Eamonn O’Neal
I’VE just ordered a bottle of my favourite aftershave online.
I had to do it online because I can’t find it anywhere on the high street or even in the duty free shops.
It’s called Lauder For Men and it is so unusual that it has become my ‘signature smell’ although I can generate other smells if required.
I can’t remember when I first started shaving but I didn’t wait for my facial hair to sprout to try out the scents of the 70s.
I obviously experimented with the bottle of Old Spice which was hiding in my dad’s bathroom cabinet but quickly moved to Hai Karate. The TV ad featured a young lady opening the door to a gentleman caller. “Wow!
Social media can throw up some weird things. Yesterday Facebook thought I should read about interesting Medieval names and offered up a link. How could I resist taking a look? So as a special favour to you I present the top five names for men and women What’s that after-shave you’re wearing?” she screamed as she threw herself at him. He was forced to gently fend her off using martial arts-type arm movements. I can hear the voice-over now
“Hai Karate, is so powerful, it drives women right out of their minds. Hai Karate - be careful how you use it.”
Of its time and completely outrageous to our current sensitivities. I didn’t stick with it long because it failed to drive anyone out of their mind and it also smelled of sickeningly sweet burned rubber.
So it was on to Brut. I didn’t need Henry Cooper to encourage me to splash it all over, I not only had the classy bottle but I also coveted the soap-on-arope version.
Then I discovered Faberge West, which came out about the same between the 5th and 15th centuries.
Men: Merek, Carac, Ulric, Tybalt, Borin
Women: Malkyn, Ayleth, Anastas, Alianor, Peronyll
So I hope you appreciate that if you’re currently thinking of names for new babies, I’ve given you some cracking suggestions there. time as Brut but was more expensive and upmarket. It was in a brown bottle and had strange-shaped top.
It was more spicy than sweet, very distinctive and I loved it.
Following that I went through a smell-like-asherbert-lemon phase and spent a fortune on Monsieur Balmain.
That went well until a girlfriend at the time said. “You stink like a sweaty sweet shop. Wash it off or you’re chucked.”
The Monsieur Balmain stayed and she left. Phyllis Styne I think she was called.
Amazingly most of these 70s throwback colognes are more readily available to buy than my modern Lauder so it might be time for me to invest in those heritage brands and enjoy a fragrant olfactory trip down memory lane.