[drpeter]

I recently picked up what many claim to be the iconic bay rum, St John's. It is a pretty good bay rum, as these things go, but I am not sure if it quite matches your imagined fragrance.

Perfumes and fragrances change in two different ways: In your own memory, which can be fickle, and also in their composition. In the former case, the memory of your initial experience can fade or alter over time. And in the latter case, it can be because the fragrance itself degrades over time, or because the manufacturers might change the ingredients a little, or even a lot, over time.

Here is St John's. There's also a piece in Ivy Style written some months ago on this scent.

Men's Fragrance & Bath and Body Products

Discover Bay Rum After Shave for Men, West Indian Lime Aftershave, West Indian Lime Cologne and more.

stjohnsbayrum.com

 

[drpeter]

There's a substantial scientific literature in the general field of perception and psychophysics on smell (and on the other senses). Psychophysics is the discipline that studies how various aspects of external physical energy (light, sound, molecules of substances in air or in fluids, pressure on body surface) are transduced into neural energy and thence into subjective sensations we experience. The part that is truly complex is how we label the results of this process, and how we identify them and experience them subjectively. Sensory organs (eye, ear, nose, etc) are simply the sites at which transduction takes place (the retina, the cochlea, the olfactory bulb, etc.). The part that actually does the seeing or hearing or smelling is in the appropriate region of the brain (visual or auditory or olfactory cortex). There are also complicated interactions between senses, since objects can stimulate multiple sensory systems at the same time. One obvious link is between smell and taste -- smell is essential to taste.

So sensory psychologists and physiologists are employed by the perfume industry and the companies also fund research into smell.

 

[drpeter]

Pecksniff's of England is a scent/cologne that I recently discovered. It is a pleasant fragrance, comes in different combinations of notes, and is very reasonably priced. It could be a serviceable alternative to the more expensive kinds, quite suitable for everyday wear.

 

[drpeter]

^
Pecksniffs, eh? Good thing the syllables aren't reversed.

You know I thought discretion might just be the better part of (comic) valour, and so avoided mentioning it. But those were exactly my thoughts. The English have a certain way with words, don't you think?

 

[drpeter]

Royall Bay Rhum is also a nice fragrance. I keep a small bottle in my Dopp kit for use when travelling.

 

[drpeter]

I've long wanted to try the scent called Aramis, not because of its special properties, but because it is the name of one of the Musketeers.

 

[drpeter]

Geo. F. Trumper are well-known as a company that sells various bits of shaving kit. LOL, they even used to have a school to teach shaving! (Shaving University, anyone? What would the courses be like?). If I recall correctly, the Ben Silver paper catalogue used to carry their products, but I may be wrong. I have not personally tried their Bay Rum.

Edit: I just checked and my memory about Ben Silver was right ( a nice thing at my age, LOL). Here is the link for Bay Rum:

Bay Rum Cologne

Vibrant, crisp and exhilarating, this is striking cologne that is reminiscent of the West Indian Isles. Shown in 1.75oz(52ml).

www.bensilver.com

 

[drpeter]

Ben Silver sent me an email just the other day advertising a special tie design featuring the colors found in the Ukrainian Flag.It sells for $200 and if you wish you can write your check for over that amount and the excess will be donated to Ukrainian relief efforts. Since the tie looks a whole lot like the University of Michigan tie my wife gifted me with years ago and requires me to wear on weekends when the Wolverines beat the Nittany Lions, I think I will just skip this new tie design and send the whole $200 to Ukrainain relief efforts.

I got the same email this morning! It does seem like a worthwhile cause.

 

[drpeter]

I owned a bottle of Aramis (Hurricane Laura must have done something with it) but I did NOT care for the smell. Reminded me of Stetson/Aspen/Old Spice and I really do not care for those at all.

I did like Stetson. I can't remember the Old Spice fragrance at all, I must have tried it a long time ago.

 

[drpeter]

As my profession requires that I be clean-shaven, I may have to try this, also

Interesting. I'm curious: May I ask politely what general line of work that might be? My understanding was that most professions permitted facial hair -- at least a mustache, if not a beard. The one exception I can think of would be the military (with the possible exception of the Navy).

 

[drpeter]

I work in an oil refinery and we have to be ready to don SCBA's at any time. My vocation lies within the Fire/Rescue sector (mostly prevention) and I also have to set the example by staying on top of it. No matter how much I like to have at least a VERY short beard.

Thank you. Yes, I can understand how a beard can become problematic when you need to put on the SCBA very fast! Well, when you retire from this position, you can grow a beard to make up for lost time, LOL.

Your constraint also reminds me of something that happened years ago. One of my friends liked the full beard I was wearing then and told his wife "You know, I'd like to grow a beard just like Peter. I bet it will look great on me." His wife told him, with a winsome smile, "In that case, enjoy your new apartment". Apparently she did not like beards!

 

[drpeter]

I happened upon a couple bottles of this recently. I was rushed for time, so I didn't purchase. Seeing how they were $5/bottle, I just may go back and snatch them up. They weren't in a black box, but they were definitely Pecksniff's.

Indeed, I think they are a good bargain at $5 a bottle, but do make sure the particular fragrance (there are several) in those bottles is to your liking before you buy them.

 

[drpeter]

I’ve found this cologne locally and tried it today. I’ll be getting a bottle of it and the Lime of the same brand. Thanks!!

You're most welcome. Do let us know what you think of each product.

 

[drpeter]

What's your experience with the longevity of St. John's?

There are two senses to the term longevity here: How long the fragrance will last once you put it on your face ( a matter of hours), and how long the entire bottle will retain its native fragrance (a matter of years). As for the first, a reasonable amount placed in the palm of your hand and slapped on to your cheeks should last for a few hours. As for the second, I haven't the foggiest, because I just bought my first bottle a few months ago. But I can tell you a few years from now if it still smells as it does now.

 

[drpeter]

Clintotron:

THANKS for reminding me. The Lucky Tiger was not available so I had to order this instead:
Clubman Pinaud Virgin Island Bay Rum Cologne, 12 fl oz $17.50
It's stronger in alcohol that I would have preferred but once you apply it the alcohol smell goes away (slowly) AND in a crisis, mixed with soda or tonic ... !

Conversely, perhaps one could select a fine English gin with special botanicals and then apply that to the face in a pinch if you're stuck for bay rum...

 

[drpeter]

My question was in regards to the worn longevity. I have no doubt I'll not find out about the second meaning. There isn't a chance of it lasting long enough to show any difference.

Thanks, that was what I thought, but it is always good to have confirmation. Enjoy the Bay Rum.

 

[drpeter]

Now that I have seen many negative comments about Aramis (and I since I raised the issue here), I should definitely try it out somewhere before buying it. There's no point in buying something that I, too, might dislike intensely, LOL. Then again, there are many matters in which my taste goes against that of the majority of my friends and acquaintances! We shall see.

 

[drpeter]

Well, maybe I will see if our local Walmart also stocks Aramis. I had no idea it was so widely available. Perhaps Dumas has more influence in our world than one would have imagined!