# Fragrances you just cannot stand..whats yours?



## Jstar (Apr 25, 2015)

Mine would have to be patch....my mother ordered some of it and insisted I make some soap with it...once I did, its 'everywhere'..I can smell it all over the house...Idk what it is about it, but I just cannot handle it.

Anyone else have a FO/EO they just cannot stand to be around?


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## IrishLass (Apr 25, 2015)

Patchouli for me, too. For whatever reason, I have a severe dislike for it.


IrishLass


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## galaxyMLP (Apr 25, 2015)

For me, its anything with the cheap flowery smell. I can't stand it. I don't exactly know what its called but its that overpowering flowery smell. Patchouli is ok for me but I don't LOVEEE it.


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## fuzz-juzz (Apr 25, 2015)

Any FO that's too floral, like rose, honeysuckle, etc. Last one that's put me off was honeysuckle from NG.
Pretty much most of the men's FOs - I don't even know what bothers me in them, but most of them smell like cheap men's perfume. Binned few batches made with Bay rum, etc. Just couldn't stand it or couldn't stand husband smelling like it haha.
Lavender - smells like toilet spray to me
BB Energy -makes me nauseous, it's just yuck. Binned a whole batch made with this FO, family liked it, but I just couldn't have it around. Strangely, Kumquat is similar as it's also fruity FO but I adore it, it's one of my faves.
Any FO with predominantly melon, cucumber or watermelon in it, can't stand it. Binned a whole batch made with cucumber, melon FO. It was vile.


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## Aline (Apr 25, 2015)

Fresh Snow from BrambleBerry. I tried adding lavender and eucalyptus but the nasty stuff overpowers everything!


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## Susie (Apr 25, 2015)

Patchouli and jasmine. 

Patchouli literally makes me nauseated, and jasmine smells like cat urine.

I really am not fond of most floral scents, but not to the extent of patchouli and jasmine.


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## PinkCupcake (Apr 25, 2015)

I don't like powdery scents. They smell old ladyish to me.


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## Obsidian (Apr 25, 2015)

Aline said:


> Fresh Snow from BrambleBerry. I tried adding lavender and eucalyptus but the nasty stuff overpowers everything! Anyone want to buy some?!



Thats funny, I just got fresh snow and I think it smells great. I really don't like bay rum, just smells eww. Not a huge fan of bakery smells like cookies/cakes.


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## Trix (Apr 25, 2015)

Mine would be most "chocolate" scents...as much as I love eating is as much as I hate smelling it as it always ends up being to over powering and sickening to me.


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## houseofwool (Apr 25, 2015)

Lavender. I really dislike it alone, but it is one of my more popular scents.


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## shunt2011 (Apr 25, 2015)

Florals. Don't like them. Make them but make my allergies go nuts.


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## navigator9 (Apr 25, 2015)

Anything with "blue" or "water" in the description. Don't know why, but I do remember the first time I smelled something like that was in a men's cologne, and it was awful, just awful.


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## lionprincess00 (Apr 25, 2015)

Sandalwood cybilla from bb is my all time worst fo ever. It smells like baby powder and nothing woodsy at all!


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## snappyllama (Apr 25, 2015)

Florals/very perfumey scents literally give me migraines. I'm that woman sprinting through department store entrances while holding my breath. Even straight lavendar is a problem (though I'm okay with blends). 

So far, my biggest disappointment in an FO has got to be BB Realistic Cranberry. It smells like a bad gas station car deodorizer. OOB it's straight sour and chemical. Blech.


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## hmlove1218 (Apr 25, 2015)

"Old lady" smells like most florals or powdery smells. They remind me of funeral homes. I'm slowly learning to tolerate rose though


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## newbie (Apr 25, 2015)

Another for Fresh Snow. The first time I made it, I just couldn't stand it and gelling made it worse- it got hot and that increased the smell. There are fragrances I don't like (like the realistic cranberry- it is so strange, and Energy) but they don't get to me viscerally like Fresh Snow does.


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## not_ally (Apr 25, 2015)

Right now am hating jasmine.  I used to be OK w/it but my mom loves it, is going back to India for a trip, and wants a bunch of it for her family.  In MP - her favorite, she thinks it is prettier, but somehow scenting it is worse.  Plus she wants me to put in as much as possible.  It gives me a headache to smell it now, even walking by a heavily scented vine, which I used to love.

I used to hate patchouli and rose but am coming to like some of them through soapmaking.

Like many men's fragrances (am definitely a green/unisex type fan) but hate bay rum as well.  Have never added lime though, that is supposed to help a lot.


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## KristaY (Apr 25, 2015)

It's so interesting how different people are when it comes to personal taste in scent. It's just like food I guess. I happen to love BB Fresh Snow and so do many people I've made it for. I also love patchouli straight or blended.

My absolute worst FO was BB's Ancient Sedona. Something in it makes me nauseous, even when blended. For those that have used it in the shower, they love the scent throw in the steam. I haven't allowed my hubby to use it even though he liked it, lol. 

I do agree with others that don't like BB's Energy. There's just nothing in it that endears me to it, even blended.


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## not_ally (Apr 25, 2015)

I think BB's Energy is one of those FOs that you really love or just don't.  I don't, it seems to be a fairly undistinguished citrus blend which is not that pleasant.  But the lovers are fanatics, and allegedly it sticks forever.  But I do love a handful of the other BB scents, though (I think they are good quality so long as you like the fragrance.)  It is strange how much we all differ, you would think there would some unifying factor for those of us who use scents a lot, but that is definitely not the case.  Just as well, it makes it more interesting!


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## newbie (Apr 25, 2015)

Your post made me laugh, Krista. Ancient Sedona is one of my all time favorites!!


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## not_ally (Apr 25, 2015)

Newbie, have yet to try Ancient Sedona but love BB's Cedar Saffron and Mayan Gold, which seem like they fall into the same fragrance family.  Those are the scents that converted me to vanilla notes in fragrances.  Is Ancient Sedona similar, do you know?


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## KristaY (Apr 25, 2015)

newbie said:


> Your post made me laugh, Krista. Ancient Sedona is one of my all time favorites!!


 
Too funny newbie! Not only did it make me nauseous, it made me angry. Seriously, angry. I've never had a scent do that to me before! That's why I didn't let my hubby use it, I probably would have slugged him! I know it's a unique reaction though as everyone else that's used it has really liked it. On my 2nd batch I added patch to see if it helped. Again, everyone else liked it except me. As not_ally said, it makes more interesting!



not_ally said:


> Newbie, have yet to try Ancient Sedona but love BB's Cedar Saffron and Mayan Gold, which seem like they fall into the same fragrance family. Those are the scents that converted me to vanilla notes in fragrances. Is Ancient Sedona similar, do you know?


 
I'm not newbie nor the best one to answer this but they aren't close to me. I absolutely LOVE Mayan Gold, it's one of my top faves. Lets see what newbie thinks (if she's tried them both) since she's the Ancient Sedona lover and I'm....not, lol!:roll:


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## jesfayven (Apr 25, 2015)

Aline I can't believe you hate fresh snow!!!!!
I  it! Everybody who tries it loves it too! 
It's amazing how everyone's taste is different 
I hate lavender


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## bodybym (Apr 25, 2015)

I hate patch, also most florals (I loved them before I got pregnant with my son, after that can't stand most - lavender is OK), and anything that is sticky sweet. 

I still soap with them because customers love them, I just have to shower and change cloths after I make them because I hate the smell so much.


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## cmzaha (Apr 25, 2015)

If it sells I love it!!


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## lionprincess00 (Apr 25, 2015)

Carolyn lol, you are so right! Funny. I like fresh snow, don't love and definitely don't hate it. My oldest kid loves it. I found I used to hate the hippy dippy patch, well, until I bought some and started soaaping with it. Love it!!!!!!
I also thought I hated lavender, until I found lavender febreeze (before I made my own room spray) and now am on the look out for lavender fo. I do love bb lavender forest. One of my all time favorite scents hands down!!

I hated the figs I bought from various places. I figured I hated fig. well my dad had me try this cologne called pulp, which is predominantly fig. Oh em gee it's Devine!! So now I'm looking for a fig I like. 

The fo's are so personal. The one thing I take from it is don't judge a vendor by their scents. If they have good reviews and are well known, it isn't their poor scents necessarily you are hating. It's a personal thing that isn't really the vendors fault. I did find I disliked several cybilla scents, but if I have a little money to blow I'm willing to give them another (third)try and see if I like it.


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## IrishLass (Apr 25, 2015)

lionprincess00 said:


> The fo's are so personal. The one thing I take from it is don't judge a vendor by their scents. If they have good reviews and are well known, it isn't their poor scents necessarily you are hating. It's a personal thing that isn't really the vendors fault.


 
Well spoken^^^! 


IrishLass


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## Jstar (Apr 25, 2015)

Lavender....thats my 2nd least fave..but I can handle that before patch....guh

Im totally amazed at the different scents we dislike {or agree on lol..figured my head would be on a pike for saying I couldn't stand patch}

I told my mom the other day that when browsing in markets or in consignment stores and I come across homemade soaps, I instantly pick them up to smell, and they ALL seem to have patch in them..Im like..what tha?


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## Obsidian (Apr 25, 2015)

I love patch so much but have been unable to soap with it. Hubby hates it with a passion but I may break down and make a batch outside so he doesn't have to smell it lol.


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## lpstephy85 (Apr 25, 2015)

I hate Tea Tree. My hubby's buddy loves tea tree and peppermint (which I am also not a fan of) and wants candles, and lotions, and soaps in this scent blend. It's nauseating to me. 

There was also WSP Orange Cranberry FO and when soaped it smells like vomit to me and the hubby also picked that up as well.


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## Relle (Apr 26, 2015)

Mine would be Dragons Blood - gives me a headache and the smell goes through everything.


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## PuddinAndPeanuts (Apr 26, 2015)

Patchouli.  Hate it.  Passionately.  The thing is, I KNOW I could sell a boatload of patchouli scented body butter.  I'd rather be so poor I can only afford to eat plain beans- in the dark- than be rich, but have to smell that nasty stuff all the time.


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## jules92207 (Apr 26, 2015)

I dislike florals. Pretty much all of them. Essential oils like lavender are fine, to me they are more herby, but every floral fragrance oil I've tried made me want to gag. Exception was the rose cake Ellacho made in our showcase swap, that one smelled lovely. 

Also if an ocean or green scent has a big floral throw I don't like them, like Brambleberry's Kentish Rain or WSP's Beach. Too floral for my taste.

Edited to correct - Ellacho made the beautiful and lovely smelling rose soap, TVivian made the beautiful embed soap with my favorite fragrance from Daystar. Forgive me.


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## lillybella (Apr 26, 2015)

I never understood how people liked Lavender, but after I smelled really good Lavender Essential Oil, I love it!


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## not_ally (Apr 26, 2015)

PuddinNPeanuts, your post made me laugh, I was imagining you chained up in a dungeon saying "ANYTHING BUT PATCHOULI!"  Although I kind of get it, I am feeling that way about a couple of scents right now


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## newbie (Apr 26, 2015)

Not Ally, I don't think of Ancient Sedona as a vanilla scent at all. There is a floral component but it doesn't smell like a typical floral. PM me and I will send you a sample of it and you can see what you think. I wonder what in it made you so angry, Krista?!?! I tell you, the power of scent is pretty amazing.

I hate lavender but I have lots of people ask me to make them some. If I'm downstairs sniffing bars and I think,"Gah!! What the hell is that?", my next thought is generally, "oh yeah, it must be lavender." I don't get it at all. I don't mind dragon's blood but lately, every single one smells like root beer to me.

After being pregnant I can't go on swings or fair rides without getting pretty nauseated, which I've heard pretty frequently, but I hadn't heard of how you like a smell changing like that. WEll, generally the kids are worth the changes, I guess.


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## dwolanin (Apr 27, 2015)

Patchouli and ylang ylang. Yuck


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## jules92207 (Apr 27, 2015)

I have to say that I don't love Ancient Sedona. Something about seems...off. Its not a horrible scent, something just doesn't mesh with my nose in it. I haven't washed with it yet though, maybe it will change in the shower. I do find it really funny that it's so prominently talked about in this thread though since its one of the most complex strangest fragrances I've smelled.


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## newbie (Apr 27, 2015)

I've had people tell me they want to keep it next to their beds so they can smell it as soon as they wake up. Nothing is for everybody though.


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## Mommy (Apr 27, 2015)

The soaping purchase I regret most so far is Leather fragrance oil. I don't even want to talk about it. The thought of the smell is giving me daymares right now. I don't know what I was thinking...I wanted to make a 'manly scent'- p.s. men love Passionfruit Rose, Vanilla, and Lavendar so the whole 'manly scent' idea is a little bit pointless. 

Meanwhile, Leather is sitting there, and I can't think of one thing to use it for.

Ancient Sedona I bought for the same 'manly' purpose, and I have a visceral 'get it away from me!!' type of reaction when I smell it. Even though I can tell it's not a  horrible smell, there's some sort of deep-seated association and I don't even want to sniff long enough to figure it out. It's also very musky to me, and musky has always made me feel like I have to run away or I'll be suffocated by musk. 
I soap with it, but I do NOT sniff those bars. :lolno:


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## RiverRose (Apr 27, 2015)

It's definitely patchouli for me as well, ick! Smells like BO to me. I made my mom take the whole batch so I wouldn't have to smell it anymore. 
 Also Pepperberry from BB, though my best friend LOVES it.
 I thought I'd like sandalwood-rose, but it smells like an old-folks home to me.


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## santimar (Apr 27, 2015)

I hate "Monkey Farts", I bought it because of all the reviews, very dissapointed!!!


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## jblaney (Apr 27, 2015)

Patchouli all day long is the most disgusting scent ever.   I used a tiny bit in a soap I made 2 months ago and it took over and I will have to toss it.   

I have a 16oz bottle of Dark Patchouli from New Directions I bought about a year ago and it's just the worst smell to me.   I can't imagine anyone I know would ever want anything to smell like this.   So sad....

If anyone is interested in purchasing from me, please PM me.   I believe I paid $55, but I see it's $78 now.   I have used less than 1/2 oz in my estimation since I only tested small amounts by the drop.   It took over everything and even when it did not, it made everything smell bad!


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## LittleCrazyWolf (Apr 27, 2015)

For me it's definitely florals. They just smell terrible for some reason. I bought Daystar's Blooming Violets based on reviews and I hate it...usually. Every once in a while I get a whiff of it and it actually smells nice and then two seconds later...BAM...I hate it again. Oh well. My mom will like it (I hope). 

It's kind of fascinating how different we all are and how alike at the same time. 

I have a little 1/2 oz bottle of Patchouli EO upstairs and I'm just waiting to get some Orange EO to blend it with. Every time I sniff it I can just detect a whiff of an earthy soil like really good compost in my garden. It smells wonderful to me, just really solid and alive.


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## green soap (Apr 27, 2015)

I love patchouli EO as well.  A blend of a wine cork scent mixed with damp earth, but with a spicy and 'clean' background to the whole thing.  I mostly blend it, but being out of patchouli would be almost like being out of garlic in the kitchen.  Inconceivable.

Getting back to the ones I cannot stand.  I dislike lilac, and to a lesser extend, most FOs I have worked with.  I might find them appealing at first, but some how my nose gets saturated and start to dislike them intensely.  Which other ones I disliked from the first whiff?  coconut and water scents.  The dislike for the others came later.

Anyone with a similar sensory experience?


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## dixiedragon (Apr 27, 2015)

Specific ones - Energy from BB - smells like sickly-sweet cheap orange candy to me. Got a sample of Heliotrope from BCN. The one review was negative, but I tried it anyway. Sooo awful. Nothing like the Heliotrope.

Categories - I'm not wild about bakery scents.


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## not_ally (Apr 27, 2015)

DD, I hate bakery scents, too.  That does seem to be one of the big dividing lines.  

Thanks for your opinions on Ancient Sedona, you guys.  Newbie, thank you for your generous offer - at some point I may PM you and say have you ever tried "x" fragrance, and if so, what do you think?  I have a wish list waiting on line at BB, though, I will request it as my FO freebie.  Heads up, fellow newbies, better to sign on and keep things in the wish list, at many places - including BB - for some reason they disappear between visits if you keep them in the shopping cart. 

I always hated patch b/c I had a friend who used it lavishly a long time ago and it smelled cheap and kind of sour.  That might have had to do the type that she bought and how it smelled on her, although it made a lasting impression.  I have tried a couple of patch FO blends that I am liking now from OT, though, I am coming around.

Also lavendar, it always smelled kind of old-ladyish to me until I started using Bulgarian lavendar EO (a bit more floral and less camphorous) with a good grapefruit EO in my diffuser.  Again, a very different result from the stuff to which I was accustomed in the past.


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## FlybyStardancer (Apr 27, 2015)

Right now I'm most hating NG's Cannibis Flower. When I first sniffed it OOB I didn't like it, but I figured I could tolerate it enough for one batch... Ugh ugh ugh. I can't wait to get this batch out of my house! And what's worse, I still have some left!  I'm currently using up my tiny little tester sliver just to see how the soap itself is, but the scent is lingering on my skin...

I've never been a fan of "old lady" florals, with lavender being my worst culprit. I still don't like things that are all (or nearly all) lavender, but I was gifted a soap that had a blend that included lavender that wasn't bad. And I sniffed a patchoulli soap in the store to see what that smelled like and hated that (and the way it lingered in my nose), but I bought a dupe of a perfume someone gave me and was surprised to see that it had patch in it! I had liked the smell of the perfume but I got the dupe because I don't actually like perfume (and it was on sale when I was filling up my cart).

I don't really like the smell of coconut either. The smell, the taste, the texture... it's just all bad for me. I'll use it for cooking indian, but otherwise it's cosmetics only! 

And yet I love fruity and bakery stuff... I haven't tried soaping with anything bakery yet, but one of my friends asked me when I was going to...


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## galaxyMLP (Apr 28, 2015)

I just remembered the smell I can't stand! I got a free sample from BB (and of course, in the order, they accidentally sent 2) of Neroli and Shea Blossom. It smells like old lady. It's awful. I won't soap with it. Even if someone would pay me (ok, I probably would) but, that would be the day I would buy a respirator and soap outside!


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## barndive (May 8, 2015)

I hate the fruity scented perfumes. It seems that the ones who made those fruity scents doesn't seem too have an idea what a fruit is, or maybe they do, except they only know the scent of those fruits who went way past the expiration date.


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## TeresaT (May 8, 2015)

I get migraines a lot from odors, so I have to be very careful.  I can't handle heavy florals or musks.  I prefer more of the fruity or grassy EOs.  So far my favorites are grapefruit, lemongrass and citronella.  I haven't tried any FOs yet.  I don't think I'll use them.  Probably just EOs and unscented unless someone asks for something specific.


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## Saponista (May 8, 2015)

I bought a marigold fragrance from sensory perfection in the UK. It was absolutely disgusting. I made bath salts with it and it smelled nice at first as the top notes masked the base, but when I got out of the bath I was left with only the base notes on my skin. It smelled to me like a combination of perochemicals and animal poo. I spent half an hour trying to scrub it off me but I could smell it all day. Never again will I be buying that!


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (May 8, 2015)

Susie said:


> ............Patchouli literally makes me nauseated..........



I just want to drop this in - Susie has used the correct term where many would have used "nauseous".  Worth a mention in dispatches!  Huzzah for English. 

Having read this thread, I can't help but come back to this point and highlight it


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## zolveria (May 8, 2015)

Patchouli and Citronella  they both get under my nose and drive me insane.


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## JayJay (May 8, 2015)

I am starting to hate sweet fruit scents. Monkey Farts is one that I recently ordered for a kids soap. It smells like fake banana. Gross. I also hate sweet bakery scents. I don't want to smell food when it isn't time to eat. Sweet scents in general start to make my stomach turn after a while. 

Ancient Sedona is my favorite so far! I keep smelling the bottle and also my soaps. I can't wait to try it in the shower.


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## lionprincess00 (May 8, 2015)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> I just want to drop this in - Susie has used the correct term where many would have used "nauseous".  Worth a mention in dispatches!  Huzzah for English.
> 
> Having read this thread, I can't help but come back to this point and highlight it



I used to date a guy, about oh 12 years ago, that had this exact pet peeve at nauseated vs nauseous. You made me giggle teg. No, it's not the reason we broke up haha, but I will say in his defense it's stuck with me all these years.


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## Saponista (May 10, 2015)

I also hate the smell of the men's aftershave 'joop'. It is sickly sweet and smells feminine to me. Anyone who wears it also seems to feel the need to put so much on they have pretty much bathed in it.


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## bonnyny (May 11, 2015)

And then there's the issue of when you get in the shower. I liked 'musk' until then. The whiff now brings back that memory - yikes.


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## dixiedragon (May 11, 2015)

I don't hate bakery scents in that I smell them and I think "yuck". I'm happy to make them for other people. But if I smell chocolate cake, by God there had better be cake. If I walked into a house and smelled awesome chocolate cake and the host was like, "Oh, that's just my candle! We're having fruit for dessert" I'd probably murder them.


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## valerieinthegallery (May 11, 2015)

I recently ordered a Bobbi Brown "Beach"-type fragrance oil for a friend of mine who loves the ocean. It got rave reviews and everyone seems to love it. It was the worst! It smelled ok OOB, but when I soaped with it, it got about 100x stronger and it just smelled like the most overpowering perfumey mess I have ever smelled. I can't even describe it. It gave me the worst headache and my house smelled like it for DAYS. It did NOT smell fresh or clean or crisp at ALL. Just overpowering and SHARP.


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## SplendorSoaps (May 11, 2015)

Ug, Lemon Eucalyptus really makes me wrinkle my nose. It smells like citronella (which also isn't a favorite). NG also has a fragrance oil called Cognac & Cigars that is an all-time least favorite in our house!


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## ariella42 (May 11, 2015)

Mark another patchouli hater down. I think it might have something to do with hanging out in a house full of patchouli incense and getting quite sick (for other reasons ) when I was a teenager. Now, every time I smell it I feel slightly ill.


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## jules92207 (May 11, 2015)

valerieinthegallery said:


> I recently ordered a Bobbi Brown "Beach"-type fragrance oil for a friend of mine who loves the ocean. It got rave reviews and everyone seems to love it. It was the worst! It smelled ok OOB, but when I soaped with it, it got about 100x stronger and it just smelled like the most overpowering perfumey mess I have ever smelled. I can't even describe it. It gave me the worst headache and my house smelled like it for DAYS. It did NOT smell fresh or clean or crisp at ALL. Just overpowering and SHARP.



Yup. Same here. It's awful!


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