to order the three from the one they liked most, then second best, then third best.)
Wayne likes to wear cologne. If we happen to be in a mall (we very rarely are) and I remember he needs it, he’ll humor me with five minutes while he quickly sniffs a few samples before deciding on something. (He gets bored with his scents after a while.)
He’s about out of cologne now. That’s why when I came across an intriguing cologne sample sheet came in one of his magazines and I liked it, I had him smell it. I would not buy a new cologne without Wayne’s sniffer approving it first.
That’s when I thought about that study. Luckily, Wayne likes all the perfumes I’ve chosen for myself over the years. He’s bought me perfume before, too, for special occasions and such, but refills of ones I already used. Likewise, I’ve always liked his picks. But I don’t think either of us feels comfortable picking a scent for the other. It’s just seems too personal a choice.
Which is funny, because at the same time we try to pick something we hope the other finds arousing. However, it’d be interesting to participate in that study and see which smells we liked and if any were in common.
I think we might, because one time I was deciding on a new perfume and was stuck deciding between two. The sales lady kept trying to sell me on a third one, claiming how all the men who had smelled it went wild for it.
I held off on making a decision and brought Wayne back with me. I knew I wasn’t going to get that stinky third one, but I wanted to see if Wayne went wild when he smelled it. (If he had, I might have considered getting it.) However, he took one not so very deep sniff and did what I had: wrinkled his nose. (I hadn’t told him whether I liked it or not. I tried to keep him as unbiased as possible.)
But he liked the two I was originally deciding between and made my decision easy by buying me both!
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