What scents are masculine? Gender-neutral?

[bheansidhe]

Maybe try Magus, Kubla Khan, Titus Andronicus, Half-Elf, The White Rider, and The Antikythera Mechanism (which has no sandalwood but is awesome).

[ladymeag]

Aureus, Love's Torments, Anne Bonny, Violens

If he's okay with cinnamon, Plunder. If you want something that's deep and warm (heh) Fenris Wolf.

 

Reading the notes of other things he wears, there's no sandalwood but you might give Great Sword of War a try.

[Gwydion]

Hey, BPAListas. I've recently lucked into A Gentleman Friend with fondness for cologne, and to no surprise, am looking to turn him toward BPAL. He's currently wearing Realities ('Italian Grapefruit, Madarin, Wet Greens; Sueded Cedar Wood, Cashmere Woods; Nutmeg, Ginger, Tea'), though he's told me that his favorite cologne to date is actually Pi by Givenchy ('Citrus, Aromatic, Green, Floral; Magnetic Wood; Benzoin Crystals). Both smell nice on him, though Realities is typical-men's-cologne, and Pi felt a bit... powdery, maybe? A bit off, for lack of a better word.

 

He's repeatedly mentioned a mad love affair with sandalwood, and at one point when I had a list of BPAL Tapestry is Interested in Trying open, he expressed curiosity about Arachne of Lydia. He's tested Dracul to decent effect (though it was washed off somewhat quickly), and also reacted favorably when I've worn The Illustrated Woman, Tombeur, Liz, Intrigue and Voodoo. With all that in mind, I'm trying to hunt down a few scents which carry some warmth to them, preferably with a strongly discernible sandalwood note. Unfortunately the catalogue is overwhelming me at the moment, so I was hoping to pick the forum's collective brain. Are there any sandalwood-heavy scents which you lot would suggest for a man who also seems to like vanilla, pine, clove, almond, and (maybe) musk? I will be pinning him down and testing my own bottles of The Illustrated Woman, Tombeur and Voodoo on him, but my tastes tend to run super dark -- as in patchouli, patchouli, and maybe a drop of vanilla on top of more patchouli -- whereas his appear to lean more wide, warm and comparatively 'fresh'.

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

I'd try Herbert West. it's GC, so easy to get an imp to test.

[Wren12]

I must say that Haute Macabre is fairly masculine in my opinion.

 

But hell, I'm a guy who wears Sprinklecake, so really, what do I know, lol.

[Reedsong]

More men should wear cake, I feel...

 

And I definitely agree with the recommendation of Fenris Wolf. (That scent is lovely on men and women both, I guess because the Ragnarök‎ is for everyone. )

[lunaticana]

I think that Voyeurs Among the Cherryblossoms is super drop deze sexy on a man

And Katanya the Clockwork Woman is also pretty damn good on the boyzzzz

[theredkilt]

... though he's told me that his favorite cologne to date is actually Pi by Givenchy ('Citrus, Aromatic, Green, Floral; Magnetic Wood; Benzoin Crystals). Both smell nice on him, though Realities is typical-men's-cologne, and Pi felt a bit... powdery, maybe? A bit off, for lack of a better word.

 

 

I've worn Pi in the past and it's so delicious - it's more of a gourmand with almond echoing softly in the background. Dana O'Shee is reminiscent of Pi, imho. I guess BPAL vanilla-almond combo oils (the almond being not the dominant note) would be ideal.

[Gwydion]

I've got to add Knight in Shiny Armour to the list. It's got this sexy dandy knight thing going on.

[chinkee21]

Corrupt Chancellor too!

[zankoku_zen]

BPAL Hive Mind (this will get xposted to the BPAL FB group as well) - So mr. zee_zee tried the Apparition, and while he enjoyed it, it ended up a little too floral for his tastes. Anyone have any recs on something similar? I'm wracking my brain and spreadsheet, but not entirely sure. (Caveats: no leather based blends).

[false.azure]

I know this is a bit of an old thread that I'm bumping, but I'm hoping that you scent experts can help me out a bit.

 

I am female-bodied and not on any sort of hormone therapy. I identify as genderfluid. For my masculine feeling and presenting days, I want to smell like a dude. I want to get a whiff of the scent I'm wearing and say "yeah, I'm pretty dudely." I want others who get a whiff of me to think "wow, that person is most definitely a guy; just smell him!"

 

I have a few scents that are masculine-leaning or unisex, but I want something unquestionably masculine. I'm not looking for a scent that works surprisingly well on a guy, or a scent that could go either way. Because of my situation, these scents would almost always be read as feminine on me. (I see scents like Whip recommended here for men, and while I love that scent, it certainly isn't manly on me. For reference, the unisex and masculine-leaning scents I've tried are Fallen [which is pretty amazing on me but not entirely masculine enough because of the florals], The Bow and Crown of Conquest [the most masculine of the bunch, and also pretty wonderful on my skin], The Black Rider [this one goes slightly soapy or powdery on me, and isn't entirely satisfactory, since I prefer a sharper leather scent if I'm to wear leather], and Miskatonic University [this didn't work at all and turned sickeningly sweet on my skin].)

 

I'm a somewhat elegant type of fellow, and I would prefer something that wouldn't be described as "sporty" or "fresh." I tend to do better with slightly warmer scents, but as long as it isn't extremely cool, this isn't a requirement. Aquatics are out altogether. I can do most florals, but I don't want anything that is too floral, because again, it'll be read as feminine on me (my problem with Fallen). Gourmands aren't really my taste.

 

I do very well with woods of pretty much any type, leather, and vetiver.

 

Notes that can go either way on me are smoke, musk (it depends on the type, and I don't want anything overwhelmingly musky or carnal), citrus (bitter citrus or citrus peel = good, fresh or crisp citrus = bad), spices, resins, and patchouli (my skin amps this like you wouldn't believe, but in small amounts and when well-blended with other notes it works well). I would be willing to try notes off of this list.

 

Notes of death are anything too wet or dirty, anything overwhelmingly green (like mint), and usually amber (or anything else that can turn waxy. Fallen is the only scent I've tried with an amber note that doesn't turn to nothing but cheap crayons when I put it on).

 

I'm allergic to eucalyptus, so I would obviously prefer to avoid that.

 

Anything not specifically listed is something I either haven't tried or have only tried in one scent, so I'm pretty much open to experiment. I'd prefer GC scents that I can buy imps of.

 

I know this is a long post, but I'm willing to experiment with a few things, if anyone had any recs. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

[Adikia]

Antikythera Mechanism and Rogue sound like they might work for you.

[Wesley Jones]

Wilde reeks of old school men's cologne to my nose, so it might also work, or it might be too green for you.

[Zephyrus]

I just received another request for a list of scents that are suitable for a man to wear. Though I think it's a matter of taste, here's my list of our more masculine and gender-neutral blends for future reference.

 

One of these days, I have to update the FAQ.

 

 

TRADITIONALLY MASCULINE

Antony

Arkham

Azazel

Baron Samedi

Bluebeard

Czernobog

De Sade

Faustus

Fenris Wolf

Golden Priapus

Iago

Jolly Roger

Laudanum

Lear

Loup Garou

Mad Hatter

Magus

Nero

Oberon

Othello

Titus Andronicus

Tombstone

Typhon

Vicomte de Valmont

Villain

Whitechapel

 

 

GENDER-NEUTRAL

All 7 Sins

All Celestials

All Tarot Blends

Absinthe

Anathema

The Apothecary

Aureus

Bacchanalia

Banshee

Black Forest

Black Phoenix

Blood

Bloodlust

Burial

The Caterpillar

Cathedral

Chimera

Chypre

Damnation

Darkness

Debauchery

Deimos

Depraved

Eclipse

Eidolon

Embalming Fluid

Endymion

Entropy

Hunger

Hurricane

Imp

Inferno

Jabberwocky

Lightning

Malediction

Noir

Omen

Oneiroi

Penitence

Phobos

Pulse Priapus

Rakshasa

Saturnalia

Serpent’s Kiss

Shadow

Snake Oil

Thanatopsis

Torment

Umbra

Undertow

Voodoo

Zombi

I'd actually throw Dee on the unisex list. (I'm not really into supergirly scents, and it's one that I know both my boyfriend and I can wear equally well.

[Gwydion]

False.azure, for non-leather solidly manly scents, I'd suggest Vicomte de Valmonte, Jersey Devil, and The Robotic Scarab. I'd suggest Wooden Bullet if you like strong wood scents. For leathers I like Adam, Red Rider, and if the Snake Pit comes back with Carnival: Western Diamondback.

Edited November 24, 2014 by Gwydion

[dronenuts]

I know this is a bit of an old thread that I'm bumping, but I'm hoping that you scent experts can help me out a bit...

 

I'm very far from being a scent expert of any kind, but what I can offer is a round-up of the recent scents I've tried that smelled the most masculine on me. My chemistry tolerates a lot of more feminine-smelling smells, so these are only the ones that struck my uneducated nose as decidedly masculine. I excluded all oddball smells that can go any which way like the thick opiates and stormy ozones.

 

I keep a file where I write down my general impressions so I can better keep track of what I've tried. In some cases I'm just copying those over, for what they're worth. Hopefully they're descriptive enough that you'll be able to know what might interest you and what's an instant NO:

 

• Hellfire (Ambergris, Incense, Leather, Dark Musk, Pipe Tobacco) - My impressions were of a warm, musky incense smell
• The Scales of Deprivation (Frankincense, Labdanum, Lavender Fougere, Lemon Peel, White Sage, Sandalwood, Vetiver) - from the same collection as The Bow and Crown of Conquest that you mentioned. On me, it manifested as a lemony sandalwood, thin and sharp.
• Sed Non Satiata (Cognac, Geranium, Honey, Musk, Myrrh, Red Patchouli, Tuberose) - Here's how I described it, lol "Very nice and conventional, surprisingly. Smells like something my father would wear. Sharp and smooth."
• Vicomte de Valmont (Ambergris, Cologne, Jasmin, Mint, Spanish Moss, White Musk, Orange Blossom, Rose Geranium, Rosemary, White Sandalwood) - This is one of the few BPAL scents I consider to be a "classic, old-timey fougère for men", like something my French ancestors might've worn (please remember I don't know what I'm talking about). On me it's mostly mint, rosemary and orange.
• Villain (Citrus, Lavender, Lilac, Lime, Musk, Cologne) - As above. This one's a sharp lavender cologne. Come to think of it you may well want to instantly disqualify Villain and Vicomte; nevertheless, they're undeniably masculine scents to my nose.
• Horreur sympathique (Benzoin, Carnation, Grape, Honey, Blood Musk, Oakmoss, Opoponax, Plum Blossom, Sugar Cane, Tobacco Flower, Tonka Bean, Wine) - This one isn't overly masculine, but it's very warm, like a sweet red fruit. Can't really distinguish any single note...
• Troll (Basil, Clove, Cumin, Musk, Pine, Vetiver) - Seems a lot of people have complained about this one being too much bitter pine, but I found it delightful. Like a clove-dusted dark wood, brooding and sharp.
• Ogun (Chili Pepper, Cigar, Gin, Honey, Iron, Juniper, Melon, Tobacco) - This one's a wild card. On me it starts off as a very unpleasant peppery-melon smell while wet, but the drydown morphs into a very manly dirty, honeyed tobacco smell; truly one of the trashiest perfumes I've ever smelled (in a good way I guess)
• Hellfire (Ambergris, Incense, Leather, Dark Musk, Pipe Tobacco) - More distinguished and scholarly than most. A lovely warm musky incense smell.
• Odin (Amaranth, Elm Bark, Musk, Nine Herbs of Power) - One of the woodsiest oils I've tried. Though I've only ever worn it a couple of times, it's always struck me as something I'd wear at night, when it's dark and I can unleash.
• Antikythera Mechanism (Oak, Teak, Tobacco, Black Vanilla) - This one's a little weird on me, 'cause it's too sweet to be considered very masculine IMO, but that's only in the first few stages. Later on it's all teak and oak, with swirls of wet tobacco.

[false.azure]

So many replies! Thank you everyone for being so helpful.

 

Antikythera Mechanism and Rogue sound like they might work for you.

 

Antikythera Mechanism sounds like it would work on me. It might not be as super manly as I'd like, but I've been eyeing it for a while, so I think I'll try it out. I think I'll like it, even if it turns out to be more unisex on me. I'm a bit apprehensive of Rogue's hemp and rosin combination knowing my skin chemistry, but I'll keep that in mind.

 

Wilde reeks of old school men's cologne to my nose, so it might also work, or it might be too green for you.

 

I hadn't thought of Wilde. I'll look into that, and see if it ends up being too green for me. I'm intrigued by the old-fashioned masculine cologne idea. I'd probably like something along those lines, even if Wilde itself doesn't end up working.

 

False.azure, for non-leather solidly maly scents, I'd suggest Vicomte de Valmonte, Jersey Devil, and The Robotic Scarab. I'd suggest Wooden Bullet if you like strong wood scents. For leathers I like Adam, Red Rider, and if the Snake Pit comes back with Carnival: Western Diamondback.

 

I already have Vicomte de Valmont on my list, so I'll be trying that one for sure. The Robotic Scarab also sounds interesting to me, and I think I'll add that. Red Rider seems a little too rugged and outdoorsy for my tastes, but I'll keep in in mind for later. And two OLLA scents? I've been avoiding that section because I love that film and know that I'll probably fall in love with the scents and then be heartbroken once they sell out. Wooden Bullet sounds like something I'd really enjoy.

 

 

I know this is a bit of an old thread that I'm bumping, but I'm hoping that you scent experts can help me out a bit...

 

I'm very far from being a scent expert of any kind, but what I can offer is a round-up of the recent scents I've tried that smelled the most masculine on me. My chemistry tolerates a lot of more feminine-smelling smells, so these are only the ones that struck my uneducated nose as decidedly masculine. I excluded all oddball smells that can go any which way like the thick opiates and stormy ozones.

 

I keep a file where I write down my general impressions so I can better keep track of what I've tried. In some cases I'm just copying those over, for what they're worth. Hopefully they're descriptive enough that you'll be able to know what might interest you and what's an instant NO:

 

• Hellfire (Ambergris, Incense, Leather, Dark Musk, Pipe Tobacco) - My impressions were of a warm, musky incense smell
• The Scales of Deprivation (Frankincense, Labdanum, Lavender Fougere, Lemon Peel, White Sage, Sandalwood, Vetiver) - from the same collection as The Bow and Crown of Conquest that you mentioned. On me, it manifested as a lemony sandalwood, thin and sharp.
• Sed Non Satiata (Cognac, Geranium, Honey, Musk, Myrrh, Red Patchouli, Tuberose) - Here's how I described it, lol "Very nice and conventional, surprisingly. Smells like something my father would wear. Sharp and smooth."
• Vicomte de Valmont (Ambergris, Cologne, Jasmin, Mint, Spanish Moss, White Musk, Orange Blossom, Rose Geranium, Rosemary, White Sandalwood) - This is one of the few BPAL scents I consider to be a "classic, old-timey fougère for men", like something my French ancestors might've worn (please remember I don't know what I'm talking about). On me it's mostly mint, rosemary and orange.
• Villain (Citrus, Lavender, Lilac, Lime, Musk, Cologne) - As above. This one's a sharp lavender cologne. Come to think of it you may well want to instantly disqualify Villain and Vicomte; nevertheless, they're undeniably masculine scents to my nose.
• Horreur sympathique (Benzoin, Carnation, Grape, Honey, Blood Musk, Oakmoss, Opoponax, Plum Blossom, Sugar Cane, Tobacco Flower, Tonka Bean, Wine) - This one isn't overly masculine, but it's very warm, like a sweet red fruit. Can't really distinguish any single note...
• Troll (Basil, Clove, Cumin, Musk, Pine, Vetiver) - Seems a lot of people have complained about this one being too much bitter pine, but I found it delightful. Like a clove-dusted dark wood, brooding and sharp.
• Ogun (Chili Pepper, Cigar, Gin, Honey, Iron, Juniper, Melon, Tobacco) - This one's a wild card. On me it starts off as a very unpleasant peppery-melon smell while wet, but the drydown morphs into a very manly dirty, honeyed tobacco smell; truly one of the trashiest perfumes I've ever smelled (in a good way I guess)
• Hellfire (Ambergris, Incense, Leather, Dark Musk, Pipe Tobacco) - More distinguished and scholarly than most. A lovely warm musky incense smell.
• Odin (Amaranth, Elm Bark, Musk, Nine Herbs of Power) - One of the woodsiest oils I've tried. Though I've only ever worn it a couple of times, it's always struck me as something I'd wear at night, when it's dark and I can unleash.
• Antikythera Mechanism (Oak, Teak, Tobacco, Black Vanilla) - This one's a little weird on me, 'cause it's too sweet to be considered very masculine IMO, but that's only in the first few stages. Later on it's all teak and oak, with swirls of wet tobacco.

 

Long list! I would like to actually try all of the Come and See scents, since they all sound like they would work on me (no matter what gender), so I'll be trying The Scales of Deprivation. I think I'll try Villain, despite the lavender, since I think I want to try as many of the classically men's cologne-smelling scents I can until I can find something I like. Hellfire and Odin are also intriguing, even if they have the potential to go wonky on my skin, since I really do have the worst chemistry.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. If anyone has any other ideas, I'd love to hear them. If not, I'll be making my list for my next order.

[Gwydion]

Antikythera Mechanism and Rogue are both excellent, but read a bit androgynous on me. Vicomte de Valmont is another really classic men's cologne sort of thing and one of my all time lab favorates.

 

Lavender and lavender fougere are often in men's cologne, so don't be afraid of trying them out. Carnation is another classic men's floral. I mention as we associate flowers with women, but not all flowers are the same and there's more overlap than one would expect.

[MemoriesLost]

Hi false.azure. It looks like you've gotten a lot of good suggestions from everyone. I just wanted to suggest one more scent. I saw that you like The Bow & Crown of Conquest so wanted to suggest Dee (soft English leather, rosewood and tonka with a hint of incense, parchment and soft woods). To me at least, Dee is very similar to Bow & Crown, but the leather comes out more in Dee and the carnation/lavender is replaced with parchment. Anyway, I hope you find the scent that's right for you.

[Silvertree]

I tend to gravitate towards more traditionally masculine scents. This might fall into the "too green" category for you, but I love Dawn: Cernunnos (Terebinth pine, basil, green sandalwood, fig leaf, armoise, lemon balm, cypress, myrrh, black cedar, and juniper). It's more rich/resinous than herbal.

 

If you can find a decant in the Swaps forum to test, one of my favorite scents of all time is Crowley from Good Omens (Infernal musk, red patchouli, lilac cologne, mahogany, lemon rind, oakmoss, leather, and vanilla husk). It does have a number of your iffy notes, which is why I thought you might want to test it before committing to a bottle, but it's extremely well-blended and just so. dang. good. Not too musky, not too patchouli-aggressive, not too floral.

[Ina Garten Davita]

Jareth. Unmph!

[false.azure]

Thank you, everyone.

 

This is what I'm going to be placing my order for. Not all of these are purely masculine (and a few are rather feminine), but most of these are suggestions from all of you/scents that seem similar to those suggestions/that seemed masculine when I read reviews of them/other things I have found going through this thread. The rest are ones that I've been wanting to try out for a while.

 

 

Black Rose

Bram Stoker

Death on a Pale Horse

Dee

Golden Priapus

Highwayman

Kubla Khan

Les Infortunes de la Vertu

Odin

Old Scratch

Othello

The Antikythera Mechanism

The Great Sword of War

The Robotic Scarab

The Scales of Deprivation

Titus Andronicus

Vicomte de Valmont

Villain

Wilde

 

 

 

I'm a tiny bit worried about how much amber shows up on this list, and a few of the more unisex blends have rose notes (roses tend to do The Rose Thing on me, which is actually the same as The Amber Thing -- overtake everything and make it all smell like stale, cheap crayons. I have no idea why rose of all notes tends to do this, but I have a 50% success rate with BPAL roses [black Rose and Whip work well]), so I'll just have to hope that the cheap crayons don't strike again. A lot of these are leather based or wood based, and pretty much the rest of the masculine ones are described as being traditional men's cologne.

 

I also remembered that I'm allergic to something in Viola, and I hope it isn't the moss. I guess I'll find out soon enough whether it's the moss or something else!

 

I'll post my results on exactly how manly I smell once I receive all these.

[elbow]

Looking forward to your notes, false.azure! I've been trying BPALs on my male sweetheart, and though I've found many that I like on him, he doesn't care for them unless they fit his definition of manliness. Since everyone's idea of a manly scent differs, it's hard for me to know what to aim for. So far, the handful of ones he has really liked all have a leather note. Since you're amassing a non-leather list, I'm hoping your successes will help us branch out a little!

[Gwydion]

Best of luck, false Azure.

[forspecial_plate]

Thank you, everyone.

 

This is what I'm going to be placing my order for. Not all of these are purely masculine (and a few are rather feminine), but most of these are suggestions from all of you/scents that seem similar to those suggestions/that seemed masculine when I read reviews of them/other things I have found going through this thread. The rest are ones that I've been wanting to try out for a while.

 

 

Black Rose

Bram Stoker

Death on a Pale Horse

Dee

Golden Priapus

Highwayman

Kubla Khan

Les Infortunes de la Vertu

Odin

Old Scratch

Othello

The Antikythera Mechanism

The Great Sword of War

The Robotic Scarab

The Scales of Deprivation

Titus Andronicus

Vicomte de Valmont

Villain

Wilde

 

 

 

I'm a tiny bit worried about how much amber shows up on this list, and a few of the more unisex blends have rose notes (roses tend to do The Rose Thing on me, which is actually the same as The Amber Thing -- overtake everything and make it all smell like stale, cheap crayons. I have no idea why rose of all notes tends to do this, but I have a 50% success rate with BPAL roses [black Rose and Whip work well]), so I'll just have to hope that the cheap crayons don't strike again. A lot of these are leather based or wood based, and pretty much the rest of the masculine ones are described as being traditional men's cologne.

 

I also remembered that I'm allergic to something in Viola, and I hope it isn't the moss. I guess I'll find out soon enough whether it's the moss or something else!

 

I'll post my results on exactly how manly I smell once I receive all these.

 

Bram Stoker is a great choice, I was going to suggest it.