Rules of Attraction: Smell Good

There is no denying that senior year of college was fun. I lived in a sorority house conveniently located by all of our favorite places to go out and I was single for the first time in a few years.  What began as a classy night out with girlfriends, ended up at a dive bar with 25 cent beers. Dirty, loud, and packed, with no defined dance floor, this place was just a blur of messy people; my crowd being in the minority with our legitimate 21-year-old IDs. I doubt it took long for me to join the masses in the middle of the bar for some good ol' girl on girl hip swaying with my bestie. And it was there, amidst the sensory overload of grungy dim dirtyness and loud music, that I smelled the most heavenly and perfect smell -- coming off of a person...in a bar. At nearly 2 am. How does this happen? I'm not sure about that, but I do know that I was undeniably attracted. I danced on over and my nose buds took full advantage of the closeness required to have a conversation while standing next to a speaker. The attraction didn't end with his scent, but it only took about two instances of running into each other, and me nicknaming him "smell good" (obviously this is how I referred to him with friends, and not to his face), before we came to what I'm sure was a mutual realization that we just weren't long-term relationship material. Unfortunately, that didn't leave me with enough time to figure out the name of his cologne, or whatever it was that made this man smell so dang sensational. You'd think I would still be living in regret over this, but luck would have it that I met the Old Spice "man your man can smell like" and I get to spend the rest of my life with him.

It looks like I might also be spending a large portion of it with that exact Old Spice bottle, because it remains, over halfway full, in Rob's apartment shower. That means it has lived in 3 different showers since it was purchased in 2010.  Needless to say, Old Spice body wash isn't making our list of top favorite scents, but I'll leave you with a few:


Perfume:  Lanvin Rumeur 2 Rose and Bvlgari Omnia Christalline.

Mmm. Both smell young and happy; and though the Lanvin one has been discontinued and can't be found in department stores, it can be found on Amazon. For cheap.


Candle: Bath & Body Works Merry Mistletoe.

This candle should totally not be named this. If I had thought to stock up over the holidays, I'd be burning that thing right on through to next Christmas because it's got a fresh citrusy smell that doesn't get old.

Hand soap: Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Basil Liquid Hand Soap

I make up excuses to wash my hands just so I can smell this delicious soap on them for as long as it lingers. And I added it to our wedding registry. Is that normal? They make a counter spray too, which I can't wait to wash down my kitchen with once I've got one.

Things that I love smelling, but haven't quite found my favorite just yet are:
laundry detergent - the different colored Tide ones smell good, but I don't feel like they last on my clothes, so by the time I fold them, get them put away, then get them out to wear again they already have lost the scent. Any recommendations on a good detergent?
lotion - this is tough because if it smells too strong, it seems to get old quickly. I need some direction in finding the perfect lotion. Suggestions?
deodorant - I'm not so picky about this, as long as it works well. But that may just be because I haven't found a scent that wins me over. If you have a favorite, do share!
shampoo - good smelling shampoo is so nice, especially when I go to sleep with my hair wet. I love being able to smell it all day. I like the way Dove shampoo smells, but it's not that special.
man scent - cologne, deodorant, after-shave...or whatever it is that men use. Until I figure out what smell good was wearing, girls, I want to hear what you get for your guys - or maybe they get it for themselves - to keep them smelling fresh?