Are the under-40s done with perfume and wristwatches?

[kenny]

I'm over 60.
I have a steel & gold Rolex c. 1980s, and several colognes.
No longer do I use them.

A microscopic few claiming they have allergy to fragrance (more likely most they just don't like fragrances, it but do not accept personal responsibility for their crap regarding their choices) stopped my cologne use.
My $39 time-telling cellphone has replaced my steel & 18K gold Rolex, which I see now as nothing more than a stoopid, shallow, white privilege status symbol.

What WAS I thinking!
I guess I wasn't.

 

[elizat]

I'm 39 this year. I haven't worn a watch in probably 8 or more years. I used to. I have a fit bit but don't like it. I really don't like the feel of something tight like a watch.

I don't wear perfume. I have some but I don't wear it. I don't like scented or fragranced lotion/cream either.

 

[CSpan]

I have never owned a watch but I wear perfume daily and I change it up for the seasons.

I used to change fragrances with each new relationship. Scents take me places photos never can. I had a little spray of Pleasures while studying abroad in Russia-perfume was a necessity to combat the smoke and pollution smell. I keep a vial just as a reminder of being young and adventurous and brave.

My husband wanted me to have a scent no one had ever smelled on me so one of our first trips he took me to The Perfume House in Portland Oregon. They have literally everything. I chose a Serge Luten and I won't say what it cost but i have rings that cost less. My summer fragrance is from Capri, very citrus and fresh. But unless you are very very close you wouldn't be able to smell either. Sadly hair products tend to overpower these days.

Husband loves scents like no man I have ever known (well like every high school boy and Drakker Noir but in a good way) he had a reformulation of a cologne made for Napoleon, a woodsy scent that I am heartbroken he ran out of and lately every single field lab scent that Juniper Ridge has come out with. But again if you can smell them on him I'd say you are a tad too close

 

[yssie]

Early thirties.

I don’t wear watches. Never have. The single face “motif” bothers me - I want symmetry around the band... maybe if they made bejewelled watches with five or seven heads

I do love perfume... But not on my clothes, in my hair. I’m a convert to Prose - I get my conditioner unscented and add a little Burberry London to it. It seems to work just as well despite the “contaminant” perfume so ::shrug::

 

[MsShnooks]

I think it’s a weird one when it comes to frangrance sensitivity. I wore Sunflowers growing up but somehow got to the stage of the smell making me headachy and nauseous. Same with another fragrance whose name I can’t remember. However, I’ve used other scents for years and have been fine - Chanel N 5 has been my evening favourite for more than a decade. In the daytime, I tend to stick to light, fresh ones and nothing has given me a reaction for years.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

The other half brought me pure poison for a few years - he likes the smell but liked the name better
Intetesting he liked it when we was browsing and i liked it when he took me in to choose but after a few years he lost the love for it and he said it made him feel sick

 

[Sunstorm]

As to perfume I really think less is more holds true. Yes, today perfumes are synthetic which was not true in the past, hence so many reactions today.

I loved the heavy hitters of the past and the vintage I own, none give me a headache even if they overdosed on civet which I loved, loved, loved. These notes are not made anymore, especially not in natural versions.

The niche perfumes are expensive because of the expensive natural ingredients and they are well worth the price. Some of my favorites are Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady, Le Labo Ylang 49 and Iris 39 as well as their The Noir. These are all heavy hitters, the two are brands I absolutely love, even if heavy never a headache, they smell almost therapeutic. I adore these scents but wear them more for special occassions.

Today for every day everything is about minimalism and understatement so I like to at least somewhat fit in a bit because I do not want all the attention on me. So I do love colognes like Guerlain Aqua Allegoria in summer, Atelier Cologne Iris Rebelle. I do use Chanel Chance Eau Vive hair mist sprayed sparingly on coats, scarves, hair. The hair mists are nice because they are so very light and wearable. One of their best ever is Coromandel that is still on my buy list. I love all No.5. but rather use a cream and shower gel for special occassions and just the hair mist otherwise.

So, if you tend to get sick but want some perfume, do invest in niche. Another great alternative is some oils. These are much more natural and less harmful then drugstore fume.

I do think watches are very much out at the moment for ladies. Too bad as antique watches are so gorgeous and some Cartier and Chopard etc are stunning today too. For men they are still in.

Even if I adore gorgeous watches I would rather spend on bling. I am such a ring girl and love special earrings too.

 

[elizat]

Early thirties.

I don’t wear watches. Never have. The single face “motif” bothers me - I want symmetry around the band... maybe if they made bejewelled watches with five or seven heads

I do love perfume... But not on my clothes, in my hair. I’m a convert to Prose - I get my conditioner unscented and add a little Burberry London to it. It seems to work just as well despite the “contaminant” perfume so ::shrug::

I tried prose- it wasn't good for me! I wondered if I should have contacted them but it was so not wowed.

 

[doberman]

Over 50 here. I always hated when people wore too much scent. I wondered if they'd lost their sense of smell. I like perfume but I apply it lightly to the wrist and neck area. You need to be close to me to get a whiff. As for a watch, I needed one every day when I was working (measuring pulses etc) and I still like a watch. I dont want to have to dig around in my purse to find my phone and then unlock it just to find out what time it is!

My daughter is 31 and she wears both. She actually just turned me on to a new perfume, Mojave Ghost.

 

[plad25]

I'm under 40 and I wear both.daily. Although if I forget to put on perfume, no big deal. If I forget my watch, I feel naked!

 

[lambskin]

At work I see Fitbits and Apple watches on the youngsters. I do not see regular watches on folks under 40.

 

[arkieb1]

Another person that perfume makes ill, sometimes I wear a watch a lot of times these days I forget and simply use my Iphone.

 

[alittlelight]

I am over 50. Hate wearing a watch. Love wearing perfume and get lots of compliments. I think a lot of people wear it subtly — I usually only notice when I am giving hugs.

 

[rainydaze]

A microscopic few claiming they have allergy to fragrance (more likely most they just don't like fragrances, it but do not accept personal responsibility for their crap regarding their choices) stopped my cologne use.

Your post is a little confusing because the structure is muddled, however if you are saying that people who have reactions to fragrances do so because *they* are making personal choices that bring this about is odd to me. I am one of the (apparent) microscopic few for whom fragrances trigger headaches and sometimes nausea. I make choices to avoid people and areas *when I can* that subject me to fragrances. However, what choice am I to make when I take a flight and someone on it is wearing fragrance? What choice am I to make when my child has a friend whose family overuses Tide and Unstoppables whereby any contact with this friend leaves those fragrances lingering on my child for 12 hours, in her room for 3+ weeks (in this case, I am considering not having her over to our home - what an awful choice for me to have to make!), or in my car for 12+ hours after one ride? What better choices were mine to make when I worked with someone who wore perfumes that triggered me, other than holding my breath as much as possible when close to her and covering my mouth with a scarf when working in my cubicle to help filter it, and popping ibuprofen or Tylenol every day to help with my headaches?

For my part I use shampoo and conditioner that are fragrance free, along with as many other products that are natural and/or fragrance-free as I can; I launder with detergent that has no fragrance, or a detergent that has naturally derived ingredients that does not leave a scent on my clothes; I 'bleach' and 'soften' with white vinegar. I don't use air fresheners, candles, febreeze, or scents in my home; I use charcoal to help mitigate odors.

I used to love having a signature scent but as time went on my sensitivity became stronger. I have had to give up perfume.

I love wearing watches but I am in the over-40 crowd. Sometimes I have to take a break as the weight aggravates me. I have noticed the younger crowds not wearing watches, although two of my high schoolers don't go a day without one - both have analogs (not smartwatches or digitals).

 

[telephone89]

I wish people wore less perfume. When I can smell someone who's walked down the hall 5 mins earlier, its TOO MUCH!
I own 2 watches but don't really wear either. My husband has quite a large watch collection, and wears them more as jewellery/adornment rather than to actually tell the time. I'm quite sure he just pulls out his phone to look at the time instead of looking at the watch lol.

 

[FL_Sol]

Your post is a little confusing because the structure is muddled, however if you are saying that people who have reactions to fragrances do so because *they* are making personal choices that bring this about is odd to me. I am one of the (apparent) microscopic few for whom fragrances trigger headaches and sometimes nausea. I make choices to avoid people and areas *when I can* that subject me to fragrances. However, what choice am I to make when I take a flight and someone on it is wearing fragrance? What choice am I to make when my child has a friend whose family overuses Tide and Unstoppables whereby any contact with this friend leaves those fragrances lingering on my child for 12 hours, in her room for 3+ weeks (in this case, I am considering not having her over to our home - what an awful choice for me to have to make!), or in my car for 12+ hours after one ride? What better choices were mine to make when I worked with someone who wore perfumes that triggered me, other than holding my breath as much as possible when close to her and covering my mouth with a scarf when working in my cubicle to help filter it, and popping ibuprofen or Tylenol every day to help with my headaches?

For my part I use shampoo and conditioner that are fragrance free, along with as many other products that are natural and/or fragrance-free as I can; I launder with detergent that has no fragrance, or a detergent that has naturally derived ingredients that does not leave a scent on my clothes; I 'bleach' and 'soften' with white vinegar. I don't use air fresheners, candles, febreeze, or scents in my home; I use charcoal to help mitigate odors.

I used to love having a signature scent but as time went on my sensitivity became stronger. I have had to give up perfume.

I love wearing watches but I am in the over-40 crowd. Sometimes I have to take a break as the weight aggravates me. I have noticed the younger crowds not wearing watches, although two of my high schoolers don't go a day without one - both have analogs (not smartwatches or digitals).

I am going to give my very real experience and thoughts on this, too.
For one, I LOVE perfume, I just could never wear it, I tried and tried. I have always had a weird reaction to a few things, one is the perfume/cologne issue and other scent, and the other is standing still for too long. It isn't ADHD. I literally have to move my legs to keep from passing out, like it's a bloodflow issue. When I smell chemical scents I nearly pass out. I see gray spots in my vision, develop a headache and nausea when exposed, those are the same symptoms I have when I stand still for too long. I thought this was "normal" my entire life until I gave birth to my son and the symptoms worsened by a very significant amount. Doctors didn't believe me that this was going on, or at least nothing more than panic attack.
I ended up begging my doctor for a Tilt Table Test to see what is going on when I stand for periods of a time. They strap you down so you can't wiggle around and prevent fainting. It turns out my heart rate jumps up, BP goes drops and it gets me close to passing out. After a while I passed out during the test and it started with the gray spots in my vision, then the gray worsening in the peripheral vision and closed in on me and I was out. The first time I fully fainted. It is an autonomic nervous system issue.

The fact that I see the gray spots when I smell perfume makes me think it is a similar BP problem.
It almost reminds me of when a person who has seizures can instantly have a seizure when being exposed to strobe lights. Maybe our hearts and vascular structures react to certain smells. I have had migraines my entire life, too, and the feeling I get from these scents are very similar, just less severe an shorter lived. Migraines are also a nervous system and vascular system problem.
I don't have too much time to proof read what I typed, nor to respond to everyone who wants to attack my message but it is what it is.

 

[whatamilookingat]

I'm under forty and don't wear perfume. Many perfumes make me feel sick. I used to wear Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue, but that was a clean fresh scent. I recently tried the Light Blue Intense version and found that it made me feel ill. I'm also aware that a lot of people have sensitivities and don't want to upset people around me.

I don't wear watches anymore either. I wouldn't say no to a nice watch, but I don't like my forearms and feel like wearing a watch attracts attention to that general area. I just use my phone.

 

[MJ_Mac]

I am going to give my very real experience and thoughts on this, too.
For one, I LOVE perfume, I just could never wear it, I tried and tried. I have always had a weird reaction to a few things, one is the perfume/cologne issue and other scent, and the other is standing still for too long. It isn't ADHD. I literally have to move my legs to keep from passing out, like it's a bloodflow issue. When I smell chemical scents I nearly pass out. I see gray spots in my vision, develop a headache and nausea when exposed, those are the same symptoms I have when I stand still for too long. I thought this was "normal" my entire life until I gave birth to my son and the symptoms worsened by a very significant amount. Doctors didn't believe me that this was going on, or at least nothing more than panic attack.
I ended up begging my doctor for a Tilt Table Test to see what is going on when I stand for periods of a time. They strap you down so you can't wiggle around and prevent fainting. It turns out my heart rate jumps up, BP goes drops and it gets me close to passing out. After a while I passed out during the test and it started with the gray spots in my vision, then the gray worsening in the peripheral vision and closed in on me and I was out. The first time I fully fainted. It is an autonomic nervous system issue.

The fact that I see the gray spots when I smell perfume makes me think it is a similar BP problem.
It almost reminds me of when a person who has seizures can instantly have a seizure when being exposed to strobe lights. Maybe our hearts and vascular structures react to certain smells. I have had migraines my entire life, too, and the feeling I get from these scents are very similar, just less severe an shorter lived. Migraines are also a nervous system and vascular system problem.
I don't have too much time to proof read what I typed, nor to respond to everyone who wants to attack my message but it is what it is.

OMG @JrJ, it's like we're long lost siblings. I just get migraine and nausea from scents and don't pass out but I do have the same issue with standing still. I have to walk or move or before I know it I'm on the floor. I have been like that since a child.

I love certain fragrances and have my faves stashed away in a cool spot. I used to love wearing scent when I was younger and felt naked without it. Unfortunately I can no longer wear fragrance because I have become sensitive. I may be able to push it once in a while and will wear my favourite fragrance when going out (although it's probably been at least 2 years since I last wore any). I will use one dab and that's it but usually have a headache by the end of the evening. Everything in our house is unscented.

The younger people I encounter seem to wear less scented products. Maybe it's because most work environments and venues for many years now have asked people to refrain from wearing scented products due to people with sensitivities. That is probably all they have ever known. It's usually the older demographic that seem to like wearing fragrance and lots of it.

I see many young people, men and women still wearing watches.

 

[FL_Sol]

Weird, right?! Everyone thought I was crazy or looking for attention or something or another. After having my son I couldn’t function, I would near pass out in the grocery store line. I researched and researched and found POTS syndrome. That is why I asked for the Tilt Test. What I have is similar to POTS but a bit different.
I am SO sorry you had to endure this, too. You now know you aren’t alone!

 

[AprilBaby]

Over 60, no perfume, it literally feels like someone sucked the air out of the room. Same with fresh flowers. I and all 4 of my millennials and their spouses can’t live without our Apple watches. My phone is only for pictures these days. I could happily get rid of my phone.

 

[MJ_Mac]

@JrJ - Prior to my husband's retirement I attended many different functions with him. I would always ask if it involved a stand-up cocktail reception. If so I would decline. It's never fun worrying if you are going to faint. I've been somewhat better since I have gone on daily preventative medication for my migraines. It's a BP medication even though I don't have high blood pressure. I can stand longer without starting to wobble like a Weeble (lol).

@AprilBaby - I feel your pain with the flowers. Lilies are the worst. One whiff and I have an instantaneous migraine with nausea. I was at a company dinner (about 200 people) with my husband once and the organizers thought it would be nice to have lilies on every table because it was spring and close to Easter. They were very pretty but a number of us got migraines but one woman had to be taken to the hospital.

It is really difficult to explain scent sensitivities to people who don't have them. My own sister got mad at me when I kindly asked if she could refrain from using her vanilla handcream as it was a migraine trigger. I was polite and tried to stress it was reaction I couldn't control. She was a house guest at the time and we were only together for 4 days. I offered her an unscented product to use while she stayed with us.

 

[rainydaze]

Oh man, I feel for you @JrJ, @AprilBaby, and @Poodles4me ! And I'm right there with you on the lilies. Such a beautiful flower but they kill me.

 

[Sunstorm]

Lilies are horrible! They are actually highly toxic and if you put enough in a closed space, you WILL die. I used to work in a small office once and the manager ordered fresh flowers weekly and I was sick all the time. I begged and begged to at least not order lilies, to no avail. Some people just don’t get it and are completely intolerant of others. Most white flower perfumes no matter how nice make me literally ill too.

 

[eapj]

Oh man, I feel for you @JrJ, @AprilBaby, and @Poodles4me ! And I'm right there with you on the lilies. Such a beautiful flower but they kill me.

Me, too, with the lilies! I stand headache and other allergy symptoms.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Lilies are horrible! They are actually highly toxic and if you put enough in a closed space, you WILL die. I used to work in a small office once and the manager ordered fresh flowers weekly and I was sick all the time. I begged and begged to at least not order lilies, to no avail. Some people just don’t get it and are completely in tolerant of others. Most white flower perfumes no matter how nice make me literally ill too.

My mother made Christmas unbearable for me every year by filling the house with xmas lillies
Im allergic to so many things ...but im 100% good with synethic everything

I seem to remember from somewhere when applying purfume to spray it into the air and walk through it

 

[chemgirl]

Mid 30’s

I have perfume, but I haven’t touched it in over a year.

I wear a Garmin watch for my every day. I prefer the GPS function and battery life of the Garmin, otherwise it would be an apple watch. My phone isn’t as good with run tracking and I like to check my heart rate and instantaneous speed without pulling my phone out.

 

[GliderPoss]

I'm under 40 and I wear both!

In fact I adore perfume, particularly the stronger Oud based ones but I'm careful about wearing it at work as it's obviously not for everyone. I have a generous collection of perfumes and would never leave the house without some on! I think the reason you don't smell it much is everyone is wear lighter perfumes, or eau de toilette. Most of my friends wear terribly vague washy perfumes that barely have any discernible scent. What a waste of money if you ask me....

Many people my age or younger wear smart watches and prefer to put their coin into the latest gadget rather than a wristwatch. I lovingly wear my gold Longines every day but I am the exception to my social circle.

 

[chroman]

Over 40, but just barely. Haven’t worn a watch in 20-ish years.

It makes it awkward typing all day to have a band flapping around. If I need the time, theres always a phone. But being late is a huge source of anxiety for me, so having the time be less accessable isn’t a bad thing.

I’ve actually been toying with giving the watch another try, just for the nostongia fix of the memories associated with it.

No fragrances tho.

 

[Dancing Fire]

My $39 time-telling cellphone has replaced my steel & 18K gold Rolex, which I see now as nothing more than a stoopid, shallow, white privilege status symbol.

Kenny, I can assure you that there are a lot more Asians whom are sporting Rolexes than white Americans, so let's call it "Asian privilege" instead.

 

[Jambalaya]

Wow, what super-interesting responses! Some people really know a lot about fragrance - Sunstorm!

I had no idea that fragrance can make people feel so ill. What a valuable insight!