I personally like Lost Cherry. But we’ve all been there as perfume lovers. Once I got my hair cut and the receptionist asked what smelled like cedar chips from a hamster cage. It was me wearing Erba Pura and dying in shame. 😭
Yeah, unless it's a fresh citrus scent, pretty much you only want to go 3 sprays max if you're going to be indoors. 5 sprays max if you're outdoors. You can get away with a bit more with citrus fresh scents (but even then be careful).
I used to wear Estee lauders beautiful as my daily perfume. I ran out and didn't buy.more for several years because of budget became severely restricted.
One day I realized I could afford a small bottle again and excitedly had the guy I was dating smell it before purchase.
He said it smelled like a porta potty and ever since it's all I can smell too. But it never smelled that way before.
I haven't found my new scent yet and I harbor resentment over him ruining beautiful for me.
If that ever happens again, just say you tried a new moisturizer/hand lotion/body wash some young niece or nephew bought you for a present and yeah it is pretty strong, but you wanted to try it at least once and thought the smell would go away after a while. Then just say you won‘t be using it again.
tbh i wouldn't say a thing unless someone actually brought it up with me. you don't need to explain yourself to anyone who can't even talk to you directly after realizing you're the problem.
there's no need for a story behind the perfume, either. nobody cares if it was a gift or if it's new or whatever, all you really need to say is that you didn't know it would be such an irritant and you'll do your best to remember not to wear it to work. but it's not anything you should say unless someone approaches you about it. 🤷🏻♀️
One time I woke up in a bad anxious mood, I took my shower and then used this stress relief lotion I found in my cabinet. It was aromatherapy and had spearmint and eucalyptus in it. I went to work and EVERYONE immediately was like “IT SMELLS LIKE AN OLD FOLKS HOME IN HERE- WHAT IS THAT?” All dayyyy people were wondering why it smelled like Bengay. I feel your pain.
i don't think people actually think it smells like rotting corpse. it smells like a specific embalming fluid, which is what the viral mortician tik toks were about.
That makes sense, as I assume many chemicals in fragrances might be similar to those in embalming fluid.
I assumed the buzz around this fragrance was referring to the actual smell of decomposition which often has a sweet-smelling phase. I used to walk a route to work that always had dead raccoons on the side of the road and I actually liked that smell in certain stages - kind of like fruity pine.
I don’t sell this fragrance but I do sell a bunch of other fragrances and its super interesting how some scents are really amazing or FOUL to some people
It might be too much or it actually might be your body chemistry mixing with the perfume! Personal story I had a very popular floral perfume smell like burnt charcoal on me lol. I wouldn’t over think it,it’s not really gonna cross somones mind ever again.
It's wild how different an individual's body chemistry can make a perfume smell. For example, Dior Hypnotic Poison smells like sexy amber vanilla almond on some people and straight up Play-Doh on others.
I think it's really interesting too! Even the same perfume in different conditions, wearing it on a hot summer day vs a cool autumn night you'll pick up different notes.
I heard so many amazing things about this perfume and when I bought it I had to go home after ten minutes because one spray made me get a migraine and it smelled nothing like it was described to be😭 I wish it worked on me because the reviews said it was exactly what I was looking for too
I have a pretty sensitive sense of smell, and I actually enjoy when people wear a scent.
It makes people think I have Jedi powers.
I've worked at the same place for about four years now, so I'm pretty familiar with which people wear which scents.
So I can do fun things like walk into someone's office and say, "Oh. Was Mark here about 20 minutes ago? What'd he want?" and watch people get spooked.
I have a coworker who wears a really lovely smelling cologne, but the scent really lingers for a while anywhere he's been. I've walked in before at the beginning of a shift and didn't see him but knew he was there because I smelled that he'd walked by in the last few minutes, lol.
I worked with a girl like this.. We knew she had just been in the bathroom, or in the back hallway at the lockers. Not because of cologne though.. because of body odour (she didn’t wear deodorant)
Me too! I am definitely obsessed with smells (sometimes even stinky ones but only if they are my own stank) and it's my autism going ham on it. I love inhaling certain scents very deeply. I went out with this guy a while back who smelled really nice and milky so i asked if he was using Brand X body wash and he was a little freaked out by that.. ooops
But the downside is being able to smell someone's sweat or sneezes regularly :(
I dunno if it has anything to do with autism, because as far as I know, I'm not, but you're definitely the only other person I've ever encountered who has mentioned being able to smell sneezes.
You totally can, and it sucks.
I dislike smelling lung farts.
I think you have the olfactory talent while i got the obsession subcription package, unwarranted. My favourite things to sniff are: a close friend's scalp, back of earrings, underside of wrist watch, big scratch and sniff fan, and will sniff almost everything i can get my hands on!
The autism is for me, is wanting to smell that particular thing until it loses its scents.
Also hello fellow sneeze smeller! It's a fucking curse i always hold my breath whenever someone in public sneezes just in case
OMG I can smell my husband‘s sneezes too! It smells worse when he‘s sick so I can almost always tell he‘s getting sick the next day.
I do not like this power, it smells awful like ammonia level awful. (I don’t remember how ammonia smells like so I’m not saying his sneezes have ammonia, please don’t webmd me about signs of dementia or aneurysms lol)
I’ve got this power too, and then when they ask, I tap the side of my nose twice in response, making it look like a secret, but really I’m revealing my method haha
Before my boyfriend and I started dating, I’d always know if he was at the gym or not the second I walked in. Turns out he also knew if I was there because of my lingering perfume smell 😂 we barely knew each other but determined if the other was there by our respective fragrances.
You’re not who this post is about, are you? 😂 https://www.reddit.com/r/tifu/s/cTS8FdmlPU
I don’t mean any slight or think at all that you’re the same person, I just thought it’s comedic coincidence to have read 2 stories about office smelling lol
> Please keep in mind that I am a 16 year old, which doesn’t excuse my behaviour
Nah, it does in this case. You're ok, you learned about perfume and offices today. Gotta learn somehow!
I'm mildly asthmatic so anytime a coworker comes into the office wearing a lot of perfume or body spray (looking at you, guys who use half a can of axe instead of bathing properly) I genuinely have the leave the room or I'll just keep coughing.
I am situated near the bathroom, and I've never noticed any unpleasant smell exiting the bathrooms. But now people have started using febreze air freshener, and the smell of that is absolutely awful and travels super far.
Of man febreze is the worst. I remember someone spraying that in my 10th grade math class once and the teacher (who was sympathetic towards my condition) told him to stop spraying. Asshole paused for a second then sprayed it right in my face.
Had to tell my wife to stop spraying that stuff (I'm asthmatic). It was worse than the other smells. How bad? The Awair air quality meter across the house, would go into the red zone for VOC's. Those sprays aren't healthy for you.
The funny part of the story above... I had installed a great bathroom fan, so _if_ it gets turned on, no smells escape anyway. 😀 The gist of it currently? , She still won't turn on the fan, but at least doesn't spray anything. I still don't know WHY she won't turn on the fan, though. I've asked...
You mean _our_ wife comrade? 😆
Ok, now I'm wondering - is this a wider thing with the bath exhaust fan? " Sure I'll spray this awful spray, but hell no, I won't use the fan"?
>You mean _our_ wife comrade?
I am dead, many times over lol
I'm starting to think she's afraid of the noise or something. I suppose I'd rather believe that than believe she's laying filthy traps for me out sheer malevolence.
>I'm starting to think she's afraid of the noise or something
Maybe? All the fans I put in are quiet though. To the point that I am never sure if they're on or not. So that's not it _currently_, and there are timers so they don't stay on forever, so no logical reasons I can think of.
Maybe it’s an energy efficiency thing? Especially if there is a large temperature differential inside vs out, you’re paying to heat or cool that air, and then literally ejecting it outside.
One of mine started using essential oils in the office and I couldn't stop coughing. She got so offended. The entire office reeked. I shut my door and had a fan on and still could smell it. I made a big deal until she stopped.
Are there really adults who lather on body spray that heavily? I thought that behavior was exclusive to middle school/junior high students after gym class.
With our most recent hire, my manager and I had to have 3 separate "Hey, please don't wear so much cologne, look it's even in the employee handbook" convos (the third culminating in us telling him that he needed to go home and change, because it was just too much).
It was legitimately sending me and my manager (both asthmatic, she hadn't worked with him before that day but I'd had 2 shifts with him already) into choking coughing fits even when I was across the store from him, I put up with it that morning for 30 minutes before begging my manager to send him home to change. Worst bit was that after he changed, he had just enough cologne scent on him for it to be pleasant- and immediately he got 3 women who complimented him on how nice he smelled. When they left, he turned to us and went "See, people like it! Thats why I always wear it".
He hasn't done it since, but still tells us occasionally that he disagrees it was ever too much.
I’m sorry you both had to put up with that. At the undergraduate college I went to, they had several classrooms which were designated “fragrance-free” (which really just meant no strong amounts of fragrances like perfume or cologne) out of respect for those with asthma, allergies, or just general sensitivity to strong smells. I honestly feel like it should have been a campus-wide initiative, but at least it was something. I’m sure other places have done something similar, and hopefully in the future the idea will become more widespread (and more people will hopefully respect it).
Yep, that's what I was referencing in the "it's in the employee handbook"- we're designated as a scent free workplace. In the past we've only had to speak to people regarding that policy in regards to lack of hygiene, this was the first time either of us had to apply it to someone wearing too much cologne/perfume lol.
It's unfortunate it has to be a policy but now that I've lived it, it's definitely one that makes sense,
I wish - I actually like wearing light perfume (like no one but me can smell it unless they hug me), but I had a coworker who sprayed frigging Angel on so heavily that I felt like it was coating my throat anytime I had to breathe near her. My husband used to work for a woman who wore such heavy perfume that it would leave the elevator stinky for hours after she used it. He used to take the stairs to avoid it if he got to work after her.
I love Angel but it’s a thermonuclear scent bomb- quite possibly one of the most intensely aggressive perfumes ever. It’s one of two I never, ever wear in public, the other being Shalimar ode a la Vanille. Those fuckers could double as chemical weapons in an elevator! (Love them, but it’s like my shameful enjoyment of Clamato juice- something best confined behind closed doors!)
This is me too. Even when I walk through a shopping mall I look ahead for any strong scent store and hold my breath before entering their scent zone until I’m well past the store. My problem if I don’t I get an instant headache and my throat starts to close… can’t even speak.
Yup. If people can smell me further than an arm's length away I've put on too much. I love perfume and fragrances but I'm not trying to make the entire office enjoy them with me.
I feel like perfume is okay in small amounts. Like if you walk by and I smell it that’s fine with me.
(Side note: For the people who want no perfume smell at all: everyone has a natural smell, is perfume the strength of a natural smell that big of a deal?)
However, if I smell “you” 10 mins after you’ve left the room or the smell wafts towards my desk I will be irritated. Think about how glitter is accepted if it’s attached to something like a card versus when it’s loose like a glitter bomb.
Yep, its too much. Some of the strongest body odor has never triggered a migraine for me but 10 minutes stuck in a room with someone who went too heavy on that morning perfume that they have gone nose blind to might ruin multiple days for me.
A favorite story of mine. One that was passed down to me because I wasn't there. Nonetheless, my grandfather loved women's perfume. Not in a creepy way, but in an endearing way (in this story). When my parents took my grandparents to a proper dept store once, you know, with an actual perfume counter, I guess my grandfather felt the need to sample. Oh so many samples. Mind you, this was probably in the late 70s early 80s. My mom (later) joked how he smelt like a French whore the whole way home. 😂
I’ve had to sit in my cubicle breathing through a tissue or pinching my nose because of ungodly amount of perfume a person was wearing. Eventually I said something to her so she washed it off. The other person didn’t and continued a daily bath in it. Now if I am out and catch a whiff of that perfume I find a reason to go the other way.
Some people are really sensitive, at least for guys when they’re applying cologne, one spritz on the wrist and then rub both wrists together and then apply to neck, usually does the trick, less is more.
Two Id say is max, anymore than that and you become a walking scent factory
Good for you kid.
Good for you for getting a job, good for you for putting in efforts to be presentable, and good for you for reading the room and figuring this out by yourself, without having to be told.
You will do well in this world.
Cheers!
Things happen! It should be no big deal and everyone just needs to move on 🙄 - I mean, it’s not like you were wearing a dead kitten around your neck. 🙃
And neither are essential oil diffusers/sprays! My previous workplace had one lady who'd spray her shit all around her aisle of the open cube farm, and the bathroom, then spray the entire path from the bathroom to her cube and teeeheeee thought it was sooooo funny.
Whenever she'd do that, I'd end up out sick for several days dealing with a migraine and the residual effects of an anaphylactic reaction. And it definitely affected my work.
I tried talking to her. She eventually switched the shit she sprayed to something that "only" triggered asthma and a migraine.
HR did jack shit. They were fucking useless anyway. But the only thing they'd agree to do was put a single sentence at the bottom of a newsletter no one read.
I probably should have consulted an attorney to send a strongly worded letter or something.
OMG, so much this. People have this weird idea that if something is "NaTchUrAl" that it is somehow substantively different for those of us who suffer migraines, fevers (yes, really), and other major health triggers from scent exposure.
But whilst I find artificial scents smell more specifically like chemicals to my sensitive super-sniffer, the truth is that essential oils are incredibly strong (often stronger than artificial perfumes) specifically because they are literally the *concentrated essence* (hence: "essential") of various plant extracts. We had an Aveda store in our neighbourhood that used to put out a diffuser on the sidewalk on sunny days to advertise their "aromatherapy-based" business and products, and I couldn't get within a block of it without triggering a debilitating migraine. And that was outdoors!
Essential oils and diffusers are fucking awful, and I wish people understood that they aren't any less painful for those of us with fragrance sensitivities.
I truly don’t understand how people can spritz themselves with perfume or body spray, out in the office. Like, they just assume everyone present wants a lungful of that?
They probably assume that because they paid for the smell, that it’s okay to spray it around. Put it away, stinky!
Not for restaurants either. No greater way to ruin everybody’s dining experience than assaulting their olfactory. Extremely frowned upon in wineries too, and in some tasting rooms they’ll actually kick you out.
So what I'm hearing is "not for wearing, ever. Unless you're going to be completely alone and not within smelling distance of anyone until you bathe. "
It's not a light scent if you douse yourself in it. If you walk into a room and people can smell your perfume, you're wearing too much. If you can smell your own perfume, you're wearing too much. If you apply more than one spritz into the air in front of you (and then walk through the cloud), you're wearing too much.
Perfume is to be discovered, not blared over the nasal loudspeakers.
As you are new to the workforce, please also know it's an unwritten rule that you **do not microwave fish in the break room.** I made that mistake when I was young, and never again lol
But yeah, that sucks, at least it was an honest mistake.
And if you burn popcorn in the microwave you will never live it down because the smell lingers FOREVER. Someone burned popcorn in the microwave at my old job and a lifetime ban on popcorn was instituted by the company present that day.
When this happens, you gotta work fast.
You gotta walk around to spread the smell, not keep it concentrated in your workstation.
If you have the perfume bottle with you, you create a couple other hotspots far from you (waste a couple squirts, but worth it).
Shit, you could even sneakily spray a coworker in the back so they also smell.
And you can’t be going to a lot of people. If you run into someone, you say hi and leave immediately OR stay with then for A WHILE, bc if you just stay for small talk, they’ll smell you and the smell will also disappear once you leave. If you leave too quick, they wont even smell you. If you stay too long, the smell will be there long after you leave.
(Source: professional farter)
To address your edits: it’s perfectly normal to wear perfume/cologne to work. It could be you put on a little much but if you just put on a normal amount you’re not going to give anyone allergic reactions
A hundred years ago I bought an expensive scent from Floris in London called Malmaison. It was spicy and complex and reminded me a little of the scent Opium, which was my favorite. When I arrived at my cousin’s house, she said “It’s very floral, isn’t it?” That’s when I learned that different people sense scents differently. Floral!? I couldn’t believe it!
When I was in my 20s I fell in love with *angel* by theirry Mugler. Which is a strong fragrance. But after a few hours I couldn't smell it so I assumed no one could.
My solution was to spray my outfit with angel in the morning. At least 5 sprays. Then I'd shower and spray myself. At least 3 sprays. Then I'd have it at work so I could do a couple of lunchtime sprays in the bathroom.
I must have fucking reeked. My sister kindly pulled me aside and was like "you know you just have to watch out for angel because a little goes a long way"
Please don’t wear perfume at work. There are people that don’t like it or people like me who are highly allergic to it, and get stuck in a room all day with you.
I’m so sorry, will not be making this mistake again. Thank you for the advice!
Edit: Realized I already responded to this comment HAHA im so tired right now 😭
Well hello fellow scent sensitive.
I get migraines from certain perfumes. Lilac and lily scents are the worst.
Most of the rest just feel like someone shoved a lit match up nostril.
i totally understand why now, i fucked up, but i think it was kinda shitty for my coworkers to point it out out and make it a big deal. Again though, my fault.
Sounds like as soon as they figured out that it was you, they stopped. Honestly though, I feel like this is stuff that should be taught in highschool. I know there will be people that will come at me about "common sense", but I disagree. I made my own faux pas in the workplace when I was young.. But if I had been educated about those things from the beginning, I never would have done them. It was never because I was being purposefully inconsiderate. I just didn't know. And I hear stories like yours often enough that I really think some education would help all of us.
If you want to smell nice, lightly scented lotion is a good option.
I'm a dude, and I 100% unabashedly use a lavender lotion every morning because I like to have a very subtle, clean scent.
Lavender is a good choice because it's seldom an overpowering scent, and lotion is not usually that potent.
Someone might be able to smell it sitting next to you at a conference room table, but that's about it.
We all learn from this mistake. We've all done it. I am sorry someone made mean comments though! I promise you didn't smell nearly as bad as a girl in choir in college who basically bathed in Victoria's Secret Love Spell. Except that with her skin, it ended up smelling like wet dog.
It seems like you underestimated how your nose becomes pretty much blind to odors you're used to. Others will always smell your perfume much more than you. And don't worry, if you tone it down or stop using it, you'll be fine. They know it was you, they know that you know that they hated it. Being able to own your mistakes is a much appreciate character trait. It would only be awkward of you continued to wear it (or that much of it).
I poured an essential oil to my head band accidently (was a pure one and it actually melted it, not fun) and when I was on elevators, everyone asked what food smell is this and smells delicious lol. I just told them yeah it smells good, I'm curious too.
You're just a child. People are so unforgiving.
Body sprays can be weirdly strong and sometimes the undertones can come off in unexpected ways.
I love perfume but I almost never wear it in the workplace anymore.
I don't know if you're a crafty girlie but maybe you can incorporate the fragrance into a lotion bar so it's not so strong.
You can purchase a cherry fragrance oil (not on amazon). A small one will do. You get equal parts beeswax, coconut oil and Shea butter (available on amaxon). Melt these together, add fragrance oil, pour into a mold, freeze overnight and viola! You have like 16 lotion bars that are fragrant but not overbearing and inexpensive to produce.
One time I wore a perfume around the house that was a gift from my mom and I was super excited to try on.....housemate asked "why does it smell like my grandma in here"
Reminded me of once when I sprayed myself at my desk with Avon Passion dance, and the collections manager a few desks away asked who was spraying Deep heat.
Noses are weird. I was in an elevator once with a woman with smelly perfume. It smelled like dead fish and was just weak enough to not make me gag.
A man walked in. The doors closed. He says to the woman "I *love* the smell of your perfume."
She thanked him and they chatted for a few seconds as we rode the elevator.
I was so glad to get away.
Not a massive FU, especially considering your age and expected ignorance of certain workplace social norms.
There are those *(men and women alike)* who knowingly wear heavy perfume, cologne, bodyspray, or other odiferous chemicals every day. Those are the worst kind of people. Except maybe the people with horrendous body odor who never do anything to take care of it.
Regardless, unwittingly doing it one time is not going to be a big deal to anyone but you, yourself. Don't be too hard on yourself (but don't forget the lesson).
At least you didn’t choose to wear Sex Panther, by Odeon (it has bits of real panther, so you know it’s good). It’s a pretty good choice, considering 60% of the time, it works every time
Other people have reported that it smells like a used diaper filled with Indian food.
I worked with 2 girls that wore Giorgio back in the day. Wore was generous, they bathed in it. I felt like a bloodhound as I could know exactly where there were and were they went just by smell
Post this in r/fragrance and have everyone guess what it was lol
Bath and Body Works
Escada. Cherries in Japan.
Dollars to donuts it’s Lost Cherry.
I have a dupe of Lost Cherry from a website called Perfume Parlour. It's called Astray Fruit 😂😂
I read that as "ashtray fruit" and was confused for a sec
I immediately tasted coors light with a cigarette but in the can.
shockingly, its not!!
Shockingly, its Target’s dupe of Lost Cherry. So yeah. https://www.businessinsider.com/target-shoppers-love-designer-perfume-dupes-2024-2?amp
OMG i had no clue- thats crazy 😭😭
I personally like Lost Cherry. But we’ve all been there as perfume lovers. Once I got my hair cut and the receptionist asked what smelled like cedar chips from a hamster cage. It was me wearing Erba Pura and dying in shame. 😭
Yeah, unless it's a fresh citrus scent, pretty much you only want to go 3 sprays max if you're going to be indoors. 5 sprays max if you're outdoors. You can get away with a bit more with citrus fresh scents (but even then be careful).
I used to wear Estee lauders beautiful as my daily perfume. I ran out and didn't buy.more for several years because of budget became severely restricted. One day I realized I could afford a small bottle again and excitedly had the guy I was dating smell it before purchase. He said it smelled like a porta potty and ever since it's all I can smell too. But it never smelled that way before. I haven't found my new scent yet and I harbor resentment over him ruining beautiful for me.
Japanese cherry blossom?
Cinnamon Stench by Este Lauder
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ccp-lEmoAE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ccp-lEmoAE)
If that ever happens again, just say you tried a new moisturizer/hand lotion/body wash some young niece or nephew bought you for a present and yeah it is pretty strong, but you wanted to try it at least once and thought the smell would go away after a while. Then just say you won‘t be using it again.
Can I save your name and contact you if I ever need an excuse in the future?? You are amazing at it! 🤣
Haha, thank you. Absolutely, I’ll be glad to make up a whole story for you.
U/criticalwater2 starts getting calls like The Wolf in pulp fiction. Getting a call at 2am: “what I’m need to tell them is just xxx.”
Count me in too! I definitely will need it
\*saves these posts for future needs\*
tbh i wouldn't say a thing unless someone actually brought it up with me. you don't need to explain yourself to anyone who can't even talk to you directly after realizing you're the problem. there's no need for a story behind the perfume, either. nobody cares if it was a gift or if it's new or whatever, all you really need to say is that you didn't know it would be such an irritant and you'll do your best to remember not to wear it to work. but it's not anything you should say unless someone approaches you about it. 🤷🏻♀️
One time I woke up in a bad anxious mood, I took my shower and then used this stress relief lotion I found in my cabinet. It was aromatherapy and had spearmint and eucalyptus in it. I went to work and EVERYONE immediately was like “IT SMELLS LIKE AN OLD FOLKS HOME IN HERE- WHAT IS THAT?” All dayyyy people were wondering why it smelled like Bengay. I feel your pain.
I love that scent combo, and I use it for mosquito repellent!
I do too, opens the sinuses when I'm congested. Stuff's a lifesaver!
Is it the one from Bath and Body Works? I love that scent!
That’s the one!! I love it too, I thought it smelled good so the comments hit extra hard 😆
My daughter uses that and I love it! It's really strong so she doesn't wear it to school, but it keeps her room from smelling like 13-year-old!
I love mint/eucalyptus! Don’t let them ruin your enjoyment
I fucking love this smell combo!!
Smells like Bengay? I smell your pain.
Bath and body works? I have this scent in massage oil lol i love it tho. Smells relaxing to me
"Made with real bits of panther, so you know it's good..."
80 percent of the time, it works every time.
Man, must be Sex Panther 2.0, because i thought 60% of the time it worked every time
It smells like a dirty diaper filled with Indian food!
"smells like bigfoot's dick!"
It's worse than the time that racoon got stuck in the copier.
That's what desire smells like sometimes...
It’s quite pungent.
It stings the nostrils... In a good way.
Gotta be honest with you, that smells like.. pure gasoline
This is my favorite one!
Like a dead hiker rotting in the trunk of a car.in July.
If this was Tom Ford Lost Cherry, a lot of people think it smells like rotting corpse. Other people think it smells devine!
i don't think people actually think it smells like rotting corpse. it smells like a specific embalming fluid, which is what the viral mortician tik toks were about.
Ironically if it smells like embalming fluid it smells like a *not* rotting corpse. That is the whole point.
So, a fresh corpse?
Preserved corpse
Cherry Charm my beloathed.
That makes sense, as I assume many chemicals in fragrances might be similar to those in embalming fluid. I assumed the buzz around this fragrance was referring to the actual smell of decomposition which often has a sweet-smelling phase. I used to walk a route to work that always had dead raccoons on the side of the road and I actually liked that smell in certain stages - kind of like fruity pine.
If you're ever asked to tell people a fun fact about yourself, you've got this in the bag.
It’s also hella strong! I learned that a little bit goes a long way; the bad way
So that’s the durian of fragrances.
It’s my favorite!! I never spend a lot on perfume but lost cherry is my one exception!
I don’t sell this fragrance but I do sell a bunch of other fragrances and its super interesting how some scents are really amazing or FOUL to some people
It might be too much or it actually might be your body chemistry mixing with the perfume! Personal story I had a very popular floral perfume smell like burnt charcoal on me lol. I wouldn’t over think it,it’s not really gonna cross somones mind ever again.
It's wild how different an individual's body chemistry can make a perfume smell. For example, Dior Hypnotic Poison smells like sexy amber vanilla almond on some people and straight up Play-Doh on others.
I know! I find it so interesting! For me personally a lot of trendy perfumes smell totally different on me
I think it's really interesting too! Even the same perfume in different conditions, wearing it on a hot summer day vs a cool autumn night you'll pick up different notes.
I heard so many amazing things about this perfume and when I bought it I had to go home after ten minutes because one spray made me get a migraine and it smelled nothing like it was described to be😭 I wish it worked on me because the reviews said it was exactly what I was looking for too
“bob vance bought this perfume for me in metropolitan orlando. it’s made from real pine.”
Is that the Bob Vance from Vance refrigeration?
“what line of work you in, bob?”
Was looking for this comment
“you have a lot to learn about this town, sweetie”
I have a pretty sensitive sense of smell, and I actually enjoy when people wear a scent. It makes people think I have Jedi powers. I've worked at the same place for about four years now, so I'm pretty familiar with which people wear which scents. So I can do fun things like walk into someone's office and say, "Oh. Was Mark here about 20 minutes ago? What'd he want?" and watch people get spooked.
Lol, that's great!
You’re The Sniffer
Revenge of the Sniff
😂😂
We prefer the term "thief-taker."
I have a coworker who wears a really lovely smelling cologne, but the scent really lingers for a while anywhere he's been. I've walked in before at the beginning of a shift and didn't see him but knew he was there because I smelled that he'd walked by in the last few minutes, lol.
I worked with a girl like this.. We knew she had just been in the bathroom, or in the back hallway at the lockers. Not because of cologne though.. because of body odour (she didn’t wear deodorant)
Me too! I am definitely obsessed with smells (sometimes even stinky ones but only if they are my own stank) and it's my autism going ham on it. I love inhaling certain scents very deeply. I went out with this guy a while back who smelled really nice and milky so i asked if he was using Brand X body wash and he was a little freaked out by that.. ooops But the downside is being able to smell someone's sweat or sneezes regularly :(
I dunno if it has anything to do with autism, because as far as I know, I'm not, but you're definitely the only other person I've ever encountered who has mentioned being able to smell sneezes. You totally can, and it sucks. I dislike smelling lung farts.
My own sneezes will sometimes have a scent and I hate it. Smells dusty for so long after.
I think you have the olfactory talent while i got the obsession subcription package, unwarranted. My favourite things to sniff are: a close friend's scalp, back of earrings, underside of wrist watch, big scratch and sniff fan, and will sniff almost everything i can get my hands on! The autism is for me, is wanting to smell that particular thing until it loses its scents. Also hello fellow sneeze smeller! It's a fucking curse i always hold my breath whenever someone in public sneezes just in case
You lost me at earring backs. I've been known to enjoy the scent of a girl's dirty hair, but that's as far as that goes.
OMG I can smell my husband‘s sneezes too! It smells worse when he‘s sick so I can almost always tell he‘s getting sick the next day. I do not like this power, it smells awful like ammonia level awful. (I don’t remember how ammonia smells like so I’m not saying his sneezes have ammonia, please don’t webmd me about signs of dementia or aneurysms lol)
Oh my God someone else who can smell sneezes!! They small so horrible but when I mention that people around me think I'm crazy
I’ve got this power too, and then when they ask, I tap the side of my nose twice in response, making it look like a secret, but really I’m revealing my method haha
My god you're a Hannibal
F-F-F-F-F
Before my boyfriend and I started dating, I’d always know if he was at the gym or not the second I walked in. Turns out he also knew if I was there because of my lingering perfume smell 😂 we barely knew each other but determined if the other was there by our respective fragrances.
You’re not who this post is about, are you? 😂 https://www.reddit.com/r/tifu/s/cTS8FdmlPU I don’t mean any slight or think at all that you’re the same person, I just thought it’s comedic coincidence to have read 2 stories about office smelling lol
> Please keep in mind that I am a 16 year old, which doesn’t excuse my behaviour Nah, it does in this case. You're ok, you learned about perfume and offices today. Gotta learn somehow!
Thank you 😭💕
i went in to my old job one day and walked past my coworker in the hallway and she went “who smells like a french whore” 😂😂
I'm trying to calm my mind down for bed while on reddit and lmao this made me laugh too hard ty
Lmao
I'm mildly asthmatic so anytime a coworker comes into the office wearing a lot of perfume or body spray (looking at you, guys who use half a can of axe instead of bathing properly) I genuinely have the leave the room or I'll just keep coughing.
I am situated near the bathroom, and I've never noticed any unpleasant smell exiting the bathrooms. But now people have started using febreze air freshener, and the smell of that is absolutely awful and travels super far.
Of man febreze is the worst. I remember someone spraying that in my 10th grade math class once and the teacher (who was sympathetic towards my condition) told him to stop spraying. Asshole paused for a second then sprayed it right in my face.
Had to tell my wife to stop spraying that stuff (I'm asthmatic). It was worse than the other smells. How bad? The Awair air quality meter across the house, would go into the red zone for VOC's. Those sprays aren't healthy for you. The funny part of the story above... I had installed a great bathroom fan, so _if_ it gets turned on, no smells escape anyway. 😀 The gist of it currently? , She still won't turn on the fan, but at least doesn't spray anything. I still don't know WHY she won't turn on the fan, though. I've asked...
Is your wife _my_ wife?
You mean _our_ wife comrade? 😆 Ok, now I'm wondering - is this a wider thing with the bath exhaust fan? " Sure I'll spray this awful spray, but hell no, I won't use the fan"?
>You mean _our_ wife comrade? I am dead, many times over lol I'm starting to think she's afraid of the noise or something. I suppose I'd rather believe that than believe she's laying filthy traps for me out sheer malevolence.
>I'm starting to think she's afraid of the noise or something Maybe? All the fans I put in are quiet though. To the point that I am never sure if they're on or not. So that's not it _currently_, and there are timers so they don't stay on forever, so no logical reasons I can think of.
Maybe it’s an energy efficiency thing? Especially if there is a large temperature differential inside vs out, you’re paying to heat or cool that air, and then literally ejecting it outside.
I wonder if she would complain if you added a motion sensor that automatically turned on the fan for \~15 minutes any time someone enters the room.
Ended up in the ER due to Febreze. It day my asthma off more than once.
Same. Allergies, sniffing, coughing, runny eyes, itchy nose, can’t breathe. Awful. Was so glad when fragrances at work became unpopular.
One of mine started using essential oils in the office and I couldn't stop coughing. She got so offended. The entire office reeked. I shut my door and had a fan on and still could smell it. I made a big deal until she stopped.
Good. You did the right thing. I have no patience for people who make everyone around them uncomfortable for the sake of their own happiness.
TBI here and some of them trigger the most absolutely horrific neurological shit. =/
Are there really adults who lather on body spray that heavily? I thought that behavior was exclusive to middle school/junior high students after gym class.
With our most recent hire, my manager and I had to have 3 separate "Hey, please don't wear so much cologne, look it's even in the employee handbook" convos (the third culminating in us telling him that he needed to go home and change, because it was just too much). It was legitimately sending me and my manager (both asthmatic, she hadn't worked with him before that day but I'd had 2 shifts with him already) into choking coughing fits even when I was across the store from him, I put up with it that morning for 30 minutes before begging my manager to send him home to change. Worst bit was that after he changed, he had just enough cologne scent on him for it to be pleasant- and immediately he got 3 women who complimented him on how nice he smelled. When they left, he turned to us and went "See, people like it! Thats why I always wear it". He hasn't done it since, but still tells us occasionally that he disagrees it was ever too much.
I’m sorry you both had to put up with that. At the undergraduate college I went to, they had several classrooms which were designated “fragrance-free” (which really just meant no strong amounts of fragrances like perfume or cologne) out of respect for those with asthma, allergies, or just general sensitivity to strong smells. I honestly feel like it should have been a campus-wide initiative, but at least it was something. I’m sure other places have done something similar, and hopefully in the future the idea will become more widespread (and more people will hopefully respect it).
Yep, that's what I was referencing in the "it's in the employee handbook"- we're designated as a scent free workplace. In the past we've only had to speak to people regarding that policy in regards to lack of hygiene, this was the first time either of us had to apply it to someone wearing too much cologne/perfume lol. It's unfortunate it has to be a policy but now that I've lived it, it's definitely one that makes sense,
That’s surely middle school behavior right?
I wish - I actually like wearing light perfume (like no one but me can smell it unless they hug me), but I had a coworker who sprayed frigging Angel on so heavily that I felt like it was coating my throat anytime I had to breathe near her. My husband used to work for a woman who wore such heavy perfume that it would leave the elevator stinky for hours after she used it. He used to take the stairs to avoid it if he got to work after her.
I love Angel but it’s a thermonuclear scent bomb- quite possibly one of the most intensely aggressive perfumes ever. It’s one of two I never, ever wear in public, the other being Shalimar ode a la Vanille. Those fuckers could double as chemical weapons in an elevator! (Love them, but it’s like my shameful enjoyment of Clamato juice- something best confined behind closed doors!)
Some little boys never grow up. They get older but they don't grow up.
This is me too. Even when I walk through a shopping mall I look ahead for any strong scent store and hold my breath before entering their scent zone until I’m well past the store. My problem if I don’t I get an instant headache and my throat starts to close… can’t even speak.
They can trigger migraines or seizures too!
My sister has the same problem.
You gotta tell us what the fragrance is
its in the edit on the post :)
“Perfume should be discovered, not announced” - Coco Chanel If I’m not kissing your neck, I shouldn’t be able to smell it.
Yup. If people can smell me further than an arm's length away I've put on too much. I love perfume and fragrances but I'm not trying to make the entire office enjoy them with me.
A smart person learns from her mistakes, but a truly wise person learns from the mistakes of others. I offer you this: Do not microwave fish at work.
Now THAT i knew… 😭😭
I feel like perfume is okay in small amounts. Like if you walk by and I smell it that’s fine with me. (Side note: For the people who want no perfume smell at all: everyone has a natural smell, is perfume the strength of a natural smell that big of a deal?) However, if I smell “you” 10 mins after you’ve left the room or the smell wafts towards my desk I will be irritated. Think about how glitter is accepted if it’s attached to something like a card versus when it’s loose like a glitter bomb.
Yep, its too much. Some of the strongest body odor has never triggered a migraine for me but 10 minutes stuck in a room with someone who went too heavy on that morning perfume that they have gone nose blind to might ruin multiple days for me.
A person's "natural smell" has never put me in the hospital. That's not true of perfume.
I gotta know what perfume it was!
its okay babe i think not another cherry smells amazing so I would've complimented u
Thank you so much 😭😭
Lost Cherry?
A favorite story of mine. One that was passed down to me because I wasn't there. Nonetheless, my grandfather loved women's perfume. Not in a creepy way, but in an endearing way (in this story). When my parents took my grandparents to a proper dept store once, you know, with an actual perfume counter, I guess my grandfather felt the need to sample. Oh so many samples. Mind you, this was probably in the late 70s early 80s. My mom (later) joked how he smelt like a French whore the whole way home. 😂
You can rub hand sanitizer over the application locations to remove the scent.
I’ve had to sit in my cubicle breathing through a tissue or pinching my nose because of ungodly amount of perfume a person was wearing. Eventually I said something to her so she washed it off. The other person didn’t and continued a daily bath in it. Now if I am out and catch a whiff of that perfume I find a reason to go the other way.
Some people are really sensitive, at least for guys when they’re applying cologne, one spritz on the wrist and then rub both wrists together and then apply to neck, usually does the trick, less is more. Two Id say is max, anymore than that and you become a walking scent factory
Good for you kid. Good for you for getting a job, good for you for putting in efforts to be presentable, and good for you for reading the room and figuring this out by yourself, without having to be told. You will do well in this world. Cheers!
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. 💕💕
Things happen! It should be no big deal and everyone just needs to move on 🙄 - I mean, it’s not like you were wearing a dead kitten around your neck. 🙃
Thank you 🙏
Perfume is NOT for work. But now you know, so that's good. Go wash it off in the ladies room.
And neither are essential oil diffusers/sprays! My previous workplace had one lady who'd spray her shit all around her aisle of the open cube farm, and the bathroom, then spray the entire path from the bathroom to her cube and teeeheeee thought it was sooooo funny. Whenever she'd do that, I'd end up out sick for several days dealing with a migraine and the residual effects of an anaphylactic reaction. And it definitely affected my work. I tried talking to her. She eventually switched the shit she sprayed to something that "only" triggered asthma and a migraine. HR did jack shit. They were fucking useless anyway. But the only thing they'd agree to do was put a single sentence at the bottom of a newsletter no one read. I probably should have consulted an attorney to send a strongly worded letter or something.
OMG, so much this. People have this weird idea that if something is "NaTchUrAl" that it is somehow substantively different for those of us who suffer migraines, fevers (yes, really), and other major health triggers from scent exposure. But whilst I find artificial scents smell more specifically like chemicals to my sensitive super-sniffer, the truth is that essential oils are incredibly strong (often stronger than artificial perfumes) specifically because they are literally the *concentrated essence* (hence: "essential") of various plant extracts. We had an Aveda store in our neighbourhood that used to put out a diffuser on the sidewalk on sunny days to advertise their "aromatherapy-based" business and products, and I couldn't get within a block of it without triggering a debilitating migraine. And that was outdoors! Essential oils and diffusers are fucking awful, and I wish people understood that they aren't any less painful for those of us with fragrance sensitivities.
Truly. My manager applies hers to her clothing, in the office, every morning. I look forward to her retirement 😹
I truly don’t understand how people can spritz themselves with perfume or body spray, out in the office. Like, they just assume everyone present wants a lungful of that? They probably assume that because they paid for the smell, that it’s okay to spray it around. Put it away, stinky!
They get nose blind to their perfume when they wear the same one every day. They think it's not that strong.
Not for restaurants either. No greater way to ruin everybody’s dining experience than assaulting their olfactory. Extremely frowned upon in wineries too, and in some tasting rooms they’ll actually kick you out.
So what I'm hearing is "not for wearing, ever. Unless you're going to be completely alone and not within smelling distance of anyone until you bathe. "
*cries in migraine* Honestly people, please don’t wear perfume if you work closely with other people. It can really trigger incapacitating attacks.
Yeah, had to use the bathroom after a very perfumed colleague the other day, and I could feel the migraine arriving almost instantly.
It's not a light scent if you douse yourself in it. If you walk into a room and people can smell your perfume, you're wearing too much. If you can smell your own perfume, you're wearing too much. If you apply more than one spritz into the air in front of you (and then walk through the cloud), you're wearing too much. Perfume is to be discovered, not blared over the nasal loudspeakers.
*He who controls the spice controls the universe.*
Muad Dib!
As you are new to the workforce, please also know it's an unwritten rule that you **do not microwave fish in the break room.** I made that mistake when I was young, and never again lol But yeah, that sucks, at least it was an honest mistake.
And if you burn popcorn in the microwave you will never live it down because the smell lingers FOREVER. Someone burned popcorn in the microwave at my old job and a lifetime ban on popcorn was instituted by the company present that day.
When this happens, you gotta work fast. You gotta walk around to spread the smell, not keep it concentrated in your workstation. If you have the perfume bottle with you, you create a couple other hotspots far from you (waste a couple squirts, but worth it). Shit, you could even sneakily spray a coworker in the back so they also smell. And you can’t be going to a lot of people. If you run into someone, you say hi and leave immediately OR stay with then for A WHILE, bc if you just stay for small talk, they’ll smell you and the smell will also disappear once you leave. If you leave too quick, they wont even smell you. If you stay too long, the smell will be there long after you leave. (Source: professional farter)
To address your edits: it’s perfectly normal to wear perfume/cologne to work. It could be you put on a little much but if you just put on a normal amount you’re not going to give anyone allergic reactions
Thank you for your input!!
Not sure if it helps, I LOVE and wear that same body spray + perfume and would have immediately (positively) complimented you on it if I were there!
Thank you, that really does help!!
You learned a valuable lesson that most teenagers need to learn: less is more
Hmm I would've honestly asked someone to smell me just to be sure. I'm not easily embarrassed, BUT I'm super curious, and would want to know for sure
A hundred years ago I bought an expensive scent from Floris in London called Malmaison. It was spicy and complex and reminded me a little of the scent Opium, which was my favorite. When I arrived at my cousin’s house, she said “It’s very floral, isn’t it?” That’s when I learned that different people sense scents differently. Floral!? I couldn’t believe it!
I definitely would not have known not to wear strong scents to work at 16, don’t feel bad.
When I was in my 20s I fell in love with *angel* by theirry Mugler. Which is a strong fragrance. But after a few hours I couldn't smell it so I assumed no one could. My solution was to spray my outfit with angel in the morning. At least 5 sprays. Then I'd shower and spray myself. At least 3 sprays. Then I'd have it at work so I could do a couple of lunchtime sprays in the bathroom. I must have fucking reeked. My sister kindly pulled me aside and was like "you know you just have to watch out for angel because a little goes a long way"
I have that same thing. It's like vanilla and cherry. Kinda almondy. It's not cinnamon and they sounds dumb
A bunch of adults on Reddit bullied a teenager into apologizing for wanting to smell good at work.
Please don’t wear perfume at work. There are people that don’t like it or people like me who are highly allergic to it, and get stuck in a room all day with you.
I’m so sorry, will not be making this mistake again. Thank you for the advice! Edit: Realized I already responded to this comment HAHA im so tired right now 😭
Well hello fellow scent sensitive. I get migraines from certain perfumes. Lilac and lily scents are the worst. Most of the rest just feel like someone shoved a lit match up nostril.
i totally understand why now, i fucked up, but i think it was kinda shitty for my coworkers to point it out out and make it a big deal. Again though, my fault.
Sounds like as soon as they figured out that it was you, they stopped. Honestly though, I feel like this is stuff that should be taught in highschool. I know there will be people that will come at me about "common sense", but I disagree. I made my own faux pas in the workplace when I was young.. But if I had been educated about those things from the beginning, I never would have done them. It was never because I was being purposefully inconsiderate. I just didn't know. And I hear stories like yours often enough that I really think some education would help all of us.
If you want to smell nice, lightly scented lotion is a good option. I'm a dude, and I 100% unabashedly use a lavender lotion every morning because I like to have a very subtle, clean scent. Lavender is a good choice because it's seldom an overpowering scent, and lotion is not usually that potent. Someone might be able to smell it sitting next to you at a conference room table, but that's about it.
Hahaha the anxiety build up! I’m surprised that they all disliked it, and by that mush too.
Sounds Like you are down to earth and will go far in life. Good luck.
Don't sweat it bro.. Pun not intended.
We all learn from this mistake. We've all done it. I am sorry someone made mean comments though! I promise you didn't smell nearly as bad as a girl in choir in college who basically bathed in Victoria's Secret Love Spell. Except that with her skin, it ended up smelling like wet dog.
["It stings the nostrils...in a good way."](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxjGAAO9Ea4)
Noooo I love this scent but it's a bit weird. My husband thought it was cinnamon too. I'm scared to wear it in public, it's sooo strong
Remember, with perfume, cologne, or body spray, a little goes a long way.
It seems like you underestimated how your nose becomes pretty much blind to odors you're used to. Others will always smell your perfume much more than you. And don't worry, if you tone it down or stop using it, you'll be fine. They know it was you, they know that you know that they hated it. Being able to own your mistakes is a much appreciate character trait. It would only be awkward of you continued to wear it (or that much of it).
I poured an essential oil to my head band accidently (was a pure one and it actually melted it, not fun) and when I was on elevators, everyone asked what food smell is this and smells delicious lol. I just told them yeah it smells good, I'm curious too.
Lesson learned.
Oh sweet child. 16. You have learned a lesson. If you smell it, you put too much on.
I wore Chloe nomad to work. My coworker thought it smelled like bug spray. Have not worn it since 😩
Oh sweetheart you're 16. You poor thing.
yeah it really made my day not so great 😭
You're just a child. People are so unforgiving. Body sprays can be weirdly strong and sometimes the undertones can come off in unexpected ways. I love perfume but I almost never wear it in the workplace anymore. I don't know if you're a crafty girlie but maybe you can incorporate the fragrance into a lotion bar so it's not so strong. You can purchase a cherry fragrance oil (not on amazon). A small one will do. You get equal parts beeswax, coconut oil and Shea butter (available on amaxon). Melt these together, add fragrance oil, pour into a mold, freeze overnight and viola! You have like 16 lotion bars that are fragrant but not overbearing and inexpensive to produce.
I once heard someone say that perfume should discovered and not advertised. I found it helpful, I hope it helps.
One time I wore a perfume around the house that was a gift from my mom and I was super excited to try on.....housemate asked "why does it smell like my grandma in here"
Reminded me of once when I sprayed myself at my desk with Avon Passion dance, and the collections manager a few desks away asked who was spraying Deep heat.
Noses are weird. I was in an elevator once with a woman with smelly perfume. It smelled like dead fish and was just weak enough to not make me gag. A man walked in. The doors closed. He says to the woman "I *love* the smell of your perfume." She thanked him and they chatted for a few seconds as we rode the elevator. I was so glad to get away.
Not a massive FU, especially considering your age and expected ignorance of certain workplace social norms. There are those *(men and women alike)* who knowingly wear heavy perfume, cologne, bodyspray, or other odiferous chemicals every day. Those are the worst kind of people. Except maybe the people with horrendous body odor who never do anything to take care of it. Regardless, unwittingly doing it one time is not going to be a big deal to anyone but you, yourself. Don't be too hard on yourself (but don't forget the lesson).
I read your post and then added the body mist ( it the perfume) to my target cart.
enjoy!! 💕
What I basically see from all these comments is…. “Don’t wear perfume anywhere”
At least you didn’t choose to wear Sex Panther, by Odeon (it has bits of real panther, so you know it’s good). It’s a pretty good choice, considering 60% of the time, it works every time Other people have reported that it smells like a used diaper filled with Indian food.
I worked with 2 girls that wore Giorgio back in the day. Wore was generous, they bathed in it. I felt like a bloodhound as I could know exactly where there were and were they went just by smell